I've just been shot in the arm
Everyone's experimenting. I'm lucky enough to be part of a really significant one.
I'm taking part in Oxford University's trial of a potential Covid-19 vaccine. Three weeks ago, I spent an afternoon at Oxford's Jenner Institute going through an extensive medical screening process to see if I was eligible.
It turns out I was.
So I've just been back to get my shot.
I've been given one of two injections: either a widely used meningitis vaccine as part of the control group or the snappily titled ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. I won't know which until the trials are over.
If the vaccine does what the researchers hope, then that alphabet soup of a name might be on its way to becoming one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the 21st century.
I'm no expert in adenoviruses and glycoproteins, but it's still fascinating to get a glimpse behind the scenes of such cutting-edge research.
The experts running the trial are calm, well-organised and professional. There's hopefulness in the room but resilience too: these researchers know that there are no quick answers in the hunt for a vaccine.
It's reassuring to see this mix of highly specialised staff from across the country and around the world. Hidden by protective gear, only their different accents set them apart.
And their gloves.
Neon Orange. Bright Pink. Green. A medical-grade rainbow of protection.
Medicinal latex gloves don't usually spark much joy for me. But these – leftover from a run on standard gloves – bring welcome contrast to the sea of NHS blue.
It's hard not to be in awe of the researchers in Oxford and so many other academic and scientific institutions.
Over the past few months, they have repurposed their trials and laboratories to focus on the most pressing problem of our age. This trial, like so many others, is what happens when brainpower, creativity and commitment come together.
Few would argue that, as far as experiments go, it's about as vital as it gets right now. But medicine is far from being the only field where great experimental strides are being taken at the moment.
In 2020, it feels like the whole world's a laboratory.
The most successful #innovation is born out of necessity. Developing a new vaccine to save lives, bring economies out of lockdown and reunite families and friends is the definition of necessity. But so is
learning how to run an organisation without any face-to-face meetings;
producing and selling things without compromising in the safety of staff and customers;
developing new skills as the only way to stay in touch with loved ones.
Necessity is the fuel in the tank of innovation. #Creativity comes from the willingness to try a new route, an untraveled path, a journey that couldn't even be conceived of six months ago.
I've never participated in a medical trial before, but the low risk associated with becoming a guinea pig for the vaccine felt like a small price to pay for the opportunity to contribute.
Across the world, individuals and organisations are taking much more complex risks daily.
In such uncertain times, being more adventurous than before, calmly and purposefully trying something new, experimenting with an innovative approach or product can seem like the very last thing to do.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone when you can barely step outside of your front door might seem like too much to ask.
And the lockdown noise I wrote about earlier this week doesn't help either. The multitude of ways in which you can try something new can have a paralysing effect.
Too much innovation starts to feel…well, not very innovative at all. There are snake oil salesmen everywhere, all trying to get you to sign-up for something new – right now.
They're missing the point.
You don't need to go far to make the most significant changes. Sometimes the most powerful experimentation comes from allowing yourself to think differently; the best ideas from time spent alone. The biggest changes you can make are often inside your head.
It can feel uneasy or exciting - sometimes, both at once. But having the opportunity to stop, granting yourself space and time to open up your own inner-laboratory and really think differently is a luxury. You might not get the same opportunity again, so please make the most of it.
Finally, I'll admit to being a little nervous about writing about creativity, excitement and possibility when thousands of people are still dying every day from this virus. Like many others, I'm playing with the future direction of my own business and how I'm going to live post-Covid. In the meantime, the most pressing experiment I'm lucky enough to be involved with is the one that might just save hundreds of thousands of lives.
Kate Reid