Reading these two articles, specifically The Art of the Brain, made me think a lot more about science as a creative discipline. I consider myself more of an artist than a scientist and so reading Taylor’s point of view on the role of science was enlightening. Like she mentions in the article, most of us who have a basic education in science only learn about fundamentals such as the scientific method. In my mind, the science my peers study has always seemed very rigid and structured, with concrete procedures and answers. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was unfair to generalize science as such a cut and dry field.

One example of a creative science that came to mind was the technology Apple has been coming out with over the past few years. The science and technology that Apple engineers have created are results of an extremely creative and ingenious process. Someone had to come up with the idea of the iPhone and iPad (two pieces of technology that are not only powerful but extremely beautiful and creative), and make it come to fruition. Additionally, someone had to design the beautiful operating system that is used with the items. Creating something in science, regardless of whether it’s a piece of technology or new scientific discovery, requires a lot of creative thought and experimentation. There’s no rigid structure that can be followed in regard to the frontiers of science, as they haven’t been created yet.

At the same time, I find it insulting that people think of science as a kind of frivolous self-expression. Certain types of art require many years of classical training that must be practiced. It’s not like artists can immediately pull paintings out of their minds- there’s a certain thought process that accompanies the creation of art.

Both art and science require a degree of flexibility and creativity, as well as structure and procedure. While the two subjects seem to serve different purposes, it can also be said that they compliment one another. Art is useful in science because it helps individuals to create visual, tangible representations of their work and science is helpful in art because art sometimes requires a structure. Not to mention, creative expressions of science through art make science learning and understanding possible for other types of learners who may not feel comfortable with traditional science education.