Throw them out.
The craftsman loves the tools while the artist despises them.
Odd, innit?
Look at the idea.
Odd, innit?
Like this: The artist has a vision to animate. The craftsperson likes comfy familiarity.
The artist burns with creativity, and lives to create. The craftsperson seeks a cozy workshop.
Routine.
A place to go, to hang out.
That's enough. For some.
But not for artists. Not for grownups. Not for leaders.
It is easy to carry training wheels into adulthood. But awkward once there. Limiting.
They help at first.
They get you going.
But you have to leave them behind, or you can only keep circling the same block.
In the world of business it's doing what others are doing. Being trendy.
Being contemporary. In the groove.
Worrying what others think.
Fitting in.
Looking impressive.
Bluffing.
Like it was a few years back: dot com.
The burn rate, the office furniture, the sleek desks, the fancy chairs, the company cars, the shiny buildings.
Which resulted in you-know-what.
Copying, a great way to start.
Get a feel for it all. Do what others have done. Slot in. Learn.
But you can't stay there.
Or you never grow up.
Richard Feynman, after selection to the National Academy of Sciences, resigned. Because. Members were more interested in status than science.
Fluff over fundamentals.
In the end you need to produce.
The more talented someone is, the more they burn to do.
The more strongly they want. To be alive, to make something live.
The less they mess around.
No frills. No props. No pretension. No cover. No distraction.
Sit down. Think. Decide. Do. See how it feels.
Repeat until done.
Maybe, just then, you realize you've created what no one else ever has.
Life without a net.
Running without crutches.
Driving past the training wheel stage.
Do it.
A thought from 2011.
Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff@gmail.com
Me? Hoping that some day I'll manage to live up to this level.
Etc...
so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals