At first glance, the arts and the sciences couldn’t be further apart. Art is all about emotion and science is cold hard facts, right? This is actually not completely true; the process of creating art and making scientific discoveries have a lot in common.

Throughout human history, art and science have been inextricably linked. Before computers and graphic design, scientists used sketches and built models to illustrate their research and findings. Artists need to know mathematical principles and elements of biological and natural science to create art that looks and feels realistic.

So, it’s fair to say that artists and scientists share similarities below the surface — and it’s one argument as to why the arts should be included in STEM education at all levels (which would make it STEAM).

The Need to Understand: Both art and science stem from a need to make sense of the world. Artists and scientists are driven by curiosity, discovery, and a desire to educate. In the end, it’s all about what drives humanity.

The Vision: Artists and scientists want to find or create order in a chaotic world. They come at this with open, seeking minds and are willing to go wherever their work takes them. Both artists and scientists are able to adapt and refocus when new information is discovered.

Innovation: Both art and science depend on innovation to advance. They depend on seeing the world in new ways, and they need to develop new concepts to create or explain the new realities that they are presenting.

The Journey: Scientists approach their tasks in a linear fashion — the scientific method — and conduct repeated experiments. Artists generally start with their vision, but they also explore and experiment to find the best ways to make that vision into reality.

Communication: The goal of both art and science is to enhance the human experience, and that requires communication. Art is a form of communication in itself, and science depends on communicating new findings and discoveries to the world in general.