Are You an Old Master, or a Young Genius? David W. Galenson. – Love Your Work, Episode 105

December 25 2017 – 07:30am

david galenson

David W. Galenson is an economics professor at The University of Chicago. He’s also a visiting professor at other schools, such as MIT. David is an unusual economist in that he studies the economics of art.

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Have you ever noticed how some young geniuses have rapid success? Have you wondered when your work will finally get noticed?

It turns out, there are two totally different approaches to making your art, and the approach that you take can drastically affect when you’ll find success.

I recently picked up David’s book, Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity, and I found it so fascinating, I had to have him on the show.

David’s theory is that there are two totally different approaches to making one’s art: You might be a conceptual innovator, in that you take a concept and run with it. Or, you might be an experimental innovator – you might be tweaking for a lifetime, trying to figure something out.

You may have heard about Galenson’s work on Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast, Revisionist History. There’s an episode that uses Galenson’s theory to explain why Leonard Cohen’s song, Hallelujah took so long to become popular.

In this talk, you’ll learn:

What makes someone a conceptual innovator? What about an experimental innovator?
Who are some well known innovators in each category? You’ll hear about Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Bob Dylan, Picasso, Alfred Hitchcock, and many more.
Can you change your innovation style? Or are you just better off embracing your style?