Thank you Todd London for the clarity and insight of your recent presentation and writing on innovation [http://howlround.com/i-don%E2%80%99t-want-to-talk-about-innovation-a-talk-about-innovation]. Todd’s comments resonate strongly with us especially in our experience with A.R.T./NY member theatres. Innovation has become the shibboleth of this recent recession (the last recession it was paradigm change.) It is simplistic to assert that innovation will cure all ills and ironic to assume that artists need to be cajoled into being innovative.

Artists understand change instinctively. For artists, invention is a natural extension of learning and the two are connected by creativity. Every time an artist enters into an artistic process he/she is learning about many dimensions of their work, the layers of meaning and nuance while inventing ways to achieve the work they want. Each artistic process involves multiple inventions to solve problems and draw insights and meanings from the work. When members of an arts community share, apply and build upon changes and inventions, the result can be innovation. In The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge posits that true innovation derives from a confluence and integration of numerous inventions. Senge notes that the innovation of commercial flight occurred when a complex set of inventions (e.g. pressurized cabins, hydraulic systems, etc.) converged, 30 years after the invention of powered flight. So if we are going to be invoking innovation to get us through this recession, let’s at least be clear about what we are talking about – and consult the true innovation experts – artists.