The Student Inside the Stone: What Michelangelo Can Teach Us About Potential

Carrie Kennedy

May 21

4 min read

The Italian artist Michelangelo is well known for his incredible sculptures. But he didn’t want to take all the credit for creating them. Instead, he believed each sculpture already existed inside the block of marble, and it was his job to remove what didn’t belong to reveal what was always there. What if we approached educating children the same way that Michelangelo approached his statues?

Before looking at this from an educational angle, it would help to know that psychologists found a way to honor Michelangelo’s way of thinking. The “Michelangelo phenomenon,” a term introduced in a journal article in 1999, is used to explain how the people close to us can influence our movement toward the person we want to become. When someone else recognizes our strengths, affirms our potential, and treats us in ways that support that potential, they help us move toward our “ideal self.”

Sadly, this also works in reverse. If we are criticized and belittled by those close to us, and our strengths or interests are dismissed, the negative reinforcement works to chisel away our best self, and we can become a diminished version of ourselves.

Although this original research about the Michelangelo phenomenon focused on close personal relationships, it’s a powerful way for parents and educators to think about their role in a child’s development. What if we see children not as solid blocks of marble that must be carved, but rather as forms inside the marble with their own strengths, abilities, and possibilities? Just like a sculptor, our first job is to see what’s already there.

A student says, “I’m terrible at writing.”
The adult responds, “You don’t seem to enjoy writing assignments. But I’ve noticed you asked some really great questions when we discussed that story. You’re a curious thinker. I wonder if we can use that curiosity to help you find something you want to write about.”

The result? The adult hasn’t pretended the student’s writing is strong. Instead, they’ve identified a strength that could become the foundation for improvement.
A student says, “I’m not good at math.”
The adult responds, “You’ve told me that before, but I’ve noticed how you spot patterns when you’re playing games. Let’s see if we can use that same skill to look for patterns in this problem.”

The result? The adult is helping the student make a connection between an ability they already have and a new challenge.

A student struggles to participate in a conversation.
The adult responds, “You have a really interesting way of visualizing things. How about if you sketch out what you’re thinking before you answer this question?”

The result? The adult has noticed a learning style and encourages the student to get the information clear before trying to contribute to the conversation.

A student dismisses an accomplishment by saying, “That was easy. Anybody could have done that.”
The adult responds, “Maybe it felt easy to you. But I noticed how you tried a different approach to find the answer. Flexible thinking is one of your strengths. I wonder where else you could use it.”

The result? This feedback does more than praise a finished product. It helps the student recognize qualities within themselves that contribute to their success.

Growth, change, and development are an essential part of an education. And students need to learn new skills, overcome weaknesses, and meet high expectations. But perhaps the most powerful way to help them do this is to begin with their strengths.

When Michelangelo carved a block of marble, he approached the process as an act of discovery. He didn’t create his impressive David from nothing but rather revealed what he believed was already there. Perhaps great educators do something similar. They don’t create a child’s potential—they help bring it out. They say, “I see something in you that you may not see yet,” and then help the child discover their own strength and beauty.

The Michelangelo phenomenon and the Artifact Creative curriculum:

The metaphor of Michelangelo’s approach to sculpting is reflected throughout our curriculum in the way we encourage students to discover and use their individual strengths. A student who struggles to express an idea in writing may find another pathway through visual art, music, movement, or drama. A child who doesn’t immediately see a connection in a traditional lesson may discover one through a creative project. By giving students multiple ways to explore and demonstrate what they know, we hope to give them opportunities to discover what’s already there—and then celebrate and build upon it.

Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures are powerful examples of this metaphor. His Prisoners series, on display in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, include incomplete figures who appear to be struggling to emerge from the marble that surrounds them.

Wikimedia Commons

The term “Michelangelo phenomenon” first appeared in this article:

Drigotas, S. M., Rusbult, C. E., Wieselquist, J., & Whitton, S. W. (1999). Close partner as sculptor of the ideal self: Behavioral affirmation and the Michelangelo phenomenon. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(2), 293–323. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.2.293

About the author:

Carrie Kennedy spent almost two decades in classrooms—including teaching art, English, and science— and now serves as the Director of Curriculum Content and Development at Artifact Creative. Kennedy is the author of four books and has written and lectured extensively on the subject of creativity and learning.

When students study subjects like music, visual art, theater, literature, dance, creative writing, and history, they learn to make meaningful connections to their own lives and to the world around them. Artifact Creative develops digital and hands-on educational material in these rich areas of the arts and humanities to inspire critical, creative, and compassionate thinking and to serve as an essential foundation for authentic, lifelong learning.

For more information, visit ArtiFactCreative.org or contact Dana.Corradi@ArtiFactCreative.org