Thank you, Megan Lurie McCarver, for this beautiful parable. It's a glowing candle at my writing desk, gently guiding me forward.
Even if you’re not a fan of his (for whatever reason), I recommend you see This Is It, the posthumous tribute to Michael Jackson. Aside from the visual and auditory feast, which I expected, this movie pulls back the curtain on MJ’s artistic genius. Simply put, it fed my creative soul.
In this montage of rehearsal footage, it’s clear that the King of Pop was intimately involved with every aspect of pre-concert preparations, down to the tiniest of details. Every fiber of his being, every filament of his soul—he gave it his all. And no surprise, Michael Jackson exacted the same level of commitment from his fellow artists. Still, I wasn’t expecting (but was delighted by) the feather-light touch he used to accomplish that delicate task. He treated everyone equally, showering everyone with grace.
Time and again, Michael Jackson stepped out of the spotlight, allowing others to take center stage. And in all humbleness, he encouraged them to expand, extend, and illuminate their own creative talents. It was dark in the theater, and the only writing implement I could find was my trusty blue highlighter. But I managed to scribble down a few (of many) examples. Here they are, with apologies to MJ for those times I didn’t get the words exactly right:
Nourish it.
You want to take them places they’ve never been before…
Show them things they’ve never seen.
Let it simmer…
Let it bask in the moonlight…
It’s your time to shine!
Do it with patience, with belief, with understanding, with love…
It’s all for love, l-o-v-e.
Give your all…
and we’ll be right there with you.
God bless.
See also: Time magazine’s movie review.
