The Obsessed Artist
Sabine O’Mahoney
The Obsessed Artist started off like any other human. They could’ve been me and you. They stayed out of sight, practicing their talent passionately, hidden in the dark.
Yet, when an opportunity to become known and great is revealed to them, now it is their only goal to seize it – everything else in life becomes an upmost blur. The desire to be extraordinary takes over them, drowning out any thought of being short to perfection.
And so, they train themselves to become machines. They practice, and practice, and practice until it hurts, until the first signs of overworking leave disfigurements on their skin. But who would dare to stop them now? Their fear of mediocrity is life-threatening, and their associates are now their rivals. They will force themselves to become superior, in the trepidation of replacement, which leaves them distraught. A slow, quiet descent into madness, like a predator slowly crawling up at its prey; unnoticed until the last second, and by then it is too late as it swallows the kill whole, leaving nothing behind.
And when the time came for their final performance, to testify if they were truly the greatest, there was only one question on their mind – “am I ready for this?”.
As they perform, there is a setback. It is clear that they are not performing to their fullest, as if something was resisting them from their accomplishment – their old self.
One false action caused them to tumble and crash before the eyes of thousands. An outright mortification, a humiliating moment that felt like an eternity. It felt like a constant scourging of the soul, a disease that started at the hands and feet, eventually plaguing the rest of the damaged body which ended at the tattered heart. Yet, the worst part of the ignominy was not the instant of failure, but the quiet smattering of half-hearted, pitiful applause of the dissatisfied audience staring onwards.
But the show must go on.
Tainted by their previous defeat, they finally let go of their resistance and perform like never before. Every step taken is exotic and passionate, everything pin-point precise, finally achieving full greatness as they had wished.
Like a conductor orchestrating a symphony that seems to skim the skies of the heavens, like a chess player placing their final piece on the right square which would leave their opponent on checkmate, the Obsessed Artist finally feels the upmost satisfaction.
At last, they have achieved their very best!
Perfection is granted to them on a beautifully polished gold trophy that fits flawlessly into their hands. An upmost metamorphosis!
And the audience. Oh, the audience. It was the greatest approval a human being could have achieved.