Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein is the father of the Theory of Relativity and the atomic bomb. He postulated one of the greatest theories in modern physics. He was a German born Physicist who was born in the year 14^th March 1879.  He invented the mass – energy equation  E=MC²  and also received the Nobel prize in Physics in 1921.

He was a prodigious scientist who published more than 300 scientific papers and more than 150 papers of non scientific work. His most significant works published were in the year 1905 his miracle year. He published four (4) original ground breaking papers which included the photoelectric  effect theory, an explanation on Brownian motion, special relativity and mass-energy equivalence

An unknown fact about Albert Einstein that many people overlook was that he was also a good musician. He was adept at playing the violin and participated in public performances. He had a fondness for Mozart and Beethoven compositions.

He expressed his love for Mathematics and Physics from a young age. He was self taught in calculus and by the age of 14 years old had mastered integral and differential calculus. He had already proven the Pythagoras theorem by the age of 12 years. He was a child prodigy who was fortunate to have had the chance to immerse himself in his favourite subjects early in his formative years.

Key to his creativity was overwhelming focus in one scientific area- physics, his work ethic and his ability to connect the dots. He also read widely in other topics especially philosophy and his hobby in music.

Leonardo Da Vinci (Renaissance Man)

He was an Italian born in Florence, Italy at around 15^th April 1452. He was a genius who was widely read in several areas which included invention, drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, paleontology and cartography. He was called the father of palaeontology, ichnology, and architecture.

He is also considered one of the greatest painters of all time. The Mona Lisa and the Last Supper are two of his most famous pieces of his art works and the most popular portraits of all time. His early education was in an art studio and he apprenticed there for quite some time. 

One of his paintings the Salvotor Mundi was sold at USD 450.3 million dollars during an auction in  New York in the year 2017. This was the highest price ever paid for any painting in the world. Apart from his paintings he was also a scientist and conceptualized many artifacts such as flying machines, a type of armoured fighting vehicle, concentrated solar power, an adding machine and the double hull.

He also made many discoveries in the fields of anatomy, civil engineering, geology, optics, and hydrodynamics. His early formative years were critical to the nurture of his creative genius. He was an apprentice in art studio for close to 7 years but also learnt technical skills including drafting, chemistry, metallurgy, metal working, plaster casting, leather working, mechanics, and wood-work, as well as the artistic skills of drawing, painting, sculpting, and modelling.

The novelist Matteo Bandello observed Leonardo at work and wrote that some days he would paint from dawn till dusk without stopping to eat and then not paint for three or four days at a time. He was very prodigious and talented. He made detailed notes in over 13,000 pages of notes on his various observations. That is how prolific Leonard Da Vinci was.

His work ethic, ability to focus on his masterpieces and his ability to read widely, connect the dots were some of his excellent habits that propelled him to fame.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg was born on December 18^th 1946 in Cincinnati Ohio. He is one of the best film directors and producers to have ever lived. His father was an electrical engineer and his mother was  a restaurateur and concert pianist.  

He grew up making amateur films at home using an 8 mm film camera. He joined the boy scouts at the age of 12 years. To get his photography merit badge he had to take still photographs. His dad’s still camera was broken and he asked to carry out the project using a motion camera. He shot a nine minute Western called the Last Gunfight and won his merit badge.

From there he continued making more movies. At the age of 13 he won a prize for shooting a 40 minute movie called the Escape to Nowhere. From then on he went on to shoot 15 more 8 mm films. At the age of 16 he wrote and directed his first independent film a 140- minute science fiction adventure called Firelight financed by his father and was shown in a local cinema.

His family moved to Los Angeles and this is where he came in contact with the Hollywood movie industry. He joined the State University of  California and managed to get an internship in Hollywood. He directed his first 35 mm film called Amblin that went on to win several awards.,

He dropped out of college and started producing TV productions and films.  He went on to co-found Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures.  His break through film was  Jaws produced in 1975 and he went on to produce more critically acclaimed films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993).  The Color Purple (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Schindler’s List (1993), Amistad (1997), and Saving Private Ryan (1998). Munich (2005), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015), and The Post (2017).

He has also served as a producer or executive producer for several successful film trilogies and more including the Gremlins, Back to the Future, Men in Black, and the Transformers series In his career he has won several  awards he has won the Oscars Academy Award for Best Director twice.

