Hacker News Reader

Comment by mensetmanusman | Hacker News Reader

I am one of these highly creative types, and I would say I do not understand my biology. After my PhD@MIT I joined the materials industry and filed over 120 patents in nine years.

I definitely did not expect this to happen, and I have no idea where the ideas come from. I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally.

Edit: Someone below mentioned schizophrenia and its association, and it’s true in our family history that there is a lot of schizophrenia. An ability of mine that seems interesting is an ease of very clear mental visualizations and object manipulations. Main problem now is trying to filter out what to do now and what to wait for in terms of viability. Have had ideas that are definitely 10 years too soon…

Anyway, life is interesting for sure!

View on HN

> I am one of these highly creative types

And, article quote:

> "Exceptionally creative visual artists and scientists – called “Big C” creative types"

I wonder...

How is creativity graduated from, say "ordinary creativity" through "highly creative", to "Exceptionally creative"? What is the measurement unit, and how is the measurement done - what is the tool? The test group and control group - which controls/tests are they subjected to in order to place them in separate groups? Is the measurement unit reliable - if any such unit exists at all? Valid? How is this (validity and reliability / uncertainty), in turn, measured?

The article was interesting, but it does not seem to answer these questions. As the topic is creativity, failing to even define this most central keyword (much less provide any metric or method for identifying it) ... ehrm... (well, honestly, words fail me here, I don't know how to express this in a polite manner...) it's just not good

Musicians often talk about songs appearing to them to the point they feel like they can't take credit for 'writing' them. They just appear out of nowhere and are finished in an hour or so.

IME music written this way feels more organic and natural vs 'trying' to write a song over a long time period

I think this embodies the experience behind Greek mythological Muses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muses

I used to have lots of ideas. The trouble is none of them actually worked.

This raises a good point. I've adopted a rule, that something is not an "idea" unless it's shown to work. This avoids the scenario where someone like a manager takes credit for blurting out a suggestion at a meeting, and then taking credit after someone else has actually made it work. It's especially tricky when a team is working on something, and someone has to figure out who's name goes on the patent submittal.

Some people think outside the box, other times it's difficult to determine where the box was to begin with or how it got there.

>I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally.

That's what you're supposed to do in the lab.

If you stick with it and get good, eventually you'll be showered with ideas continuously in the right lab.

>Main problem now is trying to filter out what to do now and what to wait for in terms of viability. Have had ideas that are definitely 10 years too soon…

You think that's a problem now?

You will have plenty of time to refine the most futuristic concepts which through time may also naturally come more within reach.

In 10 years the world will often catch up with ideas that were once a decade ahead, this is also to be expected.

hey guys, im a genius lol. its ummm weird i guess

Do you actually make things, or is this just rent-seeking idea squatting?

Make things, materials science…

Awesome! Wish I had your creativity.

Cmon this line of reasoning isn’t worth it

You could phrase your comments to be a little less hostile with some different word choices.

That's fair. I just couldn't imagine one person doing all that (120).

No worries man. The only reason I said anything is because sometimes we don't realize it. I'm glad when someone calls me out.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com