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Conversations in Management

Henry Moore

It is a mistake for a sculptor or a painter to speak or write very often about his job—it releases tension needed for his work.

Henry Moore was one of the twentieth century’s most celebrated sculptors and was one of the few to see his work go from fringe to establishment within his own lifetime. He’s best known for his large, abstract bronzes of reclining women or mother-and-child compositions. His work is over-sized with sinuous curves and piercings that give it an almost organic quality. The scale and line of his sculptures suggests anything but tension, yet creative tension was at the heart of his artistry. The tension was first manifested when at age eleven he determined to pursue a career as a sculptor rather than opt for a more lucrative trade as his parents wished. (Though sculpting turned out to be very lucrative indeed.) Following service in World War I, the tension surfaced again as he was exposed to the work of primitive artists and that of Renaissance masters. That tension proved so extreme that he temporarily lost his own creative impulse as he struggled to understand the artistry of others. Tension was also the animating force of London’s avant-garde art colony on Parkhill Road where, in the 1930’s, he participated in a frenetic exchange of ideas with the leading abstract artists of the day. The tension of World War II and the Blitz unleashed new flashes of inspiration. The birth of his daughter after the war provided the tension that launched him in a new direction. The tension caused by an illness—which forced him to face his own mortality— triggered a major shift in technique. For Moore, tension was the muse that helped him travel from the imagined form to the actualized sculpture. In his life and work, he had mastered the skill of making tension productive.

That’s a pretty good skill to master. After all, every one of us experiences tension—that uneasy feeling that things aren’t quite right and we don’t know what to do about it. By and large, it isn’t a pleasant feeling but it can generate real excitement. All of us know the anxiety of struggling with a difficult problem and the exhilaration that follows when we find the solution we’ve been after. It’s like a burst of pent up energy that produces a uniquely creative act, or the solving of a personal problem, or the resolution of a pernicious workplace issue that seemed beyond human understanding. Whatever the presenting dilemma might be, it’s the tension surrounding it that leads us to an answer. To the extent that tension motivates us, it’s also a force that creates momentum. As the tension builds, we’re driven inexorably to a conclusion. Our emotions rise, we’re more engaged and we become more invested in finding the answer—the end game.

Now this would be all well-and-good if we were all artists, actors or professional athletes; but the kind of tension we usually feel is the non-specific, free-floating variety that doesn’t ever seem to produce spectacular results. We’re tense about the price of gas, what our kids are up to and, goodness knows, we’re tense about work. But vague tensions can produce unpleasant results. It can make us irritable, petty and, well, grumpy. Without realizing it we begin obsessing over minor grievances and take great umbrage at perceived slights. So let’s face it— life isn’t going to become less tense any time soon. If you find yourself with a tight jaw, sleepless nights or an inability to focus, take some time and figure out what’s really eating you. Then; channel your energy into doing something positive about it. Remember, tension is a positive when you control it. Control your tension and you can sculpt your life.

—Ebert