Search For Inspiration
Sometimes, the best way to move a project forward is to leave your desk and get out in the world, on the search for inspiration. Steve Jobs famously (mis-)quoted Pablo Picasso as saying, “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” Judging from the accusations of folks at Xerox PARC, he clearly subscribed to that philosophy — and so do I. Whatever you call it, there’s something special about the ability to see inspiration in what others overlook. Many times, it comes from looking in unexpected places.
As my friend Lecrae says, "Inspiration is a discipline." We get a special glimpse at Jobs’ discipline through the following anecdotes from Water Isaacson's excellent biography, Steve Jobs:
"To make the Apple II successful required more than just Wozniak's awesome circuit design. It would need to be packaged into a fully integrated consumer product, and that was Jobs's role.
"He began by asking Ron Wayne to design a case. 'I assumed they had no money, so I did one that didn't require any tooling and could be fabricated in a standard metal shop,' he said. His design called for a plexiglass cover attached by metal straps and a rolltop door that slid down over the keyboard.
"Jobs didn't like it. He wanted a simple and elegant design, which he hoped would set Apple apart from the other machines, with their clunky gray metal cases. While haunting the appliance aisles at Macy's, he was struck by the Cuisinart food processors and decided that he wanted a sleek case made of light molded plastic."
Frustrated by what he considered to be an inadequate design, Jobs left his desk. He didn’t do it absent-mindedly, but deliberately, looking for something that would unlock the riddle. He did this years later, with the Macintosh as well:
"One weekend Jobs went to Macy's in Palo Alto and again spent time studying appliances, especially the Cuisinart. He came bounding into the Mac office that Monday, asked the design team to go buy one, and made a raft of new suggestions based on its lines, curves, and bevels."
For different industries, the sources of inspiration may be different. Mileage may vary. But in every industry, being thoughtful about the search for inspiration yields rewards to those willing to go on the hunt.
Related: Encourage Theft
Related: Inspiring Inspiration-Seeking
Related: The Discipline of Inspiration
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