George R.R. Martin once described two types of writers in a way that perfectly captures how different people approach creation:
“The architect, as if designing a building, lays out the entire novel at a time. He knows how many rooms there will be or what a roof will be made of or how high it will be, or where the plumbing will run and where the electrical outlets will be in its room. All that before he drives the first nail. Everything is there in the blueprint.
And then there’s the gardener who digs the hole in the ground, puts in the seed and waters it with his blood and sees what comes up. The gardener knows certain things. He’s not completely ignorant. He knows whether he planted an oak tree, or corn, or a cauliflower. He has some idea of the shape but a lot of it depends on the wind and the weather and how much blood he gives it and so forth.”
While Martin was talking about writing novels, this framework perfectly describes how people build businesses too. And understanding which type you are isn’t just some cute personality quiz – it’s the difference between constant struggle and finding flow in your work.
The Business Architect
Architects need to see the whole system before they start building. They create detailed business plans, map out customer journeys, and design product roadmaps that stretch months or years ahead. They find comfort in structure and clarity.
The architect approach works beautifully for certain people and situations. If you’re launching a physical product with high manufacturing costs, you probably need to architect the hell out of it before spending money on production. If you’re raising venture capital, investors expect architect-style planning.
But there’s a dark side to the architect mindset. It’s called “analysis paralysis” – getting stuck in endless planning without ever launching. I’ve watched brilliant people spend years perfecting business plans for products that never see the light of day. They’re waiting for conditions that will never exist: perfect certainty.
The Business Gardener
Then there are the gardeners. They have a general direction but discover the details through action. They launch quickly, get feedback, and evolve their offerings based on what actually happens rather than what they predicted would happen.
Gardeners understand something crucial that architects often miss: business plans rarely survive contact with reality. The market will tell you what it wants, but only if you put something out there for it to respond to.
I’m a gardener through and through. Every successful business I’ve built started as a rough idea that I launched quickly, then shaped based on how people responded. The final version never looked like what I first imagined – it looked better because it was shaped by real market feedback instead of my assumptions.
Gardening isn’t random or thoughtless. As Martin says, gardeners “know whether [they] planted an oak tree, or corn, or a cauliflower.” They have intentions and direction, but they’re comfortable with uncertainty and emergence.
Why We Fear the Gardener Approach
Our education system trains us to be architects. We learn that the right way to do things is to plan thoroughly, follow instructions, and get everything correct before submission. The gardener approach feels wrong because it embraces imperfection and uncertainty.
The gardener says: “Let’s put this out there even though it’s not perfect, see how people respond, and make it better.”
That’s terrifying for most people. Launching something that isn’t fully baked makes you vulnerable to criticism. It feels unprofessional. It triggers every insecurity we have about our work not being good enough.
But here’s what architects miss: perfection is a moving target you’ll never hit. Markets change. Customer needs evolve. The perfect business you’re designing in your head might be solving yesterday’s problem by the time you launch.
Gardeners have a massive advantage in rapidly changing markets because they’re built for iteration. They don’t see changes as disruptions to their perfect plan – change is part of their process.
Finding Your Natural Creative Style
Neither approach is inherently better, and few people are 100% one type or the other. The question is which side you naturally lean toward in your creative process.
Here’s a simple test: When starting something new, do you feel excitement or anxiety? Gardeners feel excitement at the possibilities of what might emerge. Architects feel anxiety about all the unknowns they need to plan for.
Another tell: What gives you energy – planning or doing? Architects get energized by mapping everything out. Gardeners find planning draining but come alive when actually building.
The mistake most people make is forcing themselves to work against their natural creative style because they think that’s what “serious business people” do. Architects try to be more spontaneous and end up feeling chaotic and ineffective. Gardeners force themselves to create detailed plans that they never actually follow, wasting time and creating guilt.
How AI Changes the Game for Both Types
Here’s where things get interesting. AI tools are changing how both architects and gardeners can work, often eliminating the worst pain points for each type.
For architects, AI can:
- Generate and evaluate multiple scenarios faster than humanly possible
- Identify potential blind spots in plans
- Create detailed documentation and specifications
- Transform high-level direction into detailed execution plans
- Quickly research market conditions and competitive landscapes
But the most exciting opportunities are for gardeners. AI can help with:
Rapid Prototyping: Gardeners can now generate multiple versions of ideas quickly, getting something tangible without getting stuck in details. Want to test five different landing page approaches? AI can draft them all in minutes.
Structuring Emergent Ideas: As patterns emerge from your gardening, AI can help organize and systematize what’s working. You can stay in flow without getting bogged down in organization.
Scaling Personal Communication: Gardeners often build through relationships and personal connection. AI helps maintain that human touch at scale by drafting personalized communications based on your voice and intent.
Documentation on Demand: Instead of having to document everything upfront, gardeners can create just-in-time documentation as needed. AI can observe what you’ve built and help create the “how it works” explanation afterward.
Converting Insights to Systems: When gardeners discover what works through trial and error, AI can help transform those discoveries into repeatable systems and processes.
In essence, AI lets gardeners stay gardeners while gaining some architect-like benefits. You can maintain your experimental, iterative approach while still having structure when you need it.
Embracing the Gardener Mindset
If you’re a natural gardener who’s been trying to force yourself into architect mode, here’s your permission to stop. Your creative style isn’t a flaw – it’s a feature.
The key is designing your business approach around how you naturally work:
- Launch faster with less perfection. Get something out there at 70% rather than waiting for 100%. You’ll learn more from market feedback than from extra planning.
- Build in public. Share your process and evolution. People connect with the journey and feel invested in your growth.
- Create feedback loops. Set up systems to constantly gather input from customers, then use that data to shape your next iteration.
- Embrace versioning. Everything is V1, V2, V3… Nothing is final. This mindset reduces the pressure of getting everything right immediately.
- Focus on direction, not destination. Have a clear sense of the general direction you’re heading, but be flexible about exactly where you’ll end up.
- Track what emerges. Gardeners sometimes miss patterns in their own work. Regularly step back to notice what’s working and what isn’t.
The most valuable businesses often emerge from gardener-style approaches because they’re shaped by reality rather than assumptions. They solve problems people actually have, not problems founders imagined they might have.
When to Switch Modes
As Martin himself points out: “No one is purely an architect or a gardener in terms of a writer, but many writers tend to one side or the other. I’m very much more a gardener.”
This is crucial to understand. The most effective creators can shift between modes when appropriate. Even dedicated gardeners benefit from occasional architect thinking, especially when:
- Working with teams who need clearer direction
- Setting up systems that others will use
- Scaling something that’s working
- Managing complex dependencies
Similarly, architects benefit from occasional gardener approaches when:
- Entering new, unfamiliar markets
- Facing rapid changes in their industry
- Finding themselves stuck in analysis paralysis
- Needing to innovate beyond incremental improvements
The goal isn’t to abandon your natural style but to recognize when a different approach might serve you better for specific challenges.
The Courage to Be a Gardener
Being a gardener in business takes courage. You have to be willing to be judged for work that isn’t perfect yet. You have to trust that order will emerge from what initially looks messy. You have to believe in your ability to adapt rather than your ability to predict.
But there’s incredible freedom in embracing the gardener approach. You’re no longer paralyzed by the need to know everything upfront. You don’t carry the impossible burden of being right about the future. You’re free to start, learn, and evolve.
As Martin suggests, gardeners water their creations with their blood – they invest themselves personally in the process. That investment creates businesses with soul and authenticity that perfectly planned ventures often lack.
So plant your seeds. Get your hands dirty. See what grows. The market is waiting for what only your garden can produce.
