Creating Vision

People have asked, "How do I see, what drives me to be creative?". Life, I usually say! Look around - what do you see compared to what I see? Take for instance a couple of scenarios. If I gave you some images to place into your brain what would come to mind?
1)Pile of sand
2)Wooden chair
Place the images one at a time into your brain and really think about the item for 20 seconds. What appears?
1) Pile of sand - what did you think of? A beach, dune buggy or motor cross racing, sun set, summer, bottle of wine and a companion with an endless conversation.
2)Wooden chair - tree, wood working plant, custom made furniture, department store, mill cutting tree into lumber.

How I see is sort of like this. Take the pile of sand - I see a concrete plant or highway crew working and making us safe. I see the sand in the concrete side walks, foundations, planters, new and old buildings. I see the manufacturing plants that make the equipment that make the concrete products, the workers, the bolts, conveyors, belts, paint and metal. I wonder how these items are made and from what, by who and for how much and yes I think of the beach and fun also.
The wooden chair - I think size, shape, colors, textures, styles, smell of the wood. I see the worker sanding and bending the corners, the tools, the hand made seats and spindles, the family using the chair around the table, the custom made chair being passed down from generation to generation, the wood stains, selection of wood type, re usage of lumber from an old train trestle or barn, the old wood worker passing down his techniques to the young person, the hand tools shaping the wood into a true craft form rather than power tools forming a production line item.
Opportunities exist all around us; some good some bad. I do not believe in the word "can't" when I am researching and implementing new ideas. I use the words "keep trying". I figure there is always a solution to a problem you just have to look and be receptive to thought changing ideas. I always wonder how things are made and from what, who uses the product and for what reason, who else can use the product. I always put a cost analysis on things, I do things if they make sense, if it is not financially viable I don't give up, I keep looking for the right answer. I incorporate as many people around me as possible as two heads are better than one, a hundred ideas are better than ten and so on. I keep smiling as I work through the opening of corkboot.com. People will soon realize that small to medium sized forestry and wood working, wood lot owners combined with individuals looking to further enhance their sustainable life styles actually have a larger role and impact on the world's economy and ecosystem than most would tend to realize or believe. Remember - take a tree not a forest.