I think humans have always done this. People have been creating value out of either nothing or "trash" or other unexpected things since our brains have surpassed or fellow primates.

Unfortunately, since the growth of industrialization and other macro-advancements, we've started to believe that value creation is no longer in the hands of individuals or even small groups, bit in the hands of large corporations or large government-funded research organizations.

That's why what you're talking about seems weird: we are used to the average human individual having any power to create anything of vlaue. We are uaed to individuals beging robots, worker bees whose job isn't to innovate but be equipment, cogsbin the machines of large institutions. We are used to out purpose being to serve, not to create or innovate.