What Kind of A Genius Are You?
According to economist David Galenson, there’s only two major kinds of Geniuses, namely:
1. The Conceptualists
2. The Experimentalists
The Conceptualists are those that gets hit by a creative spark at a younger age and are then able to produce works that alters the landscape. Here’re a few some of these folks:
LITERATURE: The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Age 29
PAINTING: Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
Pablo Picasso
Age 26
FILMMAKING: Citizen Kane
Orson Welles
Age 26
ARCHITECTURE: The Vietnam War Memorial
Maya Lin
Age 23
MUSIC: The Marriage of Figaro
Wolfgang Mozart
Age 30
Experimentalists, however, takes time to mature; henceforth, they usually produce their works at a later stage in their lives.
LITERATURE: Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
Age 50
PAINTING: Château Noir
Paul Cézanne
Age 64
FILMMAKING: Vertigo
Alfred Hitchcock
Age 59
ARCHITECTURE: Fallingwater
Frank Lloyd Wright
Age 70
MUSIC: Symphony No. 9
Ludwig van Beethoven
Age 54
Of course, there are still what Galenson would consider “Moderates,” but most geniuses fall under those two. Talk about a major paradigm shift — geniuses are both BORN and MADE. Some simply take time to mature. Here’s the parting shot by the articles author:
“Of course, not every unaccomplished 65-year-old is some undiscovered experimental innovator. This is a universal theory of creativity, not a Viagra for sagging baby boomer self-esteem. It’s no justification for laziness or procrastination or indifference. But it might bolster the resolve of the relentlessly curious, the constantly tinkering, the dedicated tortoises undaunted by the blur of the hares. Just ask David Galenson.”1
1Article and image from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.07/genius.html
