Great concept and another outstanding point by Seth Godin!
If a crowd gets to talk to someone they admire after a talk or a conference, questions that usually come up, range from, "What's your morning routine?", to "Who are your mentors?". One eager writer even took it to the extreme by asking bestselling author Stephen King:
"What kind of pencil do you use?"
As if it would make the world a difference in today's day and age!
It does not! You just have to have the guts and the passion to ship your product!
As Seth Godin puts it - Just do the work and accept the fact that your idea might work and at the same time might not work!
In the end, the person who fails the most, wins!
Case Study:
A great example of this concept is the Virgin American Airlines in-flight safety video.
Relating to the title question "What kind of pencil do you use?", there was no need for expensive CGI or visual effects, Hollywood actors, or the availability of an actual airplane.
All they needed was a creative idea, a talented group of people and an old aircraft hangar!
The result turned out amazing!
So have a look for yourself:
Making of/.Behind the Scenes Video:
Just to really bring out the difference, have a look at one of Virgin's old safety video: