My Dad is an Inventor #2

Before we get into those promised invention stories, I wanted to explain why I chose to define myself as the Daughter of an Inventor. In this post I’ll explain who my Dad is, why I’ve referred to myself in that context, and what this website is about.

Spoiler alert: some of you will be aware of an older version of Daughter of an Inventor (DOAI*), where I opened with a post of the same title. The older version still exists, albeit in the archive. If you ever have a dull moment, have a gander here.

Let’s get back to it. You’re probably wondering what my Dad invented, who is he?

I’ll start by quoting myself from my old site, as I standby the description I gave back then:

“It's not quite the image you have in your head - he doesn't work in a laboratory. He hasn't made a ground-breaking discovery. But he is incredibly inventive. All the time.

The dictionary definition of 'invention' is wide - it covers imagination, creativity and inspiration, as well as the literal invention of a product or idea. Dad has all of these things to excess.”

Adding to that, I’d also describe Dad as an enabler, certainly an entrepreneur. Even if he doesn’t have the technical know-how, when he has an idea he’ll find the right people to work with him. Whether that’s developing microchips, underground cats-eyes (I’ll explain that later) or setting out to digitise farming (his current project). He invents through whatever means he needs, and for all of those reasons he’ll always be an inventor to me.

So why would I brand myself in the context of my Dad? After all, I believe in individualism, and standing for myself as a woman, a theme that will no doubt come through in later posts.

It’s because Dad and I have remarkably similar characters, something that took me many years to realise, and then to accept. Now I’m 31 years old, I’m pretty proud I get to say we’re very alike. I admire him and it’s something that still motivates me, enough to refer to myself alongside him. Of course I’ve also developed some of his flaws, which is another thing I’ll explore in later posts. Con-tra-ver-sial.

Last but not least, why on earth have I started a new website, which already existed, with the same name but different content? Sigh. I’ve made things complicated for myself but let’s rip the plaster off and be done with it.

This new version is partly an outlet for me to practice writing, and partly a personal portfolio for a change in career direction. Ex-agency, new to brands, not at all new to marketing or psychology. All posts will cover a story of invention, and often touch on projects I’ve worked on.

In contrast, the old site was born as a way for Dad and I to both post, and was much more of an exploration of thought and our relationship. Back then it was far less specific, and ultimately I did the work for both of us. It’s about time I took credit.

I also confess I’m rubbish at building websites, much better at writing, so the task of actually creating a new one has been put off for a very long time. I hope the words make up for it.

The next sort-of-first post will be about Nike. The ultimate inventors. A solid place to start for the large number of people that read Shoe Dog and then did a couch to 5k.

Happy reading folks.

KG. X

*Not DOAC, which DOAI also predates, although I reckon it’s quite cool we have almost the same acronym. If I can share any halo from the brilliance of DOAC, then that's a great advantage for me.