When different people look at this picture, they interpret it differently. For a certain percentage of people, it may seem a random smattering of colors. There are a select few with the knowledge and appreciation of painting as a form of art, who’ll ascribe a meaning in which different elements in the painting come together to create cohesiveness. Why is this painting called Pizza & Jesus? Well, you can check with my friend ,Vishvajeet Dhir, he will be the best person to explain his own creation. When I saw this painting and then its description, I realized that I couldn’t see the connection. Even when the painting was in-front of my eyes, I was unable to see the interconnectedness of different elements that gave meaning to the creation.

The picture took shape in the painter’s mind, and then he breathed life into it by his passion and skill. It was the painter who saw the possibility of imagining and connecting different elements in a way which made the sum greater than the parts. The beauty lies in giving meaning to individual elements and yet creating a sense of wholesomeness which provides some fundamental integrity, that binds everything together. In my view, this quality is one of the most significant leadership capabilities that will differentiate leaders of the future, leaders who need to grow the business and promote stakeholder capitalism. The question that organizations need to ask is, how are they identifying and preparing future leaders in this particular area methodically and proactively?

From STEM to STEAM

In a world where technology will become supremely intelligent and endowed with the capability of self-learning, we’ll experience an inseparable interaction of humans and smart machines. Such situations will create a need for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) talent to evolve into a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) talent. We know that Leadership and Art have historical origins and have always been related intimately to each other. One enhances the other in an endless loop, and the marriage of technology and artistic disciplines is inevitable in the coming years. The new National Education Policy (NEP) of India tries to address this issue by highlighting liberal education with an emphasis on multidisciplinary learning. We hope to see more of socio-technocrats in the coming years.

Leaders and their love for arts

Creativity which can loosely translate as an eye to look at things differently is a defining quality of many people who are considered leaders in their respective fields. Alexander, Mozart, Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and more recently Dr APJ Abdul Kalam are all testimony to this fact. All of them had immense respect for art. In the words of Dr Kalam “Art is a benign expression of the innate beauty in nature. Be it painting, sculpture, literary composition it elevates the beautiful spirit of life for everyone to see and enjoy”.

Benefits of doodling

There are hundreds of leaders that have modified the definition of leadership, and they did all of that because they had a different perspective of looking at things, art is the source of having a different perspective. Appreciation of art not only makes one open to new challenges and experiences but also increases focus and mindfulness. There is a reason why doodling is associated with an increase in productivity and efficiency. It turns off the busy mind and improves focus on the thing at hand while being a tool for problem-solving for the new-age leaders. You may like to try it!

Why art and artistic mindset matters in business?

Visionary leaders harness creativity to design new possibilities. Organizations, especially the established ones, need to create ways of nurturing and leveraging creativity and innovation if they need to compete with the next agile and smart start-up that can disrupt the whole ecosystem. Perhaps the answer lies in cultivating and promoting artistic bent of mind. This can initiate deeper inclusiveness in many organizations. Currently we find a lot of organizations, specially at senior levels, are full of professionals who have a strong preponderance towards data/analysis (left brain thinking).The ability to appreciate the newness and depth of art will not only create potential solutions and opportunities but simultaneously create a resilient and harmonious human experience. A pursuit worthy enough for any organization or institution.

If you liked the painting, do visit Vishvajeet’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/vishvajeet.dhir) and his company website (https://www.studiobloss.com)