The Carpenter, the Subconscious and the Human

Just a little summary of some of the posts I've shared on Facebook this past week and my rationale for doing so...

The Carpenter

• "The carpenter is defined more by his skill set & knowledge than tools and tool box”
• The above quote was given by Kyle Ridgeway in a recent twitter discussion and is a simple reminder that regardless of the quantity and type or tools we possess in our toolbox, it's the timing and precision of choice of their usage that matters most. For many, such tools considered are often named techniques but to me said tools also include - but are not limited to - education, reassurance, humor and keeping my mouth shut. And to truly know when to use what, I think this is where deliberate practice comes in.

The Subconscious

• While deliberate practice is far from the be all end all as Hambrick and colleagues recently noted, I do think mastery of carpentry comes from the daily passionate grind. As Maria Popova states, "when you work regularly, inspiration strikes regularly", and it is my opinion that one off exposures countlessly laid on top of each other builds experience and subsequently wisdom and creativity. Kotler put together a nice post to attempt to explain the how, especially in terms of the subconscious. Over time, I myself am starting to realize that my lightbulbs often turn on at the most unexpected moments and I'm not sure what's going on but more and more it seems that I can sense the dialogue between the conscious and the subconscious. 

The Human

• Going back to the carpenter, I think too often we forget about the human element and interaction of the "intervention". Sometimes we simply need to do as little as necessary or even nothing at all. And as Spence suggests, nothing with style. Patch Adams has been a strong advocate for this and maybe we just have to think like him a little more.​