A Fuller View by L. Steven Sieden

Author:L. Steven Sieden
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781615931248
Publisher: Divine Arts
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 4

DESIGN

TRIMTAB ON

THE PATH

4.1 “The greatest of all faculties is the ability of the imagination to formulate conceptually. Artists have kept the integrity of childhood alive until humanity reaches the bridge between the arts and sciences.”

EARLY IN HIS LIFE, BUCKMINSTER FULLER LEARNED THAT an individual can create anything imaginable and that the human capacity to imagine is one of our most potent capacities. People labeled as eccentric dreamers often become recognized as geniuses when their ideas and vision become popular, and that was true for Bucky as well as for people such as Einstein, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Picasso, Frida Kahlo, John Lennon, and Emily Dickinson.

These visionaries initially were viewed as too far outside the mainstream to be considered acceptable and viable, but they persisted in following their imagination and dreams. That is the role of the artist regardless of the field in which they focus their attention and creation. It could be science or sculpture. It could be human rights or personal development. The possibilities are infinite, but the consistent thread flowing through the ideas and work of all these people is their integrity and willingness to sacrifice everything to follow their vision and to support the welfare of others.

These individuals may contribute works of music, graphic art, scientific discoveries, social paradigm shifts, or any of a multitude of possibilities. Regardless of the manifestation, it is always the result of passion combined with integrity. True artists in all fields of endeavor possess great passion, and they uphold their personal integrity as well as the integrity of their vision through thick and thin.

That is not to say that they are rigid. Bucky often reminded us, “don’t look to me for consistency, I’m always learning.” And his actions proved this to be true as he continued to have more “learning experiences” (what most people call mistakes) than his contemporaries. Still, he persisted in learning from his mistakes and continuing to do what worked. Following this simple path, he was eventually judged to be a success by society in general.

Still, his artistic imagination never ceased to shine. Even during the final year of his long life, he was still designing new structures and working with young people to build models of his ideas. And he always insisted that anything he created be beautiful. As he often reminded his audiences,

“When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”

For Bucky and other “artists” in all fields, beauty is key to success, and he knew that it was the responsibility of all people who consider themselves to be artists to maintain the “integrity of childhood,” which he interpreted as “the imagination to formulate conceptually.” Many of us might translate that phrase into the simple term “daydreaming.”

Many ideas that were later judged to be a stroke of genius have arisen when a person focuses on an intention or a problem that needs to be solved and then allows her mind to “wander.

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