Aerospace engineer José Mariano López-Urdiales on creativity

José Mariano López-Urdiales is an aerospace engineer driven by a passion for making space accessible and meaningful for everyone. In his 2017 interview with The Creativs, he shares how creativity, curiosity, and a refusal to "copy-paste" fuel his vision for the future.

José Mariano López-Urdiales challenges us to rethink how we approach innovation. Here are three insights he shares:

• "My life is about fighting copy-pasting." José believes true progress happens when we question established methods, seeking smarter, more efficient ways that honor both physics and economics instead of blindly repeating the past.

  
  

• "Creativity is coming up with new solutions that are not part of the program we receive." For him, creativity is a distinctly human skill—one we must sharpen to stay vital in a world where routine tasks are increasingly handled by machines.

  
  

• "For creativity to flourish, you need the right building blocks." He compares learning to playing with Legos: the deeper your understanding of basic principles, the more freely and naturally you can create something truly original.

José invites us to see creativity not as improvisation without foundation, but as mastery of fundamentals that unlocks limitless possibilities. Curious about his journey? Watch the full interview now.