The Arts of Innovation

 franklin
Ben Franklin, outstanding innovator

Which type of innovator are you?
                                          and why it matters ...


Archetypal
seeker: Paul Cezanne

OldCezanne3
Like many experimental innovators,  Cezanne was often dissatisfied with his achievements and did his top-valued work late in his career.

“I seek.”
          -- Cézanne


Archetypal
finder: Pablo Picasso

Picasso_Self07
Like many conceptual innovators, Picasso repeatedly changed styles and  did his top-valued work early in his career.

“I don’t seek. I find.”
                  -- Picasso

The basics -- Two types of innovator:
  • Experimental innovators (also known as seekers)
  • Conceptual innovators (also known as finders)
  • How David Galenson identified the two types.
  • Why it matters
  • Hypothesis 1: Everyone is experimental, conceptual, or a mix that’s weighted toward one of those two types.
  • Hypothesis 2: People can discover which type of innovator they are and put that information to use in daily life and in career planning.

Take a quiz

Tell your story

What to expect ...

... if you’re an experimental innnovator

  • In youth
  • In middle age

... if you’re a conceptual innnovator

  • In youth
  • In middle age

Seekers and finders in different disciplines

  • Painting
  • Poetry
  • Novels
  • Film
  • Science
  • Invention and business

Hitchcock

Experimental innovator:
Alfred Hitchcock

 

Welles Facek 1938

Conceptual innovator:
Orson Welles
.

Frost2 middle-aged

Experimental innovator:
Robert Frost

 

Eliot at 19

Conceptual innovator:
T.S. Eliot

 

Copyright © 2007 by Colin Stewart. All rights reserved.