Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Human Creativity

Abstract

There are two fundamentally different approaches to innovation, and each is associated with a distinct pattern of discovery over the life cycle. Experimental innovators work by trial and error, and arrive at their major contributions gradually, late in life. Conceptual innovators make sudden breakthroughs, usually at an early age. Both types of innovators have made important contributions to art and science.

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