Creative Minds & Critical Thinking

What contribution have you made to the world? That’s something people reflect about during their lives and there are seventeen people who have changed the way the world thinks and works. The individuals shown in the iconic Apple “Think Different” commercial displayed many defining characteristics. The most prominent characteristic is their ability to be visionaries and pioneers in their specific field. By allowing their minds to be exposed to ideas, they were able to follow it and develop products that were ahead of its time. They all saw something in life that needed improvement and took action. Although the journey was tough, taking over most of their lives, they overcame the obstacles and provided a product that would forever change the way people live every day.

Albert Einstein was a theoretical philosopher and physician; he formulated the relativity theory and is considered the father of contemporary physics (Isaacson, 2011). Bob Dylan was an American singer, songwriter and musician who contributed greatly in the music industry. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights activist; he played a critical role in ending injustices of the world. Richard Branson was dedicated to solving major world problems, including climate changes and wars also John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono invented a form of political and peace movement, and their music contributed positively in promoting peace. Buckminster Fuller was an architect; engineer and he spurred inventions (Isaacson, 2011).

Thomas Edison was an American scientist and also an inventor who developed a motion picture camera and the phonograph. Muhammad Ali was an American boxer and a civil rights campaigner while Ted Turner is the founder of cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel in the world (Isaacson, 2011). Maria Callas was a renowned opera singer of the 20th century, while Mahatma Gandhi was a prominent Indian nationalist, organizer and theorist; his mature philosophy and ideas have become scaffolding in the world.

Alfred Hitchcock was a producer and filmmaker who pioneered many techniques in psychological thriller and suspense genres. Martha Graham was an American dancer who is regarded as the pioneer of the modern dance. Jim Henson was a known puppeteer and the inventor of The Muppets; Frank Lloyd was an American interior designer and architect who designed over 1,000 structures (Isaacson, 2011). Lastly, Pablo Picasso was a painter and sculptor, best known for the wide variety of styles embodied in his work and a co-founder of the Cubist movement.

These individuals all have one main characteristic of being dynamic people. “Unlike most people, creative people do not allow their minds to become passive, accepting, unquestioning. They manage to keep their curiosity burning, or at least to rekindle it. (Ruggiero, Vincent R. (2012). The Art of Thinking (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson) All of the individuals are and were creative thinkers hardworking and could not see failure as a result. They are independent thinkers, but they worked with others to help meet their goals. It did not stop them and they did not look for approval from those that helped them but they were very resourceful and used other avenues to make things happen it did not allow anything to stop them from accomplishing what they set out to do. They were very daring people that did not let fear stop them.

The main characteristics of a creative person are dynamic, daring, and resourceful, hardworking and independent. Look at what Amelia Earhart did as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, she did not let the odds stop her, and she was persistent in her goal, which allowed her to succeed in what she wanted. Steve Jobs narrated the video, and the people that were called the Crazy Ones who changed the world; they used their creative imagination in thinking what if I could fly around the world, invented electricity, innovator or satellite television, created the concept of peace through music, peace ambassador, and changed television show contents.

They started with an idea that no one thought about, created the ways and means to fulfill their imaginative ideas, formulated these ideas and today, their change the world to what it is today, ever evolving and changing. Without their contributions, today would not be the same, we would not be traveling in airplanes, watching 24hr/7 day a week, watching movies reaching beyond imagination, much of our daily lives dependent on electricity and so much more. These unique non-conforming people used their creative thinking matched by imagination to change the world we live today.

In conclusion the iconic Apple “Think Different” commercial displayed many defining characteristics. They were all visionaries and pioneers in their specific field. By allowing their minds to be exposed to new ideas, they were able to follow it and develop products that were ahead of its time. They all saw something in life that needed improvement and took action. Although the journey was tough, taking over most of their lives, they overcame the obstacles and provided a product that would forever change the way people live every day.

Reference
Isaacson, W. (2011). Think different: Steve Jobs. New York City: Simon & Schuster publishers. Ruggiero, Vincent R. (2012). The Art of Thinking (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson