Every human being carries the power of presence. Walt Whitman recognized this power when he wrote in Leaves of Grass, "We convince by our presence." This capacity is often referred to as "showing up" or "choosing to be present" or "choosing to be visible." When we choose to "show up" we are exercising and expressing the power of presence.
For the sculptor, the expression of presence is embedded in the sculptor's work. The sculptor and sculpture are one. When viewing sculpture we get a hint of the sculptor's personality, their strength and willingness to "show up" and do the work at all and any personal cost. I have never known a passive sculptor who could produce dramatic pieces of art. It takes the power of presence to produce an equally powerful work of art.
Many sculptors I know have an innate ability to pay attention to what has heart and meaning, not only for themselves but also for the sculpture that they are committed to create. An artist cannot create sculpture without a profound sense of what that sculpture may eventually come to mean for others. For example, when I create a commemorative sculpture of someone it starts from my desire (heart) to honor that individual and then grows to include the people who will be viewing the sculpture. The meaning for creating sculpture becomes transformative to the whole sculpting process.
Another aspect of "power of presence" lies in the ability to believe in what you are doing. Again, sculptors have to believe in what they are creating in order for the true authenticity of the work to come through. A sculptor must dream the dream and believe wholeheartedly in themselves and their work even if there are others who don't share that same vision with them.
Lewis Carroll's famous masterpiece Through the Looking Glass contains a conversation about the meaning of conviction between Alice and the Queen. "I can't believe that!" said Alice. "Can't you?" the Queen said in a pitying tone. "Try again to draw a long breath, and shut your eyes." Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said. "One can't believe impossible things." "I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!"
In believing in the impossible, the sculptor must "show up" and be willing to dream the dream as well as act on the necessary tasks needed to bring heart and meaning to the core process of creating sculpture.
