Dave Wirth
Palmyra (Tadmor). Pillars of colonnade, showing brackets for statues, photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Hugh MacLeod has an interesting way to describe how really successful people get stuff done. He feels that they refuse to hide behind what he calls pillars, and can therefore execute ideas with ease.
Pillars are things that we think can help us be successful in our creative endeavors, but really just get in the way. The danger is that when more pillars than needed are allowed on the playing field, lots of energy is wasted on them.
Consider a wall, filled to the brim of beautiful vintage guitars. Pre-CBS Fenders, Gibsons that are at least 30 years old, and Martins from the 1800's. Would you feel okay having a wall like that to yourself? Are you salivating at the thought?
Remember this: all you need is one guitar to write thousands of songs, not a wall of them. Less is more. Or in the wise words of Hugh MacLeod...
Successful people, artists and non-artists alike, are very good at spotting pillars. They're very good at doing without them. Even more important, once they've spotted a pillar, they're very good at quickly getting rid of it.
Ignore Everybody, page 45,
What pillars could you do away with? What extras are getting in your way? Eliminating them might be terrifying, but the liberation that comes from giving them up can be breathtaking.
