"Nobody knows enough, but many know too much."

- Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

Imagine a young boy walking through a giant corridor filled with pianos and hand drums, like bongos or conga drums. Each piano is being played by a different person. Some are playing softly, others aggressively. But all are playing well and in perfect time with someone playing a type of hand drum.

As he makes his way toward the end of the long, cavernous room filled with music, he sees a doorway at the end of the hall. It is closed, but bears a shiny doorknob which he reaches for as he approaches the doorway. His young arm reaches slightly upward to grip the doorknob and turns it. The door unlatches, so he gives it a nudge and cautiously enters the room on the other side.

Inside is something he’s never seen before. Most people would recognize it instantly as a guitar. But he hasn’t the first idea what it is, let alone what to do with it.

He approaches the contraption and gently reaches for one of the strings and plucks it. It delivers a sound much like what he just heard coming out of the pianos in the corridor. Then, he gently taps on the wooden box and it makes a sound much like the hand drums he just heard and saw in the corridor.

So, he takes the contraption and sets it on his lap with the strings facing upward and begins tapping on the strings and the box as if it were a piano or a drum. Or both.

Just then, Foghorn Leghorn walks in the room and upon seeing what’s going on starts in with his signature boisterous tone and says, “Boy, I say, boy! You’re doin’ it all wrong, boy. Let me show you how it’s done.”

He then proceeds to show the young boy how a guitar is traditionally played and the boy ends up getting pretty good later on in life. But he’s in a category with thousands and thousands of other guitar players who learned the traditional way.

Imagine what may have happened had Foghorn Leghorn just left the young boy to explore this newfound musical instrument and feel his way to his own understanding.

Better yet, watch this video. Then, ask yourself, “If I didn’t know what I know today, how could I innovate the ideas I am currently marketing?” Or, “What would happen if I treated my idea as if it were another idea altogether.”

The answers may surprise you. And, with any luck, you may find a way to create a whole new category.

 

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Tags: Art, Innovation, Life, Music

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