CHAPTER 6
WRITE A LETTER TO LEONARDO
DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE GAINED
HERE IS WHAT I CAN DO
When he was about 30 years old, Leonardo needed a job, so he wrote to the duke of Milan, Italy, and promoted his talents. In his letter, he listed ten things he could do that would be appealing and useful to the duke. Here is an example of what he said:
“I HAVE DESIGNED EXTREMELY LIGHT AND STRONG BRIDGES, ADAPTED TO BE EASILY CARRIED.”
The duke was a military man, and Leonardo was pointing out the very practical idea of having a military engineer on staff. The last skill Leonardo described is with regard to his art. He wrote,
“ALSO, I CAN EXECUTE SCULPTURE IN MARBLE, BRONZE, AND CLAY. LIKEWISE IN PAINTING, I CAN DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER MAN, WHOSOEVER HE MAY BE.”
Leonardo believed in himself. He had designed but had never actually built such a bridge, nor yet painted the Mona Lisa, and he had barely begun keeping notebooks! But he presented what he was capable of and imagined what could be.
Letter from Leonardo to Ludovico Sforza, the duke of Milan, written in 1482
WRITE A LETTER
Take inspiration from Leonardo. Write your own letter expressing your skills—those you know you have and those you will develop. Write your letter in the present tense, as if you already are able to do everything you want to do!
Describe in your letter the experience you have gained from the projects in this book. Describe things you perhaps have not yet done, but will.
Address your epistle (that’s another word for letter) to Leonardo or to someone else who inspires you to think of what you want to do and be.
Use these prompts for your correspondence, the same words Leonardo used to outline his skills for the duke. And by the way, Leonardo got the job.
OUTLINE YOUR EXPERIENCE
I have designed …
I know how to …
I have methods for …
I have many kinds of …
I have ways of making …
I will make …
I can do everything possible in …
Begin now. The world is awaiting your genius!