Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Thu, Jul 02 2009
Uncommon ways
"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." That's a quote from George Washington Carver, who was born in my old home state of Missouri. The man was a genius, from what I've been told. He dabbled in gardening and moved on to agriculture and medicinal products. People tend to associate him with peanuts, but he also worked with sweet potatoes, pecans, cornstalks and palmetto roots. He made dye and paint from soybeans and worked on a synthetic rubber using goldenrod plants. I love the aforementioned quote from him because it seemed to be his own life philosophy. If ever a person lived life by looking at things from every angle and trying every angle, it was Mr. Carver. When I come up against a bunch of people who have the "We've always done it this way" mentality, I think of Mr. Carver, who turned down a six-figure income in order to learn and develop uncommon ways of using common things. It's always fun to think of solutions to problems. And sometimes it's great to just think of solutions even when problems haven't been defined as problems. Writers get to do a lot of that when we work. It's a privilege. And it's great fun.
posted at: 15:22 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." That's a quote from George Washington Carver, who was born in my old home state of Missouri. The man was a genius, from what I've been told. He dabbled in gardening and moved on to agriculture and medicinal products. People tend to associate him with peanuts, but he also worked with sweet potatoes, pecans, cornstalks and palmetto roots. He made dye and paint from soybeans and worked on a synthetic rubber using goldenrod plants. I love the aforementioned quote from him because it seemed to be his own life philosophy. If ever a person lived life by looking at things from every angle and trying every angle, it was Mr. Carver. When I come up against a bunch of people who have the "We've always done it this way" mentality, I think of Mr. Carver, who turned down a six-figure income in order to learn and develop uncommon ways of using common things. It's always fun to think of solutions to problems. And sometimes it's great to just think of solutions even when problems haven't been defined as problems. Writers get to do a lot of that when we work. It's a privilege. And it's great fun.
posted at: 15:22 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
