Ryan Hardesty

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." - Thomas Edison

Creating something out of nothing is a lot harder than you might appreciate and more often than not it ends in failure. Thomas Edison was not only a creative genius, he also believed innovation could be forced and so do I. There are certain elements that have to be perfectly aligned for the natural phenomenon we call a storm to occur. Much like a storm there is a science behind innovation. This is a tried and true process that forces creativity and produces amazing results.

Why do some organizations create one-hit-wonders and others seem to create new and innovative products year after year? Is there a method to their creative process that allows them to create successful product after successful product? The answer is yes. The process is simple, but it is not easy and more often then not you crash and burn in the process.
Start with an idea: light at the flip of a switch, a carriage without a horse, landing a man on the moon, a phone that you carry in your pocket. These all out started as ideas. In every case the cards were stacked against them. The only thing separating a great idea from a great innovation is the perspiration, as Thomas Edison describes it, and determination to see that dream fulfilled.

Edison is quoted as saying it would take a matter of a few weeks to invent the bulb. In reality, it would take him almost two years of failed attempts, new discoveries and prototypes before he would find success. It is said he tried over 6,000 different carbonized plant fibers, looking for a carbon filament for his light bulb. By concentrating and inventing a whole lighting system rather than just a single light bulb, Edison succeeded where others had failed. Edison chose to look at the big picture and created a lighting system including wiring, plugs, connectors, etc., to operate more than one light bulb at once. Through years of perspiration his moment of fleeing inspiration became a reality and changed out world forever.

There are thousands of stories just like this. It is not enough to have a million dollar idea; you have to put your blood and sweat into it. You have to see the big picture. You have to meet your inspiration with perspiration. It is not enough to have a good idea.