The canvas strategy 🎨

In ancient Rome, there existed a concept which we only have a partial analog.

Successful businessman, politicans, and other highly accomplished people, would often subsidize a group of artists such as writers, musicians, thinkers, and more.

Though producing works of art wasn’t the sole purpose of this sponsorship. In exchange for their services, the artist would receive protection, food and gifts.

Among their chores, the most important one of them was the one called anteambulo.

anteambulo: one who clears the path (literal translation)

Hence, the anteambulo’s job was quite literally walking in front of his patron, making way, communicating messages and such.

Although being an anteambulo doesn’t seem like a glamorous job, it sure provided a ton of opportunities.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the skill of looking past the obstacles, past the discomfort and ago, to see the true opportunities such job provides.

A famous epigrammist by the name of Martial used to work as an anteambulo for many years, serving under several patrons. Amongst them was Mela, a wealthy businessman and brother of the Stoic philosopher and political adviser Sena.

This meant that he had to deal with announcing news, openning the way for his patron, paying his respects and much more in exchange for small token payments and a couple of favors now and then.

Unfortnuately, Martial was too blind to see the real benefits of such job, and to be honest, many of us are the same.

Like most internships or entry-level jobs, Martial hated every second of his job.

His ego made him believe that this system somehow, unjustifiably had made him a slave. Forced to work this supposedly “frowned upon” job when he deserved much more.

As a result, his writing displayed hatred and bitterness regarding Rome’s upper crust, from which he deeply believed he was being shunted aside.

All of his rage had blinded him to see that his position was unique since being an outsider to society gave him a fascinating insight into Roman culture that nobody else had.

That begs the question:

What if he had been able to see past his ego?
To use that opportunity instead of fighting against it?

This is something we see nowadays, even more than before.

People unable and unwilling to take a step back in order to potentially take several steps forward.

Once again, our ego holding us back when there’s no need to.

Whenever we join a new company, we often get this advise:

“Make other people look good and you’re gonna do well.”

Naturally, this isn’t the type of advice anyone likes to hear, less so when you come from a prestigious university and drag with you an inflated ego, as it often happens.

After all, people go through all the trouble of getting that degree precisely to avoid this right?

But Ryan Holiday provides a new framework for such situations.

One that opens up opportunities and growth instead of envy and hatred.

It’s not about making someone look good. It’s about providing the support so that others can be good.

That’s what the canvas strategy is all about.

It allows you to reduce your ego at a critical time in your career and allowing you to absorb everything you can without any sort of osbtruction.

No let’s make this clear.

This is not endorsing syncophacy. But rather looking for opportunities for other than yourself.

Bill Belchick, the four-time Super Bowl winning head coach of the New England Patriots, made his way up the ranks by mastering one skill that everyone else hated: analyzing film.

From early on in his career, Bill knew that if he was to make progress, he had to be humble enough to understand that he knew nothing, and all he could or rather should do is learn as much as possible from as much people as he could.

He volunteered for his first job in professional football where he would work for the Baltimore Colts in exchange for no pay.

He knew that for him to able to learn, he must first learn from those who are far ahead of him on the same journey.

So he didn’t complain nor did he debated, but simply listened and recorded everything he saw and heard.

He learned to be a rising star without threatining or alienating anyone.
He mastered the canvas strategy.

In hindsight, it´s pretty easy to see how some ego and entitlement could´ve prevented Bill´s accomplishments.

Bill knew the power of being a canvas and made the most out of it.

That’s what the canvas strategy is all about:

HELPING YOURSELF BY HELPING OTHERS.

Then, the approach should be:

• For every person we meet, how can I help them?

• What something I could do for them

By using this approach, then the cummulative effect would far outweighted any self-interest approach.

It’s time to put it to use.