Thinking about genius

Following on from the genius of Van Gogh is a lovely piece from TED this week.

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.  I love her analysis of the demands that are made of us when we step into the creative space and the accompanying fears that stalk us; 'Aren't you afraid that you're never going to have any success? Aren't you afraid that the humiliation of rejection will kill you? Aren't you afraid that you're going to spend your whole life at this craft and nothing is ever going to come of it and you're going to die on a scrap heap of broken dreams with your mouth filled with the bitter ash of failure?'

She's probably right but not, apparently, if you are a chemical engineer...

Steve MarshallComment