Some of his movies are also among the highest grossing films, while his total work makes him the highest grossing film director in history. His net worth is estimated to be more than 3 billion USD dollars.

The sheer volume of his works produced and his film directing genius have enabled him make his mark in the film industry and the world as a whole. This encapsulates the power of creativity at it’s best.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco California on February 24^th 1955. He was a business titan, industrial designer and investor. His key roles were chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), and co-founder of Apple Inc. the world’s premier electronic gadget company.

Other key roles he held were chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar an animated movie company, a member of the Walt Disney Company’s board of directors after it acquired Pixar, and the founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT.

Steve Job’s adopted father Paul Jobs was a machinist and built a work bench for Steve early in life. He fell in love with electronics as early as the age of 10 years and was working on his own electronic projects by that age. When he went on to high school his two key interests were electronics and literature classes.

Steve Jobs studied calligraphy in college but dropped out early as his adopted parents could not afford his tuition fees. He went on a year sabbatical tour in India and returned home a focused individual. He  was fortunate to be living in the epicentre of the personal computer revolution which was in San Francisco and took advantage of this opportunity early on.

Most of his key achievements and fame were garnered from his company Apple. He is recognized as a pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, along with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.  They mass produced the Apple I and Apple II computers and gained an early fortune.

Apple’s key speciality was in computer graphics. Apple was recognised as the forefront personal computer in the desk top publishing field. The Macintosh was the personal computer model that propelled Apple to it’s early fame. Steve Jobs was forced out of Apple in 1985 but after it floundered he came back in 1997 to lead it once more.

Together with his chief designer Jony Ive they created iconic products which included the iMac, iTunes, iTunes Store, Apple Store, iPod, iPhone, App Store, and the iPad.  Steve Jobs accumulated over 450 patents in his life time. Even on his death bed he was still designing and trying to simplify his oxygen respirator.

Beware always aim to develop skills that enable you to live long lasting legacies that are not bound by time.  The late Steve Jobs of Apple stated it in 1995 “poke life you never know what you will see on the other side.” 

Steve Jobs poked life and did manage to get wonderful outcomes at the other end. Apple and Pixar are two companies where his insistence on creativity gave the world products that became cultural icons. His work ethic and his insistence on elegance and design triumphed at the end.

His enduring example has ensured that the technology arena never rests. Apple set the pace and all companies in this field have had to raise their standards to match it’s relentless innovative match. The world continues to be dazzled by the array of products that continue to be churned out by the technology companies.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk is a South African born entrepreneur who was born in 1971 and is currently a resident and citizen of the United States  of America. He is a billionaire who is famous for his exploits in Space Research, Solar and Electric vehicle research.

His key mission is to push for human colonisation of mars to act as a safeguard of the perpetuation of the human race in case of an extinction level event. To execute this idea he has pursued combined interests in space, electrical and solar engineering.  He is the Chief Executive Officer of three famous companies: Space X, Tesla and Solar City.

His interest in electronic engineering was sparked by his father’s profession and he started experimenting at an early age with electronic projects. He has garnered many achievements and Space X has successfully managed to become the primary launch vehicle for space logistics and supply missions for the United States Government and jointly for the International Space Station.

The Tesla electric cars are also starting to make a mark in the car industry but commercial success is still a long way off due to oil supply availability. Research still continues to improve electric car technology and one should never discount his efforts

Elon Musk can be regarded as the true paragon of modern renaissance man in the 21^st Century. He is pushing the envelope and making stuff happen. Key attributes that contribute to his success are his work ethic , competence and passion for his areas of interest.

He is obsessed and committed to make his ventures work. He breathes , eats and lives Space, Electric and Solar research. This is a model of creativity pushing past barriers.

When we aim to differentiate ourselves and become creators we are reaching out to the other side of the universe. You become the best version of you when you get the ability to create, transform or improve other people’s lives for the better.

There are many problems that have still not been solved. Aim to solve the hard problems, create different experiences for your fellow men and women.

Aim to create works that outlive you. These are works in the form of books, research papers, new products and inventions, music, articles, software, paintings, sculptures, building companies, architectural master pieces, new medicines, better processes and methods.