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Inspiration or Iteration?

Artistic creativity is often believed to spring from the innate genius of iconic figures like Leonardo da Vinci or Pablo Picasso. This view tends to overlook not only the years of practice and experimentation that precede such accomplishments but also the influence of lesser-known predecessors. Conventional thinking tends to romanticize the "eureka moment," as though masterpieces simply emerge, fully formed, from the artist’s mind.

There may be a kernel of truth in this belief. However, we argue that this view distorts the real nature of artistic creation, as well as creativity and innovation across various fields of human endeavor.

Rather than seeing artists as lone geniuses, we suggest that creativity is a gradual process involving repetition, revision, and error. Much like evolution in biology, artistic progress may require several failed attempts before a successful piece emerges. This “iterative model” values the cumulative progress of creative work and downplays the myth of singular inspiration.

Consider the relatively unknown painter Hilma af Klint, who worked in the early 20th century and created abstract artworks years before Kandinsky, who is often credited as the pioneer of abstraction. Though af Klint’s spiritualist motivations are often considered unconventional, her experiments with form and color paved the way for new visual languages. Ironically, her work remained hidden for decades. Kandinsky’s theory of abstraction gained traction partly because it aligned more closely with the dominant art discourse of the time.

What can we learn from such stories? One could say that art is a collective enterprise. This may be true, but we believe something deeper is at play. Artistic movements evolve continuously, with new styles emerging through experimentation, accident, or even necessity. In the same way that mutations create new traits in biology, artistic innovations may arise from missteps or accidents that yield unexpected aesthetic outcomes.

Take, for example, the development of the Cubist movement. The shift from realistic representation to fragmented forms wasn’t a sudden choice but the result of years of experimentation by artists like Braque and Picasso. In many cases, creative breakthroughs arise not from carefully laid plans but from playful deviation and openness to unexpected outcomes.

Plenty of other stories show how “mistakes” have produced breakthroughs. The Dadaist movement, for example, began partly as a protest against war but also embraced absurdity and randomness, resulting in entirely new forms of art. These works, initially rejected by traditional critics, now occupy a central place in modern art history.

Terms like genius, talent, and inspiration often dominate discussions about artists, yet they remain vague and scientifically unhelpful. Great creators from Shakespeare to Frida Kahlo defy simple explanation. These terms do little more than label outcomes rather than describe the creative process itself.

One alternative is a concept borrowed from psychology: the “Law of Effect,” introduced by Edward Thorndike. Just as in biology, where advantageous traits are repeated, the Law of Effect proposes that successful creative strategies are more likely to be repeated, while ineffective ones are abandoned. This suggests that artistic creativity, like biological evolution, proceeds through variation and selection rather than divine insight.

Of course, creativity remains a complex phenomenon. We must consider the raw material—be it cultural, historical, or personal—that artists draw upon. Novel ideas may not be purely random; they’re shaped by earlier successes and failures, both personal and historical.

The time has come to move beyond myths of sudden inspiration and creative genius, and to examine the real, fascinating origins of artistic innovation.