EDEL GUYURAN VILLANUEVA

Do People Recognize the Four Cs? Examining Layperson Conception of Creativity

In this paper, they offer a preliminary, conceptual model to help frame these questions and more clearly
articulate the nature of creativity. Currently, most investigations of creativity tend to take one of two
directions. The first direction is a focus on eminent creativity. The goals are often learned about creative
genius and discuss which creative works may last forever. Creative greatness may be studied by
analyzing the lives of well-known creators, or interviewing renowned individuals, or by studying people
who excel at high levels on creativity measures.
Most investigations of creativity tend to take one of two directions: everyday creativity (also called
“little-c”), which can be found in nearly all people, and eminent creativity (also called “Big-C”), which
is reserved for the great. In this paper, the authors propose a Four C model of creativity that expands this
dichotomy. Specifically, the authors add the idea of “mini-c,” creativity inherent in the learning process,
and Pro-c, the developmental and effortful progression beyond little-c that represents professional-level
expertise in any creative area. The authors include different transitions and gradations of these four
dimensions of creativity, and then discuss advantages and examples of the Four C Model.
Most investigations of creativity tend to take one of two directions: everyday creativity (also called
“little-c”), which can be found in nearly all people, and eminent creativity (also called “Big-C”), which
is reserved for the great. In this paper, the authors propose a Four C model of creativity that expands this
dichotomy. Specifically, the authors add the idea of “mini-c,” creativity inherent in the learning process,
and Pro-c, the developmental and effortful progression beyond little-c that represents professional-level
expertise in any creative area. The authors include different transitions and gradations of these four
dimensions of creativity, and then discuss advantages and examples of the Four C Model
Dr. James C. Kaufman and Dr. Ronald Beghetto have identified four developmental levels of creativity.
“In this model, imagine creativity as a life span concept,” says Dr. Kaufman believe that the Four C
model has much to say about education, they believe that teachers can use some of these ideas along with
their own ideas to better nurture creativity in their students.”
Researcher examine implicit belief about creativity to understand what lay people (or occasionally, artist
or the other group) think. Past work has looked at cultural differences, characteristics associated with
creativity, and positive or negative valence that people feel toward creativity.
Implicit Theories of Creativity emphasized associated characteristics and personality traits,
positive/negative valence and cultural differences. Most past researcher on implicit theories of creativity
has emphasize was seen as distinct from intelligence, albeit with much overlap it included
unconventionality, inquisitiveness, imagination and freedom. Some researcher found that implicit views
of creativity link to negative social behaviors. Beyond the classroom lay people can also show these
biases. When the primed to be intolerant of uncertainty, people with positive or neutral explicit views of
creativity demonstrated implicates biases against creativity.
Another avenue of studying laypersons belief is to examine cross cultural differences.
The four C Model of Creativity
Most investigations of creativity tend to take one of two directions: everyday creativity (also called "little-
c"), which can be found in nearly all people, and eminent creativity (also called "Big-C"), which is
reserved for the great. In this paper, the authors propose a Four C model of creativity that expands this
dichotomy. Specifically, the authors add the idea of "mini-c," creativity inherent in the learning process,
and Pro-c, the developmental and effortful progression beyond little-c that represents professional-level
expertise in any creative area. The authors include different transitions and gradations of these four
dimensions of creativity, and then discuss advantages and examples of the Four C Model.
Levels of the Four C Model of Creativity
The Big-C level of creativity
The Big-C level includes an evaluation of one’s entire career and entire body of work and then evaluates
the entire body of work against other great contributors and decides where one fits in. Creativity is
presented as an interaction between the domain, the field, and the person. A domain could be as broad as
music; it could be as specific as writing showtunes. The field is defined as the “gatekeepers,” such as
teachers, editors, and critics. The third component is the person—the one who creates an idea or theory

The mini-c level of creativity

Mini-c is defined as the novel and personally meaningful interpretation of experiences, actions, and
events. Creativity is inherent in learning. Any time one attempts a new task, there is a level of creativity
involved. At the mini-c level of creativity, what one creates might not be revolutionary but it is new and
meaningful to them. Central to the definition of mini-c creativity is the dynamic, interpretive process of
constructing personal knowledge and understanding within a particular sociocultural context. This view
of creativity is in alignment with the Vygotskian conception of cognitive and creative development,
which posits that all individuals have the creative potential that starts with an “internalization or
appropriation of cultural tools and social interaction. . . not just copying but rather a transformation or
reorganization of incoming information and mental structures based on the individual’s characteristics
and existing knowledge. The need for the mini-c category becomes clear when we consider the standards
used to judge the creative insights of elementary or high school students.
The little-c level of creativity
The other predominant approach to creativity is more focused on everyday activities, such as those
creative actions in which the nonexpert may participate each day. The little-c level of creativity reflects an
aspect of growth from the mini-c level. With appropriate feedback, advancements are made and what was
created might be of value to others. The theories and studies along this line of thinking usually are said to
focus on little-c. Areas of research that focus on little-c creativity often are aimed at illustrating how
creative potential is widely distributed. Creativity is the interaction among aptitude, process, and
environment by which an individual or group produces a perceptible product that is both novel and useful
as defined within a social context. At the Big-C level, the twin components of novel and useful are
automatically assumed to be present. To summarize, the little-c category has been useful for addressing
common misconceptions about creativity. For instance, too much of a focus on Big-C leads to the ideas
that only certain people can be creative, the only creativity that matters is that of the Big-C kind, or that
creativity involves negative forms of deviance.

The Pro-c Creativity

Pro-c represents the developmental and effortful progression beyond little-c (but that has not yet attained
Big-C status). Anyone who attains professional-level expertise in any creative area is likely to have
attained Pro-c status. Not all working professionals in creative fields will necessarily reach Pro-c (a
professional actor, e.g., may make a good living on soap operas but may not necessarily be Pro-c level
creative in his or her craft). Similarly, some people may reach Pro-c level without being able to
necessarily quit day jobs; some areas of creative expression may not provide enough monetary sustenance
to allow financial freedom from other responsibilities. Yet many “amateur” artists are being creative at
the Pro-c level, even if it is not their primary means of support. The concept of Pro-c is consistent with
the expertise acquisition approach of creativity. This approach suggests that prominent creators require 10
years of preparation in a domain of expertise to reach world-class expert-level status

Important of Four C Model of Creativity

As creativity research becomes tied to more and more areas of psychology, it is important to have a
specific understanding and categorization of what it means to be creative. Yet creativity is a growing field
that has moved beyond basic categorizations. There is too much new and exciting research being
conducted that does not fall squarely into little-c or Big-C. By focusing too narrowly on traditional (little-
c, Big-C) distinctions of creativity, we run the dual risk of overlooking the creative potential children, on
one hand, and minimizing professional-level creative productions of expert creators on the other. We
argue that the Four C model allows us to consider creative ability, interest, and pursuits at an appropriate
level of specificity. Moreover, it presents a framework in which previous theories, conceptions, and
research on creativity can be situated and, at the same time, points to aspects of creativity that need
further clarification and investigation. We hope that such a model is helpful in shaping future creativity
research and can support the further maturation of the field of creativity
Teachers, can use the awareness that comes from understanding the Four C model of creativity to be more
successful. The first step is that educators must realize that nurturing creativity is an essential piece of the
learning process. Furthermore, educators should recognize that creativity is a process that happens
throughout our lifetime. We must recognize that a small child and a grown adult can both be creative. We
need to recognize and find value in creativity at all levels.