On Saturday you do not have to be completely rational Arturo Casadevall
He started his Saturday morning experiments. They were scientific experiments that were conducted under his own rules, to take advantage of his creativity and fantasy.
This kind of work is something that belongs only to your curiosity and should be protected from external influence by those who do not believe that it will work.
So many times, during our growth we are told to follow our passions.
When we start university, we choose a subject because we are passionate about it.
When we do a thesis, we choose a subject because we are passionate about it.
Passion is hard to find and most of the time we choose our next step almost by chance, regardless of our passion.
However, this situation can lead us to forget what it means to be passionate and to play by our own rules.
In the scientific environment we are used to following guidelines which, if broken, invalidate our work.
The scientific community we are addressing demands formality and respect for rules that are often very strict.
Often there is little room for experimentation and invention.
However, there are countless examples in history of great innovations, achievements or products that came about thanks to people who decided to go further and take a little more freedom than they had to.
People and scientists who followed their genuine curiosity and intuition to find a new way forward.
Innovation arises when we step outside the rules from time to time and explore what the rules would never allow.
In this context it is much more interesting to exclude what we already know is not acceptable, instead of including only what we already know to be true.
Allowing ourselves the freedom to go beyond the box is an excellent way to really preserve the love of knowledge.
In fact, this is what Arturo Casadevall's advice is based on.
Make sure you carve out some time outside of work to experiment and let your imagination run free in your workshop.
Make sure you do not let yourself be limited by common rules and take the freedom to do something completely new, following your instinct and curiosity.
This will not only give you stimulation and knowledge but could also be the turning point that will revolutionise your work and your life.
If you are interested in the text from which I found inspiration for this article, go and read my review of Range, by David Epstein at this link.
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