Albert's Secret Weapon

Imagination is more important than knowledge.


Albert Einstein
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Hello Diane
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I spend much tie thumping the drum and tooting the horn for imagination on this journal, as perhaps you've noticed. Imagination is a great tool for almost anybody, provided it's used in a productive and positive manner. So why is imagination better than knowledge? They both have similar mental contents and perform similar functions. You know a lot of things. Some of those things you know are useful, some are useless and some are things you probably wish you didn't know. Imagination gives us ideas. Some of those ideas are useful, some are useless and some are down right awful. So what's the difference? Simple, knowledge is limited and imagination is unlimited.

You have knowledge up to a point. Beyond that point is not-knowing, ignorance, Not a bad ignorance, not stupidity, just beyond knowledge. But nothingg is beyond imagination.

For a creative person imagination gives ideas and aso gives suggestions and instructions as to what to do with those ideas. Imagination doesn't just throw out a blueprint and then head for the bar. It keeps on working.

I sometimes think of ingratiation as if it was an expert standing by, patiently waiting and keeping an professional eye on what I'm doing, and when I get stuck I can simply ask "What should I do now?" and the expert steps up with a good sound suggestion or two.

Here is one of my most memorable moments of imagination working. We were in rehearsal for "My Three Angels" at the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. It was late into the rehears period. The play had been completely staged, but the ending of the second act wasn't working. The director knew it and the three actors knew it but we didn't know what to do about it.

The three of were sitting around a bare table on the stage. The director and stage manager were sitting to the side. I stared at that table top and silently said "I know there is an answer and imagination is going to give it to us. It's going to grow right out of table top. In a moment an idea occurred, it was discussed, we performed it, the director made a few changes and we had the finale of the second act which was a great delight for us and for the audience.

As the years go by creative people, artists, learn to depend on imagination more than knowledge. It's ideas sometimes seem to come from some cosmic mind somewhere and you end up doing something you would never have thought of on your own.

The door of imagination is open to all. Enter, make yourself at home and use it well.

DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.