CHAPTER 1
DISCOVERING THE MASTERPIECE WITHIN
You can have a paint-by-numbers version of your life, or you can start with a blank canvas and create a masterpiece.
Jim Collins
One of the most respected artists of the Renaissance period is Michelangelo Buonarroti. In 1501, the Italian artist was commissioned to create a statue of the biblical David, the symbol for strength and courage adopted by the city of Florence. Thirty-eight years earlier, an artist by the name of Agostino di Duccio had begun work on the statue, but he mistakenly blocked the marble and soon after deemed the stone unusable. Thirteen years after Agostino's failed attempt, artist Antonio Rosselli was commissioned to salvage something of the marble, but he too believed it to be flawed. This same block of marble, nicknamed "The Giant," which had been stored for many years in the courtyard of a church, was presented to Michelangelo. He deemed the Carrara marble "spoilt" but still believed he could make use of the discarded Giant and create a masterpiece for the city of Florence to embrace. He worked night and day for nearly three years perfecting the piece.
Michelangelo chose to portray David as a muscular young man whose consummate beauty made him reminiscent of a magnificently structured Apollo from antiquity. David's facial expression showed a quiet confidence and intensity, while his body reflected a relaxed stance, poised and ready for his battle to begin. This depiction of the David was different from past portrayals, which focused on the young warrior's post-victory pose of serenity and pride, as he stood over a conquered Goliath. Michelangelo's intent was to capture David's overall character, strength, and courage, which he felt was a more inspiring portrayal than focusing on the end result of the battle.
Upon completion, the seventeen-foot, eleven thousand-pound statue was placed in the Palazzo Vecchio. Because of its magnificent perfection, Michelangelo was viewed as the greatest sculptor of his time by the Florentine people. He was only twenty-nine years old. When the brilliant artist was asked how he could have created such an amazing work of art out of a flawed, "unusable" block of marble, he replied, "David was underneath the excess marble all along; I simply had to free him. In every block of marble I see a statue, see it as plainly as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls which imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to other eyes, as mine already see it."
Michelangelo's vision for and creation of the David serves as a pertinent example of the immense potential we all possess. In the same way the master sculptor was able to visualize the masterpiece within the stone, we as human beings must be able to envision a masterpiece within ourselves. The work of art Michelangelo was able to free from the marble represents the masterpiece each of us is capable of becoming. The flawed excess marble and rough walls from which David was freed can be viewed as the negative belief patterns of self-doubt, guilt, shame, regret, and fear that hold us prisoner at various times in our lives. When we are provided with the correct tools, we are able to free ourselves from negative belief patterns and build into our lives the essential elements required to become a living masterpiece. Making the commitment to discover and develop our masterpiece within should be seen as one of the most loving, personal gifts we can ever give to ourselves. The fact that the marble was left discarded for nearly forty years, also reminds us it is never too late for us to begin the process of discovering the masterpiece within.
FEBRUARY 1992
The responsibility to discover the masterpiece within lies solely in our own hands. We must come to a crossroads in our lives, where we either make the choice to aggressively pursue the path of discovery or choose to settle for second best or far worse. For some, the choice may be made during a crisis, while for others, the light may go on in the stillness of their hearts with little or no fanfare. As fate would have it, in February of 1992, in two separate countries, the authors both made the pivotal decision to take responsibility for their past, present, and future life choices. No longer would we allow toxic people, toxic thoughts, or outside circumstances the power to influence us or steer us off the path of pursuing our dreams. We reclaimed the belief that there was a masterpiece to be found within us and stepped wholeheartedly back on the path.
February 1992: Claudia's Story
Some of my earliest memories as a child have to do with the excitement of going with my family to see movies at our local theater. One of my favorite films has always been The Wizard of Oz. I was eight years old the first time I saw the film at a classic film screening, and I will never forget the moment Dorothy, in sepia tones, opened her front door to the vibrant, breathtaking color in the land of Oz. In the days following, I remember deciding that if grand adventures could happen for Dorothy, maybe they could happen for me as well. I dreamed of traveling to far away lands, and I set my plan in motion. Curious as to how others had achieved success, I, as a third grader, began to devour all the available biographies in our school library. Honest Abe Lincoln, who walked six miles to return five cents; Helen Keller, who refused to be a victim to her blindness and deafness; as well as J.C. Penney, who started with only a cart selling his wares were a few of my preferred inspirational life stories. The thought occurred to me that if these people started from humble beginnings and achieved success in their lives, maybe I could as well. School became an honor for me to attend, because I believed the more knowledge I gained, the further it would take me. I diligently mapped out the progression of my life in the entertainment arts as a model, country music artist, and actor.
