[sampo]

"Are the ideas of math that inaccessible to the general population when compared to a work of Art?"

I'd guess at least some fine arts (composing classical or modernist orchestral music, modern abstract painting and sculpting) would also be pretty inaccessible to general population.

[codyb]

Yes, but when a classical composer converses with you and says something along the lines of "There actually is, with all the creativity, a sort of formula I follow to produce my best pieces. You see I do this first, revise it three times, etc, etc." and no one will sit and shutter and have the PTSD style flashback the original comment talked about because they do not know and they do not have preconceived, strongly held, notions in mind about the subject.

Or at least I think that'd be true.

[nsphere]

Exactly! With the exception that most of the artist's I've conversed with don't like the word "formula", but liberally us the word "process". Also anyone is Science seems to favor "methods". They all are talking about the same activity of concentrating on an action their passionate about. Language can be a funny thing.

[sampo]

But if the composer would use a more geeky language, and talk about e.g. E7#9 chords, mixolydian modes and chromatic passages? How long would a layperson bother to listen.

(Well I used rock/jazz terms, since I am not familiar with classical music.)