The link between art and innovation
Tuesday is Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. With so many complex challenges facing America — in education, public health and the economy — should Americans care?
The answer is yes. Especially since addressing these problems will require continuous innovation.Continue Reading
Harvard researchers took six years interviewing thousands of executives to find out “what makes innovators different.” They learned it’s all about making connections. Innovation expert Debra Kaye agrees: “Great innovators make connections between seemingly unrelated observations to uncover unique insights.”
Arts, like innovation, are all about making connections.
Music and arts connect kids to their schools, to each other and to the economy. Numerous studies — one tracking 12,000 students over a decade — show arts instruction improves academic performance, graduation rates and life beyond the classroom.
And good teachers know how important self-expression and confidence are for all students to learn. Creative arts can be particularly helpful for those who may feel disconnected, like immigrant children, kids with disabilities or those who have been bullied.
This fuzzy stuff matters. A 2010 IBM survey of 1,500 CEOs from 60 countries and 33 industries worldwide revealed that creativity — more than rigor, management discipline, integrity or even vision — is the most essential leadership skill in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
Stanford University Business School professor Steve Blank says the practice of entrepreneurship is better aligned with an arts curriculum than a traditional business school curriculum. That’s a serious statement from a serial entrepreneur.
In addition to creativity, entrepreneurship requires imagination, collaboration, risk-taking and resilience. These skills, taught through artistic practice, are the core drivers of innovation.
The arts are directly connected to the long-term strength of America’s economy.
A remarkable number of our brightest young innovators are accomplished not only in math and science, but they are also passionate about arts. Just read the bios of student finalists in the Intel or Siemens innovation competition. Strikingly, most are musicians or engaged in other artistic endeavors.
Albert Einstein said he discovered his theory of relativity through music. Nick D’Aloisio, the 17-year-old who just sold his news app to Yahoo for $30 million, is a self-described art and design aficionado. Following his passions at the age of 12, Nick developed his first app — a music discovery service called Song-Stumblr.
In short, practicing the arts teaches us how to make connections — as long as we’re ready to learn. Many children arrive at school with too much anxiety to learn anything. Fortunately, creative outlets lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone in the brain.