Art vs. Technique
To date, all of my teachers had something in common. Take my piano teachers — initially, they focused on the techniques of how to phrase a song, practice the piano, hold my hands, memorize the music, and understand the harmonies.
Later, my business mentors taught me how to build a financial model and create a marketing plan and my yoga teachers showed me breathing techniques for mindfulness and meditation.
Piano, business, or yoga, all of my teachers eventually told me, that in order to advance in the subject matter: “Toby, it’s not a technique, it’s an art.”
In a world full of techniques, technologies, and “best practices” preached by anyone — and soon, thanks to AI and IoT, any "thing" — we have the unique opportunity to focus on the art of how we do things.
The only reason for mastering technique is to make sure the body does not prevent the soul from expressing itself. - La Meri
Art is an individualized expression of our innermost purpose. Only we can master the art of our work, our lives, and our being. We are the creators of our artistic masterpieces, ourselves.
We can perfect the techniques (e.g., dancing, painting, etc.) and while the discipline to do so is necessary, technique alone is not sufficient. Even if creation itself would depend on techniques that defined the underlying rules of nature and science, it would be the art in them that made it beautiful and cater towards a life worth living.
At a moment in time when the monumental advancements in science and technology are hailed as the key to humanity’s future, it’s worth considering that what makes this future human is art.
Art only begins where Imitation ends. - Oscar Wilde
Interim Executive (EBS), Aufsichts- und Beirat (Steinbeis), Berater der Vereinten Nationen (UNO) - Turning Challenges into Growth (CSO/CMO, COO, CEO)
4 年Inspiring thoughts, Toby. For me the key question is, what does it take to create a compelling future?
Catalyst for Growth
4 年Good one Toby. Fundamentally a successful human life depends on the lucidity between our three "i"s which we identify with : INSTINCT ( hard wired body habits and reflexes that can be taken care of by machines to a large extent ), our INTELLECT ( mind software that can be taken care of by Ai to a certain extent ) and our INTUITION ( our higher self, still the absolute prerogative of the Human consciousness )...????
thanks Toby, for this text; I would like to add a few notes, some parallel to what you wrote. Likewise, my saxophone teacher as well as my yoga-teacher preach the same; it is not the technique, it is the attitude and the art that ultimately determine the result. It becomes interesting however when we link both the arts and the practicalities: e.g. I have just finished a book: 'Home in a Hybrid World', arguing that where we consider architecture to be the adaptation of space to human needs it suggest that we are are capable of 'adapting' and that we understand 'human needs'. But home is so much more than then roof over our head; it is a framework for imagination, enhancement, involvement; in brief, for the 'arts'. In combination with 'technology' - read e.g. iot - it serves as an environment facilitating experience. In the coming decades we will need all our creativity and imagination to '(re)think' a better world, a better living space, hence a more 'human' architecture. Call it art......
Technology Futurist, Educator, GenAI Author, Business Strategist, Global South in AI, Stanford CSP & BusinessschoolofAI: IoT, Autonomous Vehicles, Generative AI
4 年Thank You for this thought provoking article. Without good technique a good piece of music will sound like a cacophony. But I believe the mastery of any of the topic you mentioned or any others goes beyond learning the technique to applying the technique to bring our individual creativity to create a piece of art. Coming from the world of technology, I would say software and AI are more than applying the techniques, though we don't call a creative solution a piece of art, it is comparable. Good engaging software comes from the creativity of a UX designer who cares deeply. A well integrated software solution comes from the creativity of a business development person and architect who cares about a seamless experience for their customers. So when we look at AI doing something be it mundane automation or creating a new way of doing business, there are one or more creative people behind it that train the AI and productize it towards some beauty they perceive inside their minds.