Let’s talk about creativity. I think that making yogurt taught me that simplifying allows us to be more creative.
My yogurt-making challenge
As I mentioned in an earlier article (in this article), I’ve been enjoying the “making foods from scratch” challenge these days. I tried various things, such as yogurt, cheese, ice cream, hotcakes, tofu hotcakes, and sauerkraut (pickled cabbage).
The most impressive experience was making yogurt. I was surprised that I was able to make my yogurt very easily.
At that time, I also made my electric yogurt maker myself. And I felt that maybe simplifying allows us to be creative.
So today, let me talk about creativity. If we understand this, we might be more creative. And it might give us better lives.
Thinking about what elements we need
Let’s assume that we want something to fulfill our lives. In my case, I wanted to have a yogurt maker. But we don’t want to buy them for any reason. Sometimes we won’t want to pay money for something we don’t know we’ll continue to use. Sometimes we won’t want to easily add unnecessary items. Or we might not have enough money.
I think that many people give up at such a time. But we can create it ourselves. If we create it affordably, we can try it and decide whether we continue to use it. So, we want to create it.
At such a time, we think about what elements we need. In other words, simplifying provides triggers for us to be more creative. “Yogurt maker” is a complex thing. But if we simplify its function, we can make it easier.
Yogurt is made by fermenting. To make yogurt, we need to grow the yogurt bacteria in warm milk for 8–10 hours. So we can notice that the necessary element of the yogurt maker is “keeping warmth for a long time.”
But I had no idea how to make it. Because it’s too simple to realize it. So we modify the simplicity level. If we find the appropriate simplicity level, we can find a way to create it.
In this case, we consider how to keep warm for a long time. Then, after simplifying, we can understand that there are only 3 elements needed to realize it: a heat shield box, a soft heater, and a device to check the temperature.
My simple yogurt maker
After I realized that, I realized I could make a yogurt maker. So I created it. I only used the materials of my surroundings without paying any money. And I created it in less than an hour.
The materials are simple. Only 3 elements.
- A cardboard box to make the heat shield body. I pasted an aluminum sheet on the inside to strengthen the heat shielding.
- A small electric heated blanket. To keep warmth inside the box.
- A cooking thermometer to check the temperature.
That’s all. It’s simple. I prepared a cardboard box. Then I prepared warm milk mixed with some store-bought yogurt. I poured it into the glass jars and containers. I made a small hole in the lid of a plastic container and inserted the thermometer into it. Finally, I wrapped them in an electric heated blanket and put them in a box. After 8 hours later, it was completed. Delicious yogurt was ready.
Simplifying provides us with many options
Simplifying provides us with many options. In other words, we can try many ways. For example, it could be that we don’t have an electric blanket when we want to create our yogurt maker. But if we simplify, we can think of other ways.
What we need is a soft heater. So we can find other options.
First, we would use hot water. We boil water and pour it into a container. And then we put it in the yogurt maker box. Although we would need to check and modify the temperature frequently, we can add heat without using fire or electricity.
In another way, we would make a stovetop heat shield box. We put yogurt jars into a pot filled with warm water. And if the temperature goes down, we add heat. Then stop the fire and cover it with the heat shield box. This would be one option.
So we can find many other options if we fail in one way. We can find some levels of simplicity. We can find new elements to fill by changing the simplicity level.
And we can apply this way of thinking to our lives. We can simplify our lives. That tells us which elements we need to complete. If we filled it successfully, we would have a better life, even if it was a hand-made one.
Conclusion
So I think that making yogurt taught me that simplifying allows us to be more creative. If we find an appropriate simplicity level, we can find a way to create it ourselves.
I felt my yogurt was more delicious than the store-bought one. Perhaps there is some additional enjoyment that I created on my own. But I believe that’s also a tasty condiment for our lives.
If we understand this, we might be able to be more creative. And it might give us better lives.
Thank you for reading. We’ll see you in the next article.
