Do You Have A Creative Mind? I Don't!

[Janderso]

The context for me is that I love music but struggle to learn an instrument.

Ha, that is so true. I wanted so bad to play the saxaphone when I was in grade school. After 3 months I couldn't play the scale. Gave it up and listen to Van Morrison.

 

[markba633csi]

For me, having projects going is the whole point of being alive. In fact, since I have arthritis in my back and am in a bit of pain most of the time, having something to work on helps to distract me and helps to reduce the need to take pain meds. Having animals around helps too. And good friends, like those on HM, to bounce ideas off of.
Mark

 

[Bob Korves]

I admit to my wife up front that I am "playing in the shop." Having fun, too! No redeeming value required, fun is all a hobby machinist needs from his/her work.

 

[Janderso]

In fact, since I have arthritis in my back and am in a bit of pain most of the time

I feel your pain, same here. In fact, with the weather change today, my fingers and lower back are having a ball.

 

[jbolt]

I love machining. I wanted to be a machinist. Early in my career I worked in a R&D shop for 5 years. Loved every minute of it (well almost). What I enjoyed most was not just making parts but figuring out how to hold the stock, what machines & tools to use, making jigs and fixtures in such a way as to be efficient with work flow and maintain the level of precision and repeatability required. There just wasn't any money in it in the mid 80's. I worked with a number of very experienced machinists who were amazingly talented and I learned a tremendous amount from them but they were barely making enough to get by. I went into residential construction and within a year was making almost double what a journeyman machinist in our area was making. I always thought is was unfair since the level of skill and knowledge for a gifted machinist was far more than as carpenter.

I enjoyed my time as a carpenter and general contractor when I could work with my tools but like most jobs the real money is in managing people which has a way of sucking the fun out of everything.

Machining and fabrication as a hobby is my sanity check from daily work life. I have dozens of projects waiting to be done when I have more time and space in a few years. Always love to learn new things and different ways of doing them.

As t the OP's topic of creativity. One does not have to be artistic to be creative. Simply taking someone else's idea and remaking it your own way or coming up with a different way of doing something is being creative.

 

[DavidR8]

I completely agree with you @jbolt. For years I lamented the fact that I wasn't creative but my wise partner points out my creativity on a regular basis. Most of the time it's problem solving, figuring out how to do something efficiently and 99% of the time, how to do it by myself.

 

[brino]

ast night after dinner, I took a piece of brass hex stock and made a perfect 1" long, 5/16" x 18 TPI bolt. Why?
Just to kill some time before bed time.

That sure beats watching the so called "reality" TV crap.
-brino

 

[Janderso]

brino,
My wife watches those, singing talent shows.
Yeah, I'd rather be in my heated shop.

 

[Janderso]

Been talking to Bob about this.
Turns out I don't have a left handed internal threading tool holder or tool.
I am switching to HSS and a boring bar to single point the threads.
I'll post the outcome when I get time to "play in my shop"

 

[C-Bag]

This is a complete aside but somewhat related to the idea of creativity.

My partner and I were discussing capabilities and we talked about multiple intelligences.
This article is interesting.

The context for me is that I love music but struggle to learn an instrument.

Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences

The theory of multiple intelligences suggests eight types of intelligence that people may possess. Learn about Gardner's multiple intelligences and how they're used.

www.verywellmind.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting, but people don't drop completely in those categories IMHO. Some of those catagories I have some of but not all. And I've known some people who were called those things and didn't have those traits.

Anybody who's had to manage a team of people will tell you it's a wonderful thing everybody is different because there truly is somebody for every job. I go insane if I have to do a single repetitive thing. Where another guy would hate to have to figure out something, then make it. I was happiest at my last wage slave tour doing R&D, especially refining a design then making the tooling and jigs to manufacture it. Then go on to the next project. Always something new. Especially where I had access to the whole facility, fab, machine and engineering. The pay was pathetic but the work was satisfying. So having a mini version of all that stuff at home is too much fun. Sux it happening so late in life, oh well, better late than never.