Getting Organized: Do What Works for You
If I’ve learned anything in my creative endeavors with friends, it’s that we all have a different way of doing things. Some writers plot out their stories. Some writers fly by the seat of their pants. Some people build a puzzle starting with the edge pieces, and other puzzlers start in the middle.
Finding out what works for you is the key to staying motivated with a project.
There’s not a right or wrong way to fold towels. There’s not a right or wrong way to organize an invention center. But it is important to take a little bit of time, consider your organizational style, and put your space together the way you like it.
What makes your creative spirit happy?
Do your insides sing when you see alphabetized DVD’s? Do bins in coordinating colors make you relax and want to create something new? Do quotes by your favorite inspirational leaders keep you moving forward? Let those answers direct how you move forward organizing your invention center.
I recently edited a book by the popular lifestyle blogger Sarah Symonds called Designing a Life: From House to Haven. The bit of magic she unlocks in her book changed my perspective on home décor forever. She uses a 10-step method to help individuals discover their creative style and use it to turn their home into a place of refuge. I highly recommend her book, and I’m applying her principles as I build my invention center. [Noteworthy: I don’t receive financial compensation for pitching Sarah’s book – I just found in genuinely useful and wanted to share it. Also, my center doesn’t reflect her style.]
What fuels my creative spirit?
Junk.
Even better?
Junk inside of junk.
In my invention center, I have a shoebox full of toilet paper rolls ready and waiting. Old grapefruit containers are filled with rocks. Acrylic paint is splattered on the table, and the table itself is made of uneven boards and 2×4’s that I cut in straight (warped) lines with a scroll saw.
If you’ll please notice in the featured picture, the top of the table doesn’t match or fit the bottom. And the cat photobombing my art habitually scatters the oh-so-nicely placed scissors and pliers. I’ll be the first to admit it: my center does need a chair. But it’s my happy place, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Let your invention center be your happy place, and just do what you do. Because there’s no one in the world who can invent exactly like you.
Until next time,
Invent your story
This seems like the easy part of creating an invention center – you just get the supplies you need. The thing is, without a method to the madness, it’s just madness. So here are three plumb line questions to keep you stockpiling instead of just making piles.
Does the material fit into the goal of your invention center?
I know I haven’t brought up the term “goal” in the context of your invention center before, but if you’ve come this far, you probably have a good idea of what yours is already. (If you haven’t read the first two posts on creating an invention center, you can read what it is and Part 1 to get caught up.) If you’re woodworking, you’ll need wood, screws, a drill, etc.
This is the no-brainer stuff to have around. Without a stocked area, you’ll get bogged down looking for that lost paintbrush or copper wire. This is why we’re making an invention center.
How much do you need to get started?
Sometimes the zeal to create can take over, and you end up with a lot more than you need – especially if it’s freebie stock. Like toilet paper rolls. There are tons of art and engineering projects you can do with toilet paper rolls. But if you keep saving and don’t use them, well it can just start to get weird.
There has to be a FULL point. Then move on.
Did you throw a wrench in your plan?
If the answer to the last question is “nope” – then it’s time to find that wrench and throw it into the stockpile! Hear me out on this one. If you want to create a maker’s space, that’s great, but this is a defining moment for your invention center. You want to have something in your invention center that challenges you to break the mold. More than something. A fair lot of things. An acorn from last fall’s hike. A bunch of rusty nails. One red sock.
These are the grains of sand that help your creative oyster make a pearl.
Until next time,
Invent your story
I like to look at the lives of inventors and try to learn from them. They’re inspiring and worth studying! We live in a world full of wonderful inventions, so it’s natural to point to a computer and ask, “Who made that?” This summer, I went camping, and every night, I took a picture of the sunset. Here’s one.
It’s beautiful. How does it happen? Seeing the water, the light, the air, the earth, and the sun all working together makes me ask: is there an inventive mastermind behind that? In school these days, sometimes kids are told not to talk about religion and science – what people around the world believe – and I think that does everyone an enormous disservice. Learning how to have a respectful conversation about our differences and similarities of beliefs and points of view helps all of us.
Because at some point in life, we start asking questions. How did I get here? How did you get here? Where did all of this stuff come from? How does it work? And there’s endless, wonderful ideas out there. As we study, we get answers that invite more questions.
So, today I’m inviting you to ask the questions, encouraging you to look for answers, and letting you know what I think about it all. I think none of this – not an atom in the cosmos – is an accident or chance. I believe there is a God who created every person and everything. Why do I believe that?
For a few reasons. People who believe in God have talked to me about what they believe and why. I read in the Bible about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I talked to God, listened, and started to believe. Here’s where I’m at:
It’s like gravity. Newton studied the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth or toward any other physical body having mass – and it’s so cool that he did. I believe gravity is a real thing because what he said makes sense, even though I don’t understand it all, when I jump up, my body comes back down to the earth – hopefully, on my feet. It’s a “scientific theory” that’s also proved true over and over in my everyday experience of life – so yes, I believe in gravity.
When I look at the sunset, or smell salt in the air off the ocean, or hear children make up a funny song about macaroni noodles, and I wonder if there’s intelligent design behind it, all signs point to: yes.
