What inspires you? How do you come up with the innovative surge necessary to write a grant, complete a paper, apply for a fellowship or reframe a hypothesis?
Many researchers find inspiration in wandering through artistic creations, whether they’re viewing paintings, drawings, sculpture or performance art, reading, listening to live or recorded music or creating art of any genre themselves.
There’s little surprise here – studies have shown that experiencing art, whether as a viewer or producer, helps to stimulate creativity. And people are beginning to take note: art-science collaborations are gaining traction as researchers explore how working with artists can stoke their productivity, give them new perspective or a more creative outlook and bolster their communication and outreach skills.