📙 Part 2: Describe a creative person you admire

This episode's vocabulary

Novel (adjective) – new and original; not like anything seen before. → The company became famous for its novel approach to space travel.

Entrepreneur (noun) – a person who starts and manages a business, especially involving risk. → Many people see Elon Musk as a visionary entrepreneur.

Inventive (adjective) – good at thinking of new and original ideas. → The team was very inventive in solving complex engineering problems.

Get off the ground (idiom) – to start successfully; to begin and progress. → It takes a lot of funding for a new technology company to get off the ground.

With regards to (phrase) – concerning; about a particular subject. → With regards to innovation, he’s one of the leading figures in the industry.

Invested in (phrasal verb) – emotionally or personally involved in something. → I’m not very invested in celebrity gossip or online drama.

Oversee (verb) – to manage or supervise a project, company, or activity. → She oversees several major research projects at the university.

Commercially viable (adjective) – able to make a profit and succeed in the market. → The first commercially viable electric cars changed the auto industry.

Satellite constellation (noun) – a group of satellites working together as a system. → The satellite constellation provides internet access to remote regions.

Original thinker (noun) – someone who has fresh, unique ideas and perspectives. → Being an original thinker is essential in cutting-edge technology fields.

Visionary (noun/adjective) – someone with strong, imaginative ideas about the future. → Many people view him as a visionary who wants to change the world.

Trailblazer (noun) – a person who is the first to do something, making it easier for others to follow. → She is a trailblazer in renewable energy technology.

Disruptive innovation (noun) – a new idea or product that radically changes an existing industry. → Electric vehicles were a disruptive innovation in transportation.

Cutting-edge (adjective) – very modern and advanced; at the leading edge of progress. → The company is known for its cutting-edge research in AI.

Problem-solving mindset (noun) – a way of thinking focused on finding solutions. → A strong problem-solving mindset is crucial for creative entrepreneurs.

Questions and Answers

Maria: You should say who he or she is, how you knew them, what his or her greatest achievement is, and explain why you think he or she is creative.

Rory: I'd like to talk about Elon Musk, who is, at least I think, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, which are pretty novel companies that needed a lot of creativity to get off the ground, quite literally in some cases. When it comes to who he is, aside from what I already mentioned, he's an American entrepreneur, though I think he's originally from South Africa. Other than that, I don't know much about him, apart from the fact that he's apparently quite inventive when it comes to his work.

With regards to how I know him, he's in the news all the time for the work he does in both business and politics. It's not always positive, but I suppose nobody's perfect. And it's the creative side of things I think most people like about him anyway. At least that's certainly the case with me, I don't get invested in drama like that.

In terms of his greatest achievements, well, I don't think he's finished doing things, but so far he's overseen the delivery of things like the Tesla, which is an electronic vehicle, and I think it was the first commercially viable one, actually. And he helped develop some reusable rocket engines. I also think he's responsible for the development of Starlink, which is a satellite constellation that spans the globe. Needless to say, all of these are pretty great accomplishments that benefit a lot of people, as well as create numerous jobs and opportunities.

To tell you a bit more about why I think he's creative, well, to be honest, I think it takes a pretty inventive person, or at least an original thinker, to come up with all these ideas or at least facilitate their development. Obviously, no man is an island, but undoubtedly he has lots of people helping him out with this stuff. But it seems like he's the main organising force behind it all.

If we didn't have Elon, it's possible the world would be a little quieter, but it would also be one with fewer options.

Maria: And what about your friends? Do they admire this person?

Rory: Unfortunately, I haven't heard them say many positive things, but he was the first person that came to mind.