History of Creativity

I had my first lecture in my History of Creativity class. It was rather interesting to say the least but it definitely is going to make me stretch. I made a goal in class to help myself work on my creativity and it was to think about things from alternative perspectives and question things. It didn't take much time either! By the time I got home I was practicing as much as I could.

Razors... why are they flat? Is it because they are made to be like wedges? Is it because the metal can be made to be stronger and sharper through different manufacturing processes? (This is the engineer coming out in me...) Either way, a better study of inventions brings about new ways for application or redesigning of materials.

Why do toothbrushes have bristles? Baleen whales kind of have bristles... their teeth siphon or pick out the food particles from the water so they can swallow them. We obviously use the bristles on a toothbrush to pick out food so we can spit it out, but if we really wanted to I guess we could swallow them. Have you noticed that buildings are like trees in their construction? Energy is pushed through wires or tubes to supply the structure with its needs: electricity, plumbing, nutrients, sugar, etc. In the meantime, the unique construction also provides insulation, protection, strength, and almost a sense of majestic dignity or size. I guess why they call metropolitan areas urban forests. Maybe a better study of nature can bring about a way to think creatively or inventively by trying to imitate characteristics found in world around us.

Have you ever tried the different flavors of peanut butter? Did you even know that you could taste more than one flavor for peanut butter? Try tasting it on different areas of your tongue. When you use the front of your tongue, licking the peanut butter will taste more like peanuts, much like you are used to. Now try spreading it on the back of your tongue with your finger and it may taste a lot more like butter than peanuts. Crazy, huh? Peanut butter has oil. This is why it sticks to a knife and water runs off of it when you try to clean it. Oil is used to protect metal from water, both as a lubricant and to keep it from rusting. Sounds like a clever application of natural biological, physical, and chemical properties.

And all of this happened since I had dinner! I hope I will be able to come up with a good idea for my project in the class. Very different...