--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not art, it's science." description: "\"It's not art, it's science.\" — Billy Sheehan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/billy-sheehan-23924_art_it-s-not-art-it-s-science-2474276_2474276.png" --- # It's not art, it's science. ![“It's not art, it's science.” quote by Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/billy-sheehan-23924_art_it-s-not-art-it-s-science-2474276_2474276.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/billy-sheehan-23924_art_it-s-not-art-it-s-science-2474276_2474276.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/billy-sheehan-23924_art_it-s-not-art-it-s-science-2474276_2474276.png) > “It's not art, it's science.” [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He distinguishes between creative expression and systematic methodology, emphasizing that music can be approached analytically. **In simple terms:** Music can be both artistic and methodical. Key Takeaway Balance creativity with technical precision. Themes creativity science music production Mood analytical inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - songwriting - studio recording - instrument practice - performance preparation Key Concepts analytical thinking discipline artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - Can art thrive under strict scientific rules? - When does analysis hinder inspiration? A Different Perspective Focusing too much on method may stifle spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Whether statistics be an art or a science... or a scientific art, we concern ourselves little. It is the basis of social and political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/whether-statistics-be-an-art-or-a-science-or-a-scientific-art-we/) [Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/) > [I think the future looks great for music, musicians, bass players, and all we love about music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-think-the-future-looks-great-for-music-musicians-bass-players-and/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [I listened to many different types of instruments and music, and have always tried to look at the bass as an instrument as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-listened-to-many-different-types-of-instruments-and-music-and-have/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [Gradually, ... the aspect of science as knowledge is being thrust into the background by the aspect of science as the power of manipulating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/gradually-the-aspect-of-science-as-knowledge-is-being-thrust-into-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Paradoxical as it may at first appear, the fact is that, as W. H. George has said, scientific research is an art, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ian-beardmore-beveridge/paradoxical-as-it-may-at-first-appear-the-fact-is-that-as-w-h-george/) [William Ian Beardmore Beveridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ian-beardmore-beveridge/) > [What happens then is like what happens when we separate a jigsaw puzzle into its fuve hundred pieces: The over-all picture disappears. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tournier/what-happens-then-is-like-what-happens-when-we-separate-a-jigsaw/) [Paul Tournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tournier/) > [To sell is above all to master the art and science of listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/to-sell-is-above-all-to-master-the-art-and-science-of-listening/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I was always exploring relationships between art and science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-garten/i-was-always-exploring-relationships-between-art-and-science/) [Ariel Garten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-garten/) > [People believe that art and science are two distinct realms. It is far from the truth because, if you look at science from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-mazumdar-shaw/people-believe-that-art-and-science-are-two-distinct-realms-it-is-far/) [Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-mazumdar-shaw/) > [In art, as in science, reductionism does not trivialize our perception - of color, light, and perspective - but allows us to see each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/in-art-as-in-science-reductionism-does-not-trivialize-our-perception/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [The design process, at its best, integrates the aspirations of art, science, and culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-smith/the-design-process-at-its-best-integrates-the-aspirations-of-art/) [Jeff Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-smith/) > [Chess is everything: art, science, and sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-karpov/chess-is-everything-art-science-and-sport/) [Anatoly Karpov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-karpov/) > [“Sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson later said that there should be a “consilience” between art and science. 79 Former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison took selected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lewis/sociobiologist-edward-o-wilson-later-said-that-there-should-be-a/) [Sarah Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lewis/) > [“Owen remarked "The basis of science and art is magical - vice versa, magic is art and science. It goes both ways. There's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luvelle-raevan/owen-remarked-the-basis-of-science-and-art-is-magical-vice-versa/) Luvelle Raevan ## More by Billy Sheehan > [I listened to many different types of instruments and music, and have always tried to look at the bass as an instrument as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-listened-to-many-different-types-of-instruments-and-music-and-have/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [I gave up a lot of things in exchange for my success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-gave-up-a-lot-of-things-in-exchange-for-my-success/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [Very often I suspend my musical sensibilities to enjoy music as a fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/very-often-i-suspend-my-musical-sensibilities-to-enjoy-music-as-a-fan/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [I love a lot of reggae, but Ive never had the opportunity to play with any reggae guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-love-a-lot-of-reggae-but-ive-never-had-the-opportunity-to-play-with/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [If I had to do it over, I wouldn't change a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/if-i-had-to-do-it-over-i-wouldn-t-change-a-thing/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [I think the future looks great for music, musicians, bass players, and all we love about music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-think-the-future-looks-great-for-music-musicians-bass-players-and/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [I plan on doing a lot more work on my own, and discovering and doing more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-plan-on-doing-a-lot-more-work-on-my-own-and-discovering-and-doing/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [It was also important for me to have a burning desire to achieve something worthwhile on that instrument, and I devoted many many many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/it-was-also-important-for-me-to-have-a-burning-desire-to-achieve/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [I'm very honored and thankful if someone says something nice about my playing, but in general I'm very critical of what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-m-very-honored-and-thankful-if-someone-says-something-nice-about-my/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [We'll see some simplistic players for a while, who'll then get into more complicated things and evolve with their instruments. This is a cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/we-ll-see-some-simplistic-players-for-a-while-who-ll-then-get-into/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [My home studio is my private instrument for me only. It's not intended to record anyone but me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/my-home-studio-is-my-private-instrument-for-me-only-it-s-not-intended/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [I believe the best persona to be onstage is the one that comes naturally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-believe-the-best-persona-to-be-onstage-is-the-one-that-comes/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [Music is always changing and the changes are unpredictable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/music-is-always-changing-and-the-changes-are-unpredictable/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [And no again: My studio is not a first or any step toward becoming any type of businessman on my part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/and-no-again-my-studio-is-not-a-first-or-any-step-toward-becoming-any/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) > [I didn't follow the standard rules of bass playing, and many musicians on many different instruments who became noteworthy for their unique or particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/i-didn-t-follow-the-standard-rules-of-bass-playing-and-many-musicians/) [Billy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) [Explore all 25 Billy Sheehan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not art, it's science.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Billy Sheehan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/it-s-not-art-it-s-science/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/it-s-not-art-it-s-science/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/billy-sheehan-23924_art_it-s-not-art-it-s-science-2474276_2474276.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/billy-sheehan-23924_art_it-s-not-art-it-s-science-2474276_2474276.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/billy-sheehan-23924_art_it-s-not-art-it-s-science-2474276_2474276.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not art, it's science.” — Billy Sheehan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Billy Sheehan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sheehan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's not art, it's science.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/it-s-not-art-it-s-science/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sheehan/it-s-not-art-it-s-science/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```