The New York Experiment, often cited as a social experiment conducted by The Washington Post, featured Joshua Bell, a world-renowned violinist and virtuoso. In 2007, Bell agreed to participate in an unusual setup: he played his priceless Stradivarius violin incognito in a Washington, D.C. subway station during morning rush hour.
Dressed in casual attire, Bell set up his open violin case to collect tips, blending in with the surroundings. Despite being a Grammy Award-winning musician, out of over a thousand commuters, only a few recognized him. For 45 minutes, Bell performed some of the most intricate and beautiful pieces ever composed for the violin.
The intriguing aspect of the experiment was the stark contrast between Bell’s masterful performance and the apparent indifference of the busy commuters. While Bell played some of the most intricate and soul-stirring compositions, only a handful of people paused to listen, and fewer recognized the exceptional talent in their midst. Whereas just a week ahead, an auditorium had been packed full to the brim, with people paying $100 per head to listen to him play the same thing.
I can see many lessons shouting out from this experiment. Let me share a few that I can see, do share yours as well, or reinforce what is loud to you.
1. Your talent does not stand alone, the context in which your talent is shared is important
2. The reason nobody is paying attention to you may just be because you are in the wrong location or platform
3. People deliberately look out for values in specific places and miss it everywhere else
4. Only few people can discern value out of it’s proper context
5. Modern life is too fast, and makes us miss out of beauty if we are not deliberately pausing to reflect
6. There is so much extraordinarily veiled by the ordinary, we need to look deeper to see
7. So much unrecognised beauty is around us, those who train their eyes to see them discover talents
8. The context and the environment adds to the enjoyment of the talent.
This experiment reminds us to look beyond the surface, appreciate the environment, and understand the nuanced relationship between talent and its presentation. There is however much more, what can you see? Or which of these insights resonate with you?
