When he was in his early 20s, chemical engineer Frank Capra was working odd jobs near San Francisco, such as pruning fruit trees and selling books door to door. Then he saw a 1922 newspaper ad: Workers were needed at a gymnasium to help adapt a Rudyard Kipling poem into a silent short film. With confidence, Capra — who had grown up in Los Angeles but had no cinematic ties — told the production he was from Hollywood, nabbing his first directorial gig, en route to helming several classic films. By the following decade’s end, he had won three Best Director Oscars, for "It Happened One Night" (1934), "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), and "You Can't Take It With You" (1938). And 1946 saw the release of perhaps his most enduring and beloved film, "It's a Wonderful Life." Capra urged people to follow their instincts, regardless of their past experience. Curiosities should be pursued, for every half-formed idea has the potential to become a work of art.