Bill Myers - November 14, 2008

I spent most of this week on the treasure coast of Florida, searching for Spanish treasure.

It's true.

Instead of working in my office, or shooting videos in my studio, I was out on the beach with a metal detector looking for gold and silver.

It's not as crazy as it sounds.

See, in the year 1715, twelve ships carrying Spanish treasure sank scattering gold and silver coins and other treasures about 100 yards offshore of what is now Vero Beach, Florida.

Today, almost 300 years later, treasure from those ships still washes ashore on nearby beaches.

And if you go out on the right beaches, with the right equipment, and search at the right time, you just might find a few artifacts from those treasure ships.

That's what I did this week.

And to my surprise, I found some interesting artifacts from the treasure fleet - including one gold reale, several pieces of iron, and one larger item which I'm waiting authentication on.

So instead of working, I was out on the beach - treasure hunting.

Or maybe it was work.

Maybe this is an example of how you develop ideas for projects.

You go out and do things. And then turn your experiences into a book or DVD or a map or a workshop.

That's what the life of a product developer is like.

You think about something. Then you do something. Then think about it some more. Then create a product from it.