There is a fable of a young girl visiting a construction site.
She approaches a worker and asks what he is doing.
He looks at her and says, “Can’t you see? I’m laying bricks.”
The girl goes to a second worker, who is doing the same work as the first, and asks what he is doing.
He looks at her and says, “Can’t you see? I’m building a wall.”
The girl goes to a third worker, who is doing the same work as the previous two, and asks what he is doing.
He looks at her and says,
“Can’t you see? I’m building a palace!”
I think about this story often. It’s a beautiful illustration of how perspective matters when one is creating anything.
There is the vision, the plan, and there is the work at the foundation of it all. I find it’s a delicate balance between the vision and the work.
I can focus too much on my vision of the palace. Imagining it in all its glory; trying to sort out every detail into perfect order before I start laying the bricks. When I do get down the bricks, I fuss over every edge. Imagining the perfect bricks fitting together to create my perfect palace.
And then I get stuck.
I get stuck because I’m trying to carve out the perfect brick instead of stacking the imperfect bricks I have. I’m trying to construct a palace before I’ve learned how to lay bricks.
This is a metaphor for my approach to writing and, often, creating in general. I compare myself to those who have mastered bricklaying and have gone on to create their own magnificent palaces.
If I want the palace, I first have to focus on laying bricks. I need to get comfortable with a chisel in my hand, with stone and dirt on my fingertips.
Once I’ve learned to stack bricks, I can begin to build the first wall. From there, I can start on a second wall. Then maybe, just maybe, I will know enough to develop a realistic vision of my palace, based on what I am capable of doing with my own two hands.
I think it’s important I consider each perspective: the bricks, the wall, the palace. But the most important thing to do is keep my hands dirty.
I want my focus, my attention on what is right in front of me: stacking one brick on top of the other.
This is one of those bricks. What do you think?
This article was inspired by a 2015 commencement speech given by poet Sarah Kay titled “What We Build”.
You can click here to watch the speech or click here to read the transcript if you’d prefer.
“You can lay bricks until walls are constructed, until a temple is built. Or you can dream towards a temple until you figure out which walls to build and which bricks to lay. You can shape behavior until it changes minds. Or you change minds until it shapes behavior. You create options by choice and example.”
— Sarah Kay
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