A notable factor that has driven me over time and continues to do so, is that when having limited funds

or confined parameters to work within, it stimulates resourcefulness by using what’s at hand or by

exploring different methods of attaining a final goal. That same resourcefulness or gumption has

enabled me over time to deal with and resolve more complex challenges. I seek out those challenges

in my work and they are fulfilling “once I have accomplished what I had set out to do”.

I have learnt almost everything I know by doing. There’s nothing better than having someone of experience explain to you how to do something. It saves a lot of time, and often times much frustration. I don’t always have access to someone like that. I’m often the go to guy for a solution to a problem, or to fix something, or to make it better, or to create something new. If there’s a slight chance that I can either build it or fix it myself, then odds are that I will. If I invest myself, and by that token ultimately I mean I invest part of my soul into a project, then it will have been worth it. Usually when I make something there is no comparable, you just can’t buy what I make at the store. It’s either made to measure or an improved version of what’s commonly available. I like recycling as much as possible, giving a second life to the old. I’d rather keep using it than disposing of it and getting a new one. For example, I have no problem buying old machinery and tools for my work. Most of the time it has to be fixed or modified to be usable, but once in operation it’ll last a lifetime. Things used to be better made, but as time goes on they get cheaper and cheaper because the new reality is that everything’s disposable. They have a predetermined life built into them. I make things you would feel bad not using, that are intended to last more than a lifetime. It’s an investment, but when looked at in the long run, it’s good value. If you’re looking for value, you’ve come to the right place.

Here are some great quotes I have come across over time and reflect my way of thinking.

What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are. George Eastman The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. Henry Ford I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. Mark Twain Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes. Oscar Wilde Work is an adventure that makes strong men and finishes weak ones. Frank Lloyd Wright Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind: Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses- especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else. Leonardo da Vinci Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere. Creativity is intelligence having fun. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. To do much clear thinking a person must arrange for regular periods of solitude when they can concentrate and indulge the imagination without distraction. Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don’t. Thomas A. Edison