Part 9/11:
Expressing both frustration and optimism, Paul describes his iterative process—constructing ideas, adding new elements, and then questioning their feasibility based on energy losses or mechanical constraints. Despite his expertise—a 30-year background in the metal industry and machine shop work—he finds this open-ended, unstructured approach to be both challenging and invigorating.
He admits that sometimes ideas seem promising, only to stumble over practical complications. The inability to start with a definitive part or existing framework makes the process feel more like pure imagination, which he finds both freeing and daunting.