Definitions of Creativity: Big “C” and little “c”

Consider the following definition of creativity by Csikszentmihalyi (1996): “Creativity is any act, idea, or product that changes an existing domain, or that transforms an existing domain into a new one.” Creativity by this definition means that a creative contribution must be recognized by members of the field as significant and transformative within the domain. In this view, creativity has major sociocultural implications through interactions between creator, domain and cultural institutions.  Fasco (2006) discusses a creativity continuum extending between two poles: Big C for “extreme forms of originality” and little c for “everyday creativity.”  For Big C creators in the domain of visual art, I think of artists like Alexander Calder, Robert Motherwell, Maya Lin, and Cindy Sherman, to name just a few. Their work has changed the direction of visual art, both aesthetically and conceptually. Feldhusen (2006) describes the opposite end of the creativity continuum:  “Wherever there is a need to make, create, imagine, produce, or design anew what did not exist before – to innovate – there is adaptive or creative behavior, sometimes called ‘small c.’” Does student work showing innovation and uniqueness fall toward the little c end of the creativity continuum?

Let’s examine one more definition by my favorite author on the subject, Teresa Amabile:  “A product or response will be judged as creative to the extent that (a) it is both a novel and appropriate, useful, correct or valuable response to the task at hand, and (b) the task is heuristic, rather than algorithmic. By definition, algorithmic tasks have a clearly identified goal, but heuristic tasks might or might not have a clearly identified goal; the important distinction is that, for heuristic tasks, the path to the solution is not completely straightforward.” Creative student work shows original thought and inquiry. It could be an interpretation of an assignment that you have never seen before, discovery of a new technique, or an idea that is fresh. Not everything your students do will be creative; time for skills practice and knowledge acquisition is also important in art education. By providing learners with many opportunities for to explore original ideas and innovation, they will respond, on occasion, with an amazing discovery. When they do, you will be there to acknowledge and celebrate their creative accomplishments.

Diane Jaquith
Burr Elementary School
Newton, MA 
didij@aol.com

References:
-Amabile, T. (1996). Creativity in context: Update to the social psychology of creativity. Boulder, CO:    Westview Press, pp. 35-36.
-Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996).  Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention.  NY: Harper Perennial, p. 28. 
-Fasko, D. Jr. (2006). Creative thinking and reasoning.  In Kaufman, J.C. & Baer, J., eds. (2006). Creativity and Reason in Cognitive Development. New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 159-176.
-Feldhusen, J. F. (2006).  “The role of the knowledge base in creative thinking.”  In J. C. Kaufman and J. Baer (Eds.), Creativity and Reason in Cognitive Development.  New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 137.