David Galenson, an economics prof at the University of Chicago, is the author of a book called Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity. His theory is that there are two very distinct phases of brilliance. You can get hit with it as a youngster–think Mozart–or you might be a late bloomer and burst forth with brilliance after the age of 50.
Of course, I love this theory because it means we’ve all got a shot at brilliance right up until the day we die–some folks don’t get revved up creatively until their 90s! So, there’s a lot of hope in this and I think that alone stirs the creative soup that’s simmering.
You can hear David interviewed on the “To the Best of Our Knowledge” show on Wisconsin Public Radio here
And don’t miss the other segments on this show! There’s a great one on getting-better-every-year musician Nick Lowe (learn more about him on his website) and an interview with Amy Gorman. author of Aging Artfully, a book with 12 profiles of visual and performing women artists between the ages of 85 and 105.
Woo-hoo! Very inspiring stuff. Check out these quotes from the artists featured in the book on Amy’s website.
Now, picture this: being that creative your whole life, or even just during chunks of it. And imagine giving our kids the chance to discover their talents early on and keep on discovering new ones until they’re tap dancing in heaven.
Awesome.
