Q: What would da Vinci recommend to innovators today? What do you think Edison would say?
Gelb: Much of what they would advise would be the same. They would both counsel the following:
Keep a notebook to record and explore your ideas.
In 1994, Bill Gates paid $30.8 million for eighteen pages of Leonardo’s notebooks. Edison’s notebooks are being catalogued and studied by Dr. Paul Israel of the Edison Papers Project in association with Rutgers University.
Do lots of creative doodling in your notebook.
Leonardo doodled the first workable parachute, the extendable ladder that fire departments still use today, and the three-speed gearshift. Edison’s doodles became the basis of his record 1,093 United States patents.
Let your imagination run wild first and then focus on analysis, practicality, and implementation.
Leonardo counseled “Let the mind go free and think of a thousand things … Divine landscapes … which you may then reduce to their complete and proper forms.” Edison advised: “To get a great idea, have a lot of ideas.” He balanced his fantastic imagination with rigorous experimentation.
Take a couple of twenty-minute naps each day.
Leonardo took naps in his studio and Edison crawled onto his laboratory desk, using Watts’ Dictionary of Chemistry as a pillow.
Laugh and play every day.
Both geniuses had a strong playful nature and a lively sense of humor. They each had the passionate curiosity of a healthy child; as Freud wrote of Leonardo, “He continued to play as a child throughout his adult life, thus baffling his contemporaries.” Leonardo’s notebooks are filled with jokes and funny stories. Edison carried file cards with jokes printed on them which he tucked into the many pockets of his suits. He loved to make people laugh and he once said, “Maturity is often more absurd than youth!”
Focus on a higher purpose.
Leonardo wanted to know the Mind of God, everything else was just details. Edison described his purpose as “Bringing out the secrets of nature for the happiness of mankind.”
(via Fast Company, h/t Nick)
