enter the how-to's

On any given day, I can be found wandering through hardware stores, junkyards or store display outlets in search of that perfect item that I can transform into something other than its intended purpose. For example, I may stand in front of the copper pipe fittings at the hardware store and imagine what I could possibly create with any combination of pieces. Sometimes I fear I may be accused of shoplifting, as I stand there in a trance toying with one piece or another. A light may go on in my head as I'm standing there, or I may get an inspiration days later as I'm driving in my car, drifting off to sleep or soaking in my favorite bubble bath.

This is how the process of inventing works for me: I find a product or raw material that has the potential of being transformed into something else, I plant the seed of possibilities and then I wait for the inspiration. Sometimes the inspiration doesn't come, and sometimes it doesn't work once it does come. But it is a stimulating process in creative problem solving and in building creative confidence. Once the idea is planted, I walk away and trust that my brain will continue working on the problem until I have a solution of some kind to consider.