There are a few things that make me wish I had been the creative genius behind them. If I was, it would be the ultimate fulfilling experience that one can ask for from a profession or livelihood. Having created them, I could say with absolute certainty, “The best is not yet to come. I’m done.” Then pick up my suitcase and go travel the world aimlessly for the rest of my life.
Yes, a lot of these things are made by a group of people, not just one person. But my intent is to put a benchmark on the vision and collective quality of work that went into making these. Here is the list:
Dalton J. Paul Getty is an incredible artist who uses pencils to create miniature sculptures. Not by drawing with them, but by carving out the small lead on top of them. He doesn’t have a dedicated website, but here is a post about his work on an online design magazine.
What makes his work even more amazing is that apparently he doesn’t use a magnifying glass and works on a piece for months/years before finishing it. His tools are reported to be normal blades, needles and some modified knives. Some of the sculptures are so unusual that I’m risking copyright violation by downloading the pictures instead of linking to them. I first got some of these pictures as a borderline-spam infinitely forwarded message that I nearly dismissed because the images seemed computer-generated to me.
It’s not something one must do. It’s something one must not be afraid of doing, if need arises. Often we get so mired in doing things the same way that we stop imagining that there may be a better way of doing it. Everything (and I mean everything) can be improved. Here are some interesting examples that really surprised me when I first heard of them:
RevoPower: Practically re-inventing the wheel. I heard of them in 2007 through a Popular Science article. Basically, they incorporated a 25cc two-stroke gas-powered engine and gears within the front wheel of a bicycle. It claimed to be installable on any bicycle within 15 minutes, and get over 200 miles per gallon at a top speed of 20 mph. Fact that they went out of business in 2009 has nothing to do with my point here. I remember them as an example of rethinking something very basic and taken-for-granted.
Knork: Saw it on ‘Big Idea Show‘ hosted by Danny Deutsch (link to episode on youtube). Simple idea about combining a knife and a fork. My first reaction was “..hasnt that been done already?”. Well, now it has been. And with a patent.
Dyson Air Multiplier: That’s a fancy name for a fan. Deserving too, because this one doesn’t have any blades or grille.
If you have heard Steve Job’s 2005 Stanford Commencement speech, there is not much to add here. I love the end message he gives “Stay hungry. Stay foolish”. That, i think, is the key to a fulfilling life.
This caught my eye as I was making my way through the maze of cubicles at work- someone had a bright orange sticker with these three words on their cubicle wall. What a profound phrase. In his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford Steve Jobs notes death as ‘life’s change agent’ and goes on to advise “your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life”.
Listen to Steve. There is a lot to see and do in life, so start doing more of the things that you really enjoy doing, and stop caring about things you don’t enjoy. This includes your job.
PS: another great related quote: “Someday” is happening today…
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