The idea of "creativity" and "originality " are good examples of accepted assumptions. However, the stereotype of the wise professor waking with an earth shattering idea is due some rethinking. Research suggests that new ways of understanding the world rarely arrive overnight. More often breakthroughs are the work of huge teams, people expending effort over many decades. Furthermore, tipping points often rely on many mistake and wrong routes travelled in paths that circuitously take us towards a new perspective. My own PhD was certainly a milli-move in human knowledge, and only possible thanks to the work of numerous writers over many years. Acres of pages, gallons of ink!
Enter strategic aim, direction and vision, and their implication for original thought. I set myself a dream 6 years, the vision of a thesis. I had no idea, and couldn’t even imagine, what such a document would look like in its final shape. On good advice, I wrote every day, the operational activity. Occasionally the writing aligned with the strategic aim, some words drew me closer to the dream, a glimpse on a world where disabled people’s rights were honoured. However, rarely did the daily words match both good work and ultimate aim, the final document. Sadly, much operational activity was not strategic. It wasn’t that lost vision, but to align to it, I needed to be more in line with the evolving picture, rather than more exact in the technical spelling. Any 500 towards 85000 wouldn’t do, they needed to be the right words in a chosen direction, if not a correct order. My strategic ideal - a thesis addressing global inequality- kept me on track. I’m pleased that the finished effort while being a drop in the ocean is inching towards a better world
Enter strategic aim, direction and vision, and their implication for original thought. I set myself a dream 6 years, the vision of a thesis. I had no idea, and couldn’t even imagine, what such a document would look like in its final shape. On good advice, I wrote every day, the operational activity. Occasionally the writing aligned with the strategic aim, some words drew me closer to the dream, a glimpse on a world where disabled people’s rights were honoured. However, rarely did the daily words match both good work and ultimate aim, the final document. Sadly, much operational activity was not strategic. It wasn’t that lost vision, but to align to it, I needed to be more in line with the evolving picture, rather than more exact in the technical spelling. Any 500 towards 85000 wouldn’t do, they needed to be the right words in a chosen direction, if not a correct order. My strategic ideal - a thesis addressing global inequality- kept me on track. I’m pleased that the finished effort while being a drop in the ocean is inching towards a better world
An original and creative tale emerged as my unique wording took shape within in a global conversation. Whether the words changed the world at all is debatable, but every letter took me closer towards an imaginary of a more inclusive and accepting culture. The words that didn't spell this culture out were not useful, they didn’t align to vision, so were deleted and rewritten.
Adapted from #BlogBack: Lou Mycroft – writing, thinking, culture changing
Thank you, Lou Mycroft, your bllogoff1 made me think: As the opening paragraph offers, very often we don’t take the effort to unthink before we step forward in an alternative direction.
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