Artistic Invention

Series Introduction

So, an inventor and an artist walk into a bar… Okay, I’m not sure where I was going that. Still, what do inventors and artists have in common? It seems more than you might imagine. Some inventions ought to be considered works of art, and their inventors to be considered artists. On the surface, this may seem like a rather peculiar claim to make; however, upon digging deeper, it may make a surprising amount of sense. Some of the most impactful inventions which revolutionized our daily lives could have only been born from the creative and artistic thinking one would normally expect from history’s most revered artists. In this respect, inventors and artists have much more in common than meets the eye.

One such commonality can be seen in the way they apply creative thought to their work. Creative thought is such an interesting concept. In a nutshell, it can be roughly defined as utilizing one’s imagination to develop new, interesting, and original ideas. The inspirations which form the genesis of these new ideas can be wide and varied. The desire to solve a problem or express an emotion is usually the most impactful motivator for creative thought. Creative thought may also be further enhanced by the unlikely spotting of connections between various aspects of life, our society, our environment, our existence at large, among so many other things. Creative thought doesn’t stop there; it can also influence how an individual manifests their ideas into something tangible. This application of creative thought bears a striking resemblance between artist and inventor. For example, Nikola Tesla struck a vital nugget of inspiration during a walk in the park. Likewise, Pablo Picasso found inspiration in the simple geometric shapes found in everyday life.

Another important commonality can be found in social influences. I’m using the term “social influence” somewhat loosely here because such influence is often bidirectional. In one direction, society and culture may influence an individual’s application of creative thought by simultaneously shaping that individual’s perspective, and by serving as inspiration for the genesis of new ideas. The rejection of certain aspects of this social influence may also serve as inspiration; the creative works with such inspiration may symbolize an alternative perspective, or even a rebellion against social norms. On the flip side, an individual’s work may exhibit any degree of influence on a society and culture. What is even more interesting is the phenomenon of one individual’s work also influencing other individuals’ future work, forming this chain reaction of creative thought. Again, such examples can be seen from the likes of Tesla and Picasso.

Other important commonalities between inventors and artists can be seen in different aspects of their psychology. Visible at the tip of the psychological iceberg are personality traits, mental health, and neurodiversity. An individual’s psychology will influence their perspective and creative thought, ultimately showing up in their work.

On the topic of personality traits, both inventors and artists tend to be introverted and prone to introspection; they often spend copious amounts of time “in their own world,” so to speak. This gives way to less-constrained or other-constrained flavors creative thought. This seems to enhance an individual’s soul-sovereignty and agency, thus allowing them to choose which social influences they accept and which others they reject. This facilitates one’s aptitude for independent thought, enabling the more impactful flavors of creativity. In other words, this refers to the individual’s ability to think differently from the crowd. Thus, the works they create represent fragments of their own world, which they choose to share with the people around them. The difference in thought pattern constraints may also complement other psychological elements. In particular, curiosity and the need to experiment and push boundaries. This is because they tend to see the world not for what it is, but for what it could be.

Additionally, many both artists and inventors have certain mental health conditions, as well as some flavors of neurodiversity. Factors such as ADHD, autism, OCD, schizophrenia, PTSD, among many others also tend to further shape how a person will experience the world, which will show up in their work. Influences may also be brought about by developmental issues or traumatic experiences. Unfortunately, this tends to isolate such individuals from the rest of society, thereby exacerbating said individual’s introversion.

The last element of psychology to consider here is the lateralization of the brain. Put simply: left-brain vs right-brain. This is the theory that logical and analytical thinking takes place in the left-brain, while creative thinking takes place in the right-brain. We often consider inventors to be left-brained, while we consider artists to be right-brained. Although the left-brain vs right-brain dichotomy is well-known throughout society, it is increasingly being counteracted. This manner in which we think about brain lateralization is believed to be a gross oversimplification of how the brain actually works. Perhaps this series will further reinforce that idea. Both inventors and artists often employ both the so-called “left-brained thinking” and “right-brained thinking” to their works.

Given a piece of art, it is relatively easy to understand it. It’s easy to parse the details of the artwork and speculate on the nature of the artist’s creative thought. It’s relatively easy to for a wider group of people appreciate the creative thought and intention that went into that artwork. Conversely, in order to have such a level of appreciation for inventions and their inventors, it is necessary to have a deep level of technical knowledge which is uncommon in our society. Many such inventions, seemingly mundane, actually contain a hidden beauty that goes underappreciated by the vast majority of people in the world; my goal in this series is to call due attention to these aspects of the inventions which we take for granted, so we can give them the appreciation they deserve. In this series, each subsequent article will cover a different inventor and will elaborate on how that inventor’s creative thought was influenced by all the aforementioned factors. This series will cover the likes of Nikola Tesla, the Wright brothers, Leonardo Da Vinci, among others. With respect to the vast commonality between artist and inventor, I would argue that the most meaningful difference between the two simply comes down to the actual work they produce.