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Einstein, Boating and the Beautiful Mess

Tue, Apr 10, 2007 by Todd Henry

Creative Process, Productivity, Tools

Wired coverThis month’s WIRED features an article on the genius of Albert Einstein. It’s not earth-shaking to report on Einstein’s unconventional genius, but what really caught my attention in this piece was how Einstein "accidentally" stumbled upon his discovery that time was not constant right at the moment he was about to give up. In fact, it was the accidental convergence of his role as a patent clerk and and unlikely friendship (seeded by years of playful study and seemingly meaningless postulating) that eventually altered the very way we see the universe.

Einstein was received as a hack by his professors and peers right up until his significant discoveries. He was unable to earn a doctorate because of his unconventional approach. He also uttered the (much over-quoted) phrase "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Lessons for me from this short article:
1. Creative success often comes at the moment of hopelessness.
2. Playful awareness leads to discovering solutions in unconventional places.
3. I spend WAY too much time trying to find "the right answer" instead of "the BEAUTIFUL answer."

The article can be found in this month’s WIRED. 

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