My life sequence was right on schedule. After graduating from college, I signed with the Kim Dawson Agency in Dallas and then Karin Models in Paris. My work took me to breathtaking destinations around the globe, and I could not have been happier to be on my own grand adventure. I began dating a musician friend I had known for many years, and believing we shared an unbreakable love for one another, we were married the following year. We immediately moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue our mutual dreams in music. I was living my dream! So I thought.
In February 1992, my life took an unexpected turn when I had to admit to myself that my presumed fairy-tale marriage was definitely not a fairy tale after all. I have always taken pride in being the type of person who could see hope in every situation, but even the marriage counselor we went to see believed there was no hope for the survival of our relationship. This period of time was devastatingly painful, and for the first time in my life, I experienced hopelessness and faced self-doubt, low self-esteem, and a deep inner sadness. I struggled with painting on a happy face for my modeling jobs. I knew I had to address my loss of joy or else my career would take a beating. I had never before imagined myself as the kind of person who needed therapy, because I came from such a loving family environment, but I knew I had to do something to address my escalating depression, or else I would find myself in a perpetual spiral of despair. I was determined to find happiness again and to not allow any of my marital trauma to negatively affect my own self-worth, my career dreams, or any future relationships.
I began taking walks at Radnor Lake in Nashville, which has always served as a very peaceful place for me to go. I filled journals to release my inner sadness, anger, and disappointment; made lists of what brought me joy; read as many inspirational books as I had time for; and joined a weekly therapy group. I finally became comfortable in my body again, while discovering strength, balance, confidence, and a renewed sense of hope. I began realizing we all have potential for peace and happiness when we take responsibility for our lives. I practiced looking at every life experience as an opportunity for growth and accepted that had I not experienced my divorce, I may not have discovered such life-changing personal growth. My ex-husband and I made the mature decision to release hurt feelings and to establish a lifelong friendship.
Through my journey, I was able to reignite my dreams in the entertainment arts, and in 1999, my first CD was released on Warner/Reprise Records. I also developed a very healthy, loving relationship with an amazing man, Rodney Crowell, who became my husband six years after we met.
February 1992: Guy's Story
I am a dreamer! I have always believed in the power of dreams. Over a period of years, I slowly learned that in order to experience meaning and purpose in life, we must intentionally set our hearts in the direction of our dreams. As I became more serious about pursuing my dreams, I began to realize my expectations may not turn out to be what I had originally envisioned. Yet, the good news was, as I remained genuinely committed to following my dreams, my personal growth continued to improve, and in turn I was becoming a positive influence in others' lives.
I had not always gone after my dreams with the passion and commitment necessary to see them through. I was in my early thirties when I began to feel like I needed to seize my dreams and stop waiting for others or circumstances to make them a reality. Throughout my life certain movies, stories, and songs have inspired my thoughts and outlook on life. A favorite scene or line often becomes a part of my personal lexicon. The convergence of seeing a highly successful film in 1989 and listening to a radio talk show in 1992, served as a huge motivation for me. Field of Dreams, starring actor Kevin Costner as Ray Kinsella, is about a man who feels life is passing him by and his dreams are slowly flickering out. In the film Ray frustratingly conveys to his wife Annie, (Amy Madigan) "I'm thirty-six years old and scared to death I'm turning into my father. I never forgave him for being old. He must have had dreams, but he never did anything about them. Not doing one spontaneous thing. I'm afraid that might be me." As a baseball fan, a dreamer, and a man who grew up in Saskatchewan, the Canadian equivalent of Iowa, I identified with Costner's character.
The pivotal line from the film, "If you build it he will come," became a challenge for me to become more aggressive in taking control of my life regardless of inner apprehensions or worrying what others would think of me. I knew in my heart I needed to become more of an initiator of my dreams no matter where the path took me. For the next two and a half years the inspiration of this film combined with my own personal studies kept me on the path of building my life around my dreams.
