Chapter 4 - Note 2 | Creative
Each of us recognizes that there are things that are easy and clear to us, that other people just don’t see. The guy who invented the safety pin was just idly bending a piece of wire while sitting in the Patent Office waiting room to get another of his inventions patented. What about the Flow-Bee? Or the first guy that thought a raw oyster must be food? And what about “Happy Accidents”? Post-It notes came out of a “failed” adhesive. ?Charlie Goodyear accidentally dropped sulphur in a pot of molten goo and created an entire industry based on “Vulcanized Rubber.” Were these just accidents or did they just realize the obvious value of what was directly in front of them? I vote for the latter.
They all saw something that other people saw, but didn’t “see.” It was quite obvious to them. And by speaking up, and bringing that ridiculous idea to fruition, we now have marvelous things all around us in our daily lives. Now, which of those things was truly artistic? Probably very, very few if any at all. Perhaps with the exception of the Flow-Bee. I love the Flow-Bee. I just have no use for it now. (See Bio Pic at the end of the book.)
If you still don’t think you’re creative, just think about some of the stories you came up with regarding why you didn’t have your homework or why you were going 57 in a 35 zone. All creative thoughts. Some created under pressure, some with planning. Much like the time I went to chemistry class on fire. Ahh, but that’s another story.
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