I can’t get enough of this view.

I am in Florence to sleep a few short hours between train rides en route to Corsica.  I sit on the rooftop of this former palace and stare.

Brunelleschi’s dome is the visual representation of the mantras I teach in my creative strategy sessions at Republic of Toma for living the life of your dreams.

If you have a dream you don’t have to know how you will achieve it - you simply have to know you will. 

That’s enough to start.

A creative solution has already been found. The solution simply hasn’t revealed itself to you yet.

In 1296 the people of Florence set about building a church. The punctuation point of the cathedral would be the largest cupola on Earth. 

One small problem stood in the way. They didn’t know how to build a dome of this size.

They decided How didn’t matter - yet.

So brick by brick, stone by stone, they began laying the foundation, building what they knew how to build.

First they laid the foundation and then they build the cathedral walls. Soon an entire cathedral without a roof was build.

If you build it - they will come.
Another tenant in our program.
You have to start somewhere and sometimes in order to start it’s not necessary to know all the details.

If they waited until they knew how to build the dome of their imagination the cathedral never would have been build.

Let the details - let the how - reveal itself step by step.

You don’t need to know everything at once.
You simply need to know what to do next.

Nevertheless by 1418 the Florentines were admittedly getting worried.

They had a monumental cathedral without a roof.

Rain fell directly on the alter.

When you don’t know the next step - you research, you ask advice, you brainstorm, you get ideas and seek expert help.

No one seemed to have a viable solution for how to build a dome nearly 150 feet across, that would start 180 feet above the ground, and sit atop the existing walls.

Furthermore in building the walls they eschewed the traditional flying buttresses and pointed arches of the Gothic style in their rival city of Milan in favor of doing it their way.

Flash to Frank Sinatra singing.
Another tenant.
Your way, is the best way.
Trust yourself.
Do you.
Absolutely Get advice. Seeks consultation but follow your vision.
Never Ever follow someone else’s dream. People like to give advice. People like to tell you how to do things. Let them. Learn from them. But let them do them. And let you do you.
Otherwise you’re robbing the world of your unique genuis and vision.

The Florentines didn’t want flying buttresses on their cathedral. 

All of what is now Italy scoffed at the Florentines arrogance, laughing that they would think they could build a dome without a plan and without the key ingredient of flying buttresses.

I Repeat. Rain fell on their alter.

At the time flying buttresses were the only known architectural solution to work in such a vast structure.

A dome weighing tens of thousands of tons could not stay up without them.

It was impossible.

So in 1418 the worried Florentine fathers were starting to feel defeated.

It was time to build their dome and they didn’t know how.

They asked for help. They announced a contest for the ideal dome design with a prize for the winner. 

Architects flocked to Florence and presenting their ideas.

One architect proposed to support the dome with a pillar rising in the center of the church. Another suggested building the dome out of volcanic rock to minimize its weight. My favorite solution was to fill the cathedral with a mountain of dirt mixed with coins to serve as scaffolding and once the dome was build to then invite the locals to clear away the dirt allowing them to keep keep the coins.

But one man stepped forward.

He was short.
And not particularly attractive.
And he was known for having a temper.
Plus he wasn’t even an architect.
He was a goldsmith named Filippo Brunelleschi.

And he promised to build not one but two domes, one nested inside the other, without elaborate and expensive scaffolding.

When asked the details how he refused to explain how he’d achieve this fearing a competitor would steal his ideas.

He had spent his whole life preparing for this moment. 

Everything you do in life has a purpose.
It’s part of the plan.
It’s part of your process.
Trust that life is preparing you for the next best step.

As a boy, during Brunelleschi’s goldsmith’s apprenticeship, he mastered drawing and painting, wood carving, sculpture in silver and bronze, stone setting, niello, and enamel work.

Later he studied optics and became fascinated with wheels, gears, weights, and motion, building a number  clocks, including what may have been the first alarm clock in history.

He traveled to Rome measuring and sketching the ancient monuments unraveling their secrets.

Using all his life experience he single-handedly worked out the rules of linear perspective turning the story of the cupola into a central creation myth of the Italian Renaissance.

The Florentines met with Brunelleschi several times, eliciting more details each time.

He didn’t reveal all his cards at once.
Another tenant in our training.
Timing is everything.
As he revealed pieces of the puzzle they began to realize just how brilliant and risky his idea was.

His dome would be build like hoops in a barrel with 2 domes - an inner dome visible from within the cathedral nested inside a wider, taller external dome. He bound the walls with tension rings of stone, iron, and wood.

Brunelleschi’s interdiscplinary studies gave him a unique background of knowledge which equipped him to do things differently allowing him to think out of the box - er, dome.

Many of my own clients are multi passionate entrepreneurs. And I like to see the red threads that connect their careers in the most unexpected ways. A dancer turned antique dealer. An antique shop turned wine shop and gourmet takeaway. Be innovative. Do you.

Remember Brunelleschi’s background in clockmaking? All those little gears and pulleys served a greater purpose. Not only did the Florentines not know how to build their dome they also didn’t know how to get the supplies for building it to the top level of the cathedral. The first problem to solve in building the dome was to invent a crane which could carry the materials Brunelleschi’s needed to the rooftop.

The crane he built was so advanced it was not used again for 100s of years until the Industrial Age.

Brunelleschi’s assembled his team. 

In my creative Strategy Sessions with clients I often say it takes a village. Brunelleschi led an army of masons and stonecutters, carpenters, blacksmiths, lead beaters, barrelmakers, water carriers, and other craftsmen. 

But a good leader must communicate their vision in order for their team to follow. In our creative strategy discussions we help you articulate your vision.

When Brunelleschi’s team was confused by a construction detail, he would carve a turnip to illustrate what he wanted. Sometimes you have to use alternative means to communicate your message.

And while Brunelleschi’s dome was ultimately build and a success in his lifetime- the road wasn’t smooth. There were years of doubts and struggle. In 1429 cracks appeared in the cathedral nave forced Brunelleschi to come up with yet more innovation solutions to support the walls with iron tie bars.

As a child my mother use to sing a song when I was frustrated. “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden....Along with the sunshine, There's gotta be a little rain some time…”

In the  end-  through innovative perseverance and sheer belief in himself- Brunelleschi’s idea was realized- and Florence got their dome- the largest dome on  earth. 

What’s your dream? In my one on one creative strategy sessions I held you build your dream.  Email me toma@republicotoma.com for your free consultation. And if you’re interested in joining a mastermind group we are officially taking applications - Ask for Details.

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