Atypical career of a passionate average inventor

I was born at the beginning of the 30’s, into a family which originated from the countryside. At that time, if people did not have sufficient resources, the studies were discontinued and young people had to learn a trade. "Welfare" did not exist back then.

It did not take me long to acquire experience doing manual work e.g. boiler making, sheet-metal works, welding. I became very interested in mechanics and odd jobs through obligation. This "know-how" enabled me to fully renovate a house with the assistance of just one labourer.

This successful experiment encouraged me to continue my construction venture with just one labourer helping me out, I built a total of 4 houses within a 5 year period, at the beginning of the seventies. "Building is very hard work"

(See the photographs attached which were taken in June 2003 i.e. 30 years after they were built. Click on them to increase the image size)

It is essential to recognize that "a DIY" requires certain information and also some elements of thought. This combination contributes to knowledge and a know-how which stimulates and speeds up the prolific imagination.

The building industry is hard work, but it is even harder to actually become an independent inventor. Inventions often require, years of work, expenditure and tenacity. Sometimes, small or medium size companies accept to use an invention, where there is a niche market as it limits their risks and exposure, considering the small expenditure involved in it.

However for inventions relating to the wider market, larger companies due to their own elite market size tend to push independent inventors aside.

If patents were distributed to companies, the ideal situation for an inventor would be to obviously sell his invention (at a reasonable price), in order to concentrate on another invention. This is what most creative people do. In particular writers and composers, whose expenditure is 10 to 100 times less important, and who moreover are likely to receive life-long royalties for their contribution, as well as for another 70 years following the death of the authors!

The important thing above all is to be able to use the potential of possibilities that each one has within. It is never easy, but always a positive and enriching process. By alternating school and work weeks for 15 or 16 year olds, it gives them a general overview of the life in the work force (as it already exists in certain countries that benefit from a strong economy). This would allow a better social development, and would considerably reduce unemployment and idleness rates. By offering them a way to compare the reality in various work areas, it gives them an outline of their potential for each one and also develops their versatility. Spending one week per month in various companies, which is approximately an entire year over a period of five years would probably prove more beneficial than any public or military service.

The "builders of cathedrals" and others inventors, were not intellectuals in a strict sense, but they possessed a multitude of skills such as good common sense, logic, creativity and strong manual skills. They left us a country with strong cultural heritage which is visited by many tourists each year, as well as a heritage which is presented in our numerous museums ranging from prime arts to contemporary arts.

A country like France cannot afford to overlook the potential of each individual. Hands –on training is crucial in our society as there will be no room for people without qualification or power of adaptation in the current globalisation.

Raymond Denancé