In February of 1992, the decision to pursue my dreams came to a head for me while on a trip to Edmonton, Alberta where I had been invited to be a guest lecturer at a theological college. Ironically Edmonton is the birthplace of W.P. Kinsella, the author of the book based on Field Of Dreams. On this particular occasion, I was asked to lecture on a subject very dear to me; taking our passions, gifts, and talents and using them in the world around us to make a difference. Part of the lecture was based on the message, "If you build it he will come." The concept was that if we listen to the inner voice of our soul, God will be there for us, and He will help us achieve our dreams. I was looking forward to the challenge of presenting the material and seeing the audience's reaction. Little did I realize I was about to experience one of life's rare "aha" moments that would propel me further along the path to aggressively follow my dreams. I have always aimed to practice what I teach, but I was about to be challenged to the core.
The journey to Edmonton was a three hour trek, so I tuned into one of Western Canada's most popular radio sports talk shows. The topic for the evening was, "What separates the great athlete from the merely good or average?" The conclusion of the show was unanimous. The dominate sports stars like Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Steffi Graf, Joe Montana, and Mario Lemieux were viewed as "initiators." These performers took it upon themselves to set the tone and outcomes of their contests. Whenever any of these athletes took responsibility, their choices caused a chain reaction throughout their teams elevating the performance level of their teammates. Whether it was the Oilers, Bulls, Wimbledon Tennis, 49ers, or the Penguins, these dominant athletes were aggressive participants. They were not passive performers waiting for the game to unfold.
Listening to this talk show on a long drive in the middle of a frigid Canadian winter inspired me to become more of an initiator in life. The radio show that night inspired me to continue to discover and develop the masterpiece within me. I was no longer content to simply teach the theory or bounce around between being a participant in life to being a non-participant. I desired to be a practioner of life at a completely deeper level with the drive and consistency of a Gretzky or a Graf.
Fast forward twenty-one years to August 2013 and a bucket list item. I found myself in Dyersville, Iowa, the home of the Field of Dream baseball field used in the film, for a little fresh inspiration to keep following my dreams. I had just wrapped up writing a one year book project with a well known NHL player who was not sure if he wanted the book released during the timeline we had first agreed upon. Out of respect for his wishes, my agent and I, made it known to him we would hold off in pursuing interested publishers.
The Field of Dreams was better than anticipated. I walked around the field in my bare feet to soak up the ghosts of White Sox past. I ran the bases just because I had to and then walked into the cornfield to pick a few corn cobs to dry and serve as a constant metaphor, "To go the distance," as the voice encouraged Ray Kinsella in following his dream. It was the perfect tonic for my soul to keep pursuing the dreams in my heart and to strive to make a difference with my life despite hardships, obstacles or even crushed dreams. A lot of life had happened since February 1992, some bitter but mostly sweet. But enough bitter times to test my capacity to dream.
Then the inspirational burst came. One of the locals, Frank Dardis, who played a White Sox ghost in the film, appeared in a full cotton early 1900's uniform to answer questions. I was amazed when Frank told me ever since the film was released the Field of Dreams averaged sixty-five thousand visitors per year. He continued, "This is a bucket list place and I see people walk out of here inspired. "I asked Frank if he wanted to play catch. He graciously said, "I'd love to, but if we do, we have to play catch in the exact spot where Ray played catch with his dad at the end of the movie." For fifteen minutes we tossed the ball and chatted off and on. Frank played the part perfectly. I felt like I was playing catch with my dad as a little kid in Saskatchewan and my soul was being reinvigorated with youthful passion. I knew I could do anything as long as I followed my heart.
Our paths crossed through Claudia's music and we soon realized we shared a common vision to write a book that would challenge and inspire others to achieve their dreams and to make a difference with their lives. We believed our diverse backgrounds, along with our experiences, could create a unique combination of life knowledge. One who worked primarily on a stage- the other from a podium or pulpit; a country music artist - an ordained minister; an actor - a sports writer; a professional model - a social worker; a photographer - a competitive curler; a woman - a man; an American - a Canadian; Yin and Yang! We set plans in motion to begin co-writing The Masterpiece Within and speaking together on the material at workshops and seminars.
