8 Key Proponents to Job Creativity
By: Olu
There is a strong relationship between curiosity, inspiration and creativity.
People often limit themselves by thinking that creativity is only relevant to certain fields. However, creativity is a universal concept applicable to any craft or aspect of life. Creativity can be seen as the process of combining different ingredients to create a new meal, or as the ability to draw connections between unrelated things.
Why is Steve Jobs described as the one who revolutionized Silicon Valley, creating what some would call a perfect path between creativity and technology?
I would like to highlight interesting facts about his childhood and the people he met who played a part in the product we see today.
Issac Walters’ account of Steve Jobs provides a wonderful look into how Jobs was able to merge engineering and the arts. Below are a few excerpts from the book that highlight Jobs’ journey to becoming the iconic figure we know today.
“This is also a book about innovation. At a time when the United States is seeking ways to sustain its innovation edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build creative digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness, imagination, and sustained innovation.” — (Walterson, Steve Jobs, 2011*, xxi)
Environment:
Steve Jobs’ early exposure to engineering played a pivotal role in shaping his innovative mindset. Raised by a mechanic father and a librarian mother who taught him to read before formal education, he grew up in a neighborhood of engineers in California, a region on the cutting edge of innovation. His father’s involvement with cars introduced Jobs to electronics, marking his first exposure to the field:
“Through cars, his father gave him his first exposure to electronics” (Walterson, Steve Jobs, 2011, pg.6).
Architecture:
Growing up near Eichler homes, Jobs developed an appreciation for design that influenced his vision for creating well-designed products for the mass market. According to Isaac Walterson’s Steve Jobs, Jobs stated that his love for Eichler homes fueled his passion for crafting aesthetically pleasing products accessible to a broad audience:
“I love it when you can bring really great design and simple capability to something that doesn’t cost much,” he said as he pointed out the clean elegance of the houses. “It was the original vision for Apple. That’s what we tried to do with the first Mac. That’s what we did with the iPod” (Walterson, Steve Jobs, 2011, pg.7).
Music:
Jobs and Steve Wozniak’s shared interest in music significantly impacted their creativity. Their joint venture in hunting down Dylan tapes became an integral part of their creative process. According to Walterson, “Dylan’s words struck chords of creative thinking”:
“Hunting down Dylan Tapes soon became a joint venture. ‘The two of us would go tramping through San Jose and Berkeley and ask about Dylan bootlegs and collect them… We’d buy brochures of Dylan lyrics and stay up late interpreting them. Dylan’s words struck chords of creative thinking.”
Pranks:
Steve Jobs applied his electronics expertise to playful endeavors during his education. The Blue Box, a device for making free long-distance calls, became a significant part of Jobs and Wozniak’s early escapades and ultimately contributed to the creation of Apple. One notable prank involved calling the Vatican, with Wozniak pretending to be Henry Kissinger:
“At first, the Blue Box was used for fun and pranks. The most daring of these was when they called the Vatican, and Wozniak pretended to be Henry Kissinger” (Walterson, Steve Jobs, 2011, pg.28).
Audacity:
Jobs demonstrated audacity by directly contacting the CEO of HP to obtain parts for a project, ultimately securing a job at the plant. His willingness to seek answers, regardless of the person he needed to contact, showcased his determination and resourcefulness:
“He needed some parts that HP made, so he picked up the phone and called the CEO. ‘Back then, people didn’t have unlisted numbers… He answered and chatted with me for twenty minutes. He got me the parts, but he also got me a job in the plant where they made frequency counters” (Walterson, Steve Jobs, 2011, pg.17).
Relationships:
The foundation of Jobs and Wozniak’s relationship was built on a shared passion for electronics and pranks. Their common interests, fostered by their fathers’ influence, led to a natural collaboration. While Wozniak focused on engineering, Jobs took the lead on the business side, creating a dynamic partnership:
“In addition to their interest in computers, they shared a passion for music” (Walterson, Steve Jobs, 2011, pg.25).
Literature:
In high school, Jobs expanded his intellectual horizons by delving into literature and creative pursuits beyond science and technology. His exposure to a diverse range of interests, including Shakespeare and Plato, marked a turning point in his intellectual development:
“He also flowered intellectually during his last two years in high school, as he found himself at the intersection, as he had begun to see it, of those who were weekly immersed in electronics and those who were into literature and creative endeavors… I started to listen to music a whole lot, and I started to read more outside of just science and technology—Shakespeare, Plato” (Walterson, Steve Jobs, 2011, pg.19).
Pain:
Jobs’ background as an adopted child contributed to the pain he experienced, shaping his independence and unique worldview. While not justifying any negative impact on others, this pain may have served as a driving force behind Jobs’ leadership style, characterized by both successes and challenges:
“Steve talked to me about being abandoned and the pain it has caused. It made him independent. He followed the beat of a different drummer, and that came from being in a different world than he was born into… He was not a model boss or human being, tidily packaged for emulation” (Walterson, Steve Jobs, 2011, pg. xxi).