What do you think about when you look at the sunset? As you move forward with your day today, I want to invite you to ask questions and explore the answers!
Until next time,
Invent your story
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Another inventor who saw God in nature was George Washington Carver. Check out a slice of his life here!
The world’s first computer programmer was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron. Many of us feel we are either “numbers people” or “letters people”. Ada shows us what might be lost in the balance. Brilliant in math, charming in society, and famous for her work writing “Notes” meet Ada Lovelace: the Enchantress of Numbers.
She was born in England, 1815. Ada’s childhood was similar to what we discovered with Thomas Edison, in that she suffered significant childhood illness. During her teenage years, she was introduced to Charles Babbage, a British mathematician. The “Father of computers” and Ada hit it off, and they worked together on his Analytical Engine.
“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns, just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.” – Ada Lovelace
Ada had a great imagination; a quality valued by many inventors like Albert Einstein. Ada Lovelace was the first to recognize a revolutionary idea: the Analytical Engine had potential beyond crunching numbers. She published the first algorithm that could be employed by the machine, and was named (posthumously) the first computer programmer.
“I never am really satisfied that I understand anything; because, understand it well as I may, my comprehension can only be an infinitesimal fraction of all I want to understand about the many connections and relations which occur to me, how the matter in question was first thought of or arrived at, etc., etc.”
Ada’s thirst for knowledge was insatiable. Her ability to recognize and value how elements connect to one another make her an outstanding example for inventors to follow.
Whatever project you are working on or starting today, look to see how it connects to the world. Are the patterns in place that you missed the first run through? Ada Lovelace teaches us to look with eyes that not only see what is, but wonder at what could be.
(sources include but not limited to: Coding for Dummies, encyclopedia.com)
Until next time,
Invent your story
Every life is a story. Every story has a theme or purpose. In writing, sometimes an author develops a theme and then writes. Other times a theme emerges when the work is complete. In my study of Thomas Edison, who is famous for inventing the lightbulb, phonograph, and motion picture camera, a theme emerged as if it was pre-planned.
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. – Thomas Edison
Perseverance
That famous quote may be the definition of what it means to press through and not give up on a goal. As an inventor holding over 1,000 patents to his name, he wasn’t throwing idle numbers around. Can you feel the fight in these words? He indignantly refused to accept any try as wasted time, and he recognized the value of each forward step.
I’d love to know where he got his grit. As a child, Thomas came down with scarlet fever, had recurring middle ear infections, and suffered hearing loss. Life didn’t come easy for Edison, but he didn’t let that stop him from inventing.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. – Thomas Edison
Oof! If you google Thomas Edison quotes, you’ll find he talks straight about hard work. During his young life, he sold newspapers and candy on trains. He worked for over 3 years as a telegraph operator before launching his career as an inventor. Through these years, he did experiments – that sometimes got him into trouble – and continued to try again and again.
The value of an idea lies in the using of it. – Thomas Edison
Just as we look for the theme or point of a story, Edison looked for the usefulness of the invention. He didn’t use his mind and talents to create idly and be cool. Thomas was a man who saw the needs of his generation, and worked adamantly to bring to fruition inventions that helped to meet those needs.
The result of that perseverance?
He drastically changed the world.
So, inventors, we’ve got work to do. Hike up your sleeves, or put your overalls on. And if your idea doesn’t work the first time, don’t give up!
Invent your story.
This is my second post that studies the lives of inventors. You can learn something useful (that may flip your value system) about Albert Einstein at: What You Didn’t Know You Have in Common with Albert Einstein.
I learned a lot about Thomas Edison on Wikipedia and found the cool quotes in this post at BrainyQuote. If you want to learn more about Edison, these sites a great place to start!
(sources include but not limited to: encyclopedia.com, wikipedia.com)
Until next time,
Invent your story
Researching Albert Einstein could make you feel like an idiot. This incredible physicist developed the theory of relativity, and he laid groundwork for quantum theory, the photon theory of light, the Brownian movement of molecules (I won’t continue). Bonus: he has really interesting things to say.
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein
Not exactly what we’d expect from someone with those credentials. And yet, the truth of these five words can change your life if you let it brew in your brain for a few smart seconds. What do you do when you solve a problem, draw a picture, play an instrument, or write a story?
You begin to employ creative thinking. To create is to bring something into existence. That something comes alive inside of you. It’s said that Einstein thought in pictures, and that was (in part) how he discovered and worked out his theories.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, and giving birth to evolution.” – Albert Einstein
Einstein was a genius. He’s probably most famous for E=mc2. He won the Nobel Prize. He didn’t say the above quote with a chip on his shoulder because he didn’t have knowledge. He found that knowledge falls short. It’s good and important to gain knowledge, but don’t value it over imagination.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving forward.” – Albert Einstein
Time, space, and motion were all important to Einstein. In order to ride a bike, you must time your foot to push down on a pedal, lift your other foot at the right moment to catch the opposite pedal, and keep going. When you keep moving, you can go faster than you could without the bike.
So, what do you have in common with Einstein?
You have an imagination that is capable of amazing things. Don’t underestimate it! Employ creativity in life. Use your imagination. And keep moving forward.
(sources include but not limited to: nobelprize.org, time.com, wikipedia.com)
Until next time,
Invent your story