Developers, find a creative hobby (as everyone)

Many times, as a software tester, I find problems and end up with this comment: "Why are they/we re-inventing the wheel?"...



I think it is a fair assumption that most of the problems in a software project arise from new or changed features. Maybe not so obvious is hte fact that most of the design/implementation work could be saved, if developers searched for waht is done, and how it is done, instead of just creating things as what is the "perfect way" to them. For instance, designing a UI for an email client.

Most of the creative work from the developers comes from a natural human instinct, which is to create, or use imagination, intelligence, association, abstraction, brain capacities, to deliver something to the world. Something that hoppefully will be recognized as a great master piece, aesthetically safisfying to the developer and to the stakeholder, or to the artist and to the "connoisseur" of art.

The problem is that what we expect from software is not what we expect from art. In a very concise way, we expect software functions to be recognizable (unlike art which should be original), emotionally we want software to be innocuous, and not to awake strong emotions, like art.
So what I am saying is that developers should find some creative hobby to express themselves, so they could focus on the plain and simple ways to get bug free software!

PS: Of course, this advice is valid for eveyone, not just developers: "Find a creative hobby"