WHILE MOST PEOPLE LACK the courage to follow the germ of an idea wherever it may lead, it was the personal philosophy of Eustace “Up A Tree” Tingleberry never to turn down the chance, though it sometimes got him lost in the outer reaches of his own mental synapses.

Still, he’d often be heard to repeat his personal slogan: that he was “always ready to go out on a limb” in pursuit of a promising idea. And while we now know him as a Pioneer of Creativity, it was his fearless attitude that first earned him the nickname, “Up A Tree.” Well, that and maybe also that weird-looking tattoo on his forehead.

Eustace “Up A Tree” Tingleberry

From the beginning, Eustace recognized aimless wandering as the most rewarding road to plentiful ideas. Following the random, unmarked path led him to insights he knew would go undiscovered by those who trod the potholed route of reason and rational thought.

Had there been TED Talks in his day, Eustace would have been one, for at the peak of his career he lectured far and wide on this universal gift of creativity. He likened it to the goose that lay golden eggs; how it must be allowed the freedom, the time, and the space to work its magic. Before long, he became know worldwide, famous for unravelling the mysteries of this fascinating process. That, and, again, also maybe a little bit for the tattoo.

It was a gratifying pinnacle to a productive life, and the recognition came better late than never. But for years he’d gone from job to job, first hired for his stunning portfolio of groundbreaking concepts, then fired for leading colleagues on what were too often dismissed as time-consuming flights of fancy. Imagine what this visionary might have accomplished, given his charismatic gifts, his empowering attitude, and yes, his really cool forehead tattoo.

THE “PIONEERS OF CREATIVITY” REMIND US THAT IDEAS COME AND IDEAS GO, BUT AMONG ALL THINGS, 2 ENDURE: THE INDOMITABILITY OF HUMAN CREATIVITY AND, UNFORTUNATELY, AN OTHERWISE DOPE HEAD TATTOO.