roughing us out

Carving out three dimensional images from large slabs of stone is a process that appears to be older than civilzation itself.  There are examples of prehistoric statues such as the "Venus of Willendorf" which may date back as far as 24,000-22,000 BCE. 

Today, there are of course some new tools and technology that are available to sculptors, however, the process is basically the same: Roughing, Refining, Smoothing and Finishing. 


A lamassu from the Palace of Sargon II
 Oriental Institute University of Chicago
Photograph by AnnMarie Gitchell



Roughing out the very most basic shape is step one and typically involves a mallet and a pointed chisel to make gross cuts.  In this phase, large sections of unwanted stone are literally knocked off the slab, while the sculptor holds his tool at about a 90 degree angle.

Refining starts by using toothed shaped chisels held at about a 45 degree angle, allowing the artist to add more subtle details. 

Finally, smoothing and finishing are completed using smooth chisels, files and rasps- giving us the final masterpiece.

But what does this have to do with peace or wishes or human growth or anything else I have mentioned in this blog?  Well, recently I had a thought.  Like most of my ideas, this one is not particularly earth-shattering or revolutionary.  Just like the title of my blog- "a spoken wish" all I am intending to do is to take these perhaps common thoughts that most of us are or will be thinking at some time- and outwardly state them, commit to them.  So, I was thinking about how much time I personally spend mulling over positive and negative experiences.  Now, I am not saying that I am a doomsdayer or completely pessimistic glass half empty kind of person- but I have noticed that the more negative feeling experiences are the ones that tend to pop into my head when I'm driving to work or putting laundry away or accomplishing some other completely mindless feat.  It's not the successes of myself and my family that jump out to the forefront, it's the times that make me feel the most guilt, the most sadness, the most loss, the most regret, the most anger, the most resentment and despair. 

So, of course this made me think of sculpting?  Yeah, I know a little out there- but stay with me because there is a connection.  Maybe, just maybe these "negative" moments stick with us more because they are the experiences that really give us our shape.  Maybe every time something happens to us and we experience a strong negative emotional response, maybe that's the sculptor carving away at us, making us truly who we are by knocking off the chunks of stone we just don't need.  Perhaps these broad strokes are what help us to evolve into the people we are today.  Maybe this is why I think about these times more, maybe I need to in order to stay along my path- in order to continue to become.

Now, don't get me wrong, positive/happy moments and experiences are incredibly important too!  These are the smoothing chisels and the rasps.  These take the person that we are and "finish" us, polish us, smooth all our rough edges into one form.  I guess what I am getting at is that we are each an amazing masterpiece, created by every experience that comes our way.  We can't underestimate the power of positivity and the fine tuning it does on our souls, but we also can't ignore those times that have troubled us the most- for these give us our basic shape, these help define our character.  That's not to say that we are only the sum of our unhappiness, but that these moments are not for nothing.  I think this is what Walt Whitman was paraphrasing so eloquently when he said, "Every moment of light and dark is a miracle." 

I spend a lot of time, telling myself to "get over" things and wondering when I will be "past" a certain event or unpleasant moment.  I wish to break this habit and just let myself be, let myself become the masterpiece that no one else can be!