artycelia.com

  'Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.' Michelangelo. On 30th Street in Boulder, Colorado, there is a sculpture of a man chiseling himself out of a block of stone. His head, torso, arms, and thighs have already been carved from the stone. His right hand holds a hammer above his head ready to strike a chisel he grasps in his left hand. He is forming his right knee. The sculpture represents both the present state and potential of a self-made, self-actualised person. To reach our human potential the hammer and chisel will need to be used often and with diverse levels of precision and purpose. Some of us will place the hammer and chisel on the ground and declare ourselves, 'finished' while others will keep the tools close to them, ready to perfect their sculpture, change aspects of their sculpture, make it more beautiful, sincere, authentic. Some of us will see the block of stone as motionless while to others it re...

  Growth and change can feel uncomfortable, so you 'stay small.' Other people might not understand a 'new you' so you 'stay small.' If you 'stay small' you will continue to fit in, you can keep plodding along. All pervasive conforming keeps you small and can lock you into a self-image you may not like.  Humans are pack animals and as such we tend to move with the herd, go with the flow. This can be detrimental to our mental health. Do you feel locked into conformity?  For example, do you have to dress a certain way to succeed in your job? Is this way of dressing denying your creativity? Are you slowly being moulded into a person you don't really want to be? Is your relationship in a rut? Are you stuck in a routine? Are you conforming to a relationship stereotype? Have you found yourself in a job which is stifling your core character? Are you in accounts when you would be better suited to the art department? Are you afraid to change? Do you wonder whe...