Art Quote by Ken Robinson
““Producing works of art doesn't often count as appropriate intellectual work in an arts department: yet the equivalent in a science department, doing physics or chemistry, does. So why is it that in universities writing about novels is thought to be a higher intellectual calling than writing novels; or rather, if writing novels is not thought to be intellectually valid, why is writing about them?””
About This Quote
Source Speech: TED Talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” 2006
Academic hierarchies undervalue creative practice, treating artistic creation as less intellectual than analysis, despite both requiring deep thought.
In simple terms: Artistic work is often seen as less intellectual than scholarly analysis.
Key Takeaway
Value creative work equally.
Themes
education
creativity
hierarchy
Mood
critical
inspirational
Type
reflective
challenging
When to use this quote
- curriculum design
- policy advocacy
- creative workshops
Key Concepts
intellectual merit
disciplinary bias
art vs science
Questions to Reflect On
- How can institutions recognize the intellectual rigor of artistic creation?
- What steps can elevate creative work in academia?
A Different Perspective
Changing entrenched perceptions is slow.
![“People without hope do not write novels … [Writing fiction] is a plunge into reality and it’s very shocking to the system. If the novelist is not sustained by a hope of money, then he must be sustained by a hope of salvation, or he simply won’t survive the ordeal.” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/225/flannery-o-connor-639_books_people-without-hope-do-not-write-novels_903687.jpg)
![“[...]i’m not a leftist trying to smuggle in my evil message by the nefarious means of fantasy novels. I’m a science fiction and fantasy geek. I love this stuff. And when I write my novels, I’m not writing them to make political points. I’m writing them because I passionately love monsters and the…” quote by China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1d4/china-mi-ville-1303_science_i-m-not-a-leftist-trying-to-smuggle-in-m_343278.jpg)
