There’s a new show on TV that my husband likes to watch. It’s called Pitchmen and it stars Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan, both of whom make their living pitching products on infomercials and commercials.
Billy Mays is the one who yells all the time and promotes OxiClean. Anthony Sullivan is an Englishman who promotes Smart Mop, among other things.
In their new show, they team together to find new products to promote by meeting with various inventors and testing their products.
I have no idea of whether or not this is true, but I would be willing to bet that a disproportionate number of the inventors on this show have ADHD.
They’re highly creative (obviously) as well as big risk takers. Most have spent years of their lives working on their product (one guy had been working on his for 12 years), they have quit their jobs and risked their life savings to bring their product to the market.
Impulsive, creative risk takers; yep, it’s got ADHD written all over it.
What about your family? Any inventors there? Any impulsive, creative risk takers?
In our family, our son Andy is the inventor. He’s always thinking of new ways to make things or do things. When he was 10 or 11 years old, he contacted one of those places that claims to help you get your invention made and marketed. It was a scam, of course.
One of his most memorable inventions was made out of a laundry basket, some duct tape, pillows, and I think, some cardboard. It was supposed to be a faster way to slide down a snow covered hill than a sled, with the added bonus of padding if you crashed.
My daughter Caitlin and her friend Kimmy used to practice what they called “French Cooking” in my kitchen. It was mostly an attempt to mix together various unlikely ingredients in the hopes of making something tasty. It rarely succeeded.
I think it’s way, way important to encourage our little (and not so little) inventors. It’s good for them on so many levels, and who knows? They may end up creating something wonderful.
