There is a great deal of truth to the saying “There is nothing new under the sun.” Some believe that true originality does not exist.
However, our society issues patents and enforces various intellectual property laws. Regardless, the things we make have deep roots in those who came before us and what we have been exposed to. The original maker usually combines existing elements in a novel, unexpected way or applies an existing idea in a different field or pushes that idea further than others. Making an original is usually an evolutionary process rather than a revolution. It is often the result of an unintended discovery imbedded in relentless pursuit.
For the earnest and devoted there are occasionally eureka moments — a moment of instant clarity and vision.
These moments are exhilarating but equally rare and impossible to control.
Nobody has a formula that guarantees one will achieve this moment. It can’t be forced; you can simply cultivate the conditions that make it more likely to occur. The mysterious chasm between the daily grind and eureka is often referred to by experts as the “black box.” These precious occasions feel as if you are being allowed to see something that always existed but remained hidden until that very instant. The journal entry shown here was one of those moments and was painted several months before the 9/11 attack.