Creativity and How it Happens

Thainique Bailey

Tara Kelley

ENC1101

25 November 2018

                        “Creativity and How It Happens”

Zhu et al define creativity as the cornerstone of human progress and that it is vital to all realms of our lives. This is similar to Kaufman and Beghetto’s opinions; “The other predominant approach to creativity is more focused on everyday creativity.” (Kaufman & Beghetto 81) Although Zhu et al think brain structure links everyday creativity to creative achievement, “The present study aims to investigate the brain structures underlying individual differences in everyday creativity” (Zhu et al 127); Kaufman and Beghetto use a model called the Four C model of Creativity to clearly identify the nature of creativity. With thus being said scholars define creativity differently from others because models and studies have been used to show creativity is achieved in numerous ways.

The Four C Model of Creativity consist of the Big-C, little-C, mini-C, and the Pro-C. The Big-C is the study of the lives of well-known creators, or interviewing renowned individuals, or by studying people who excel at high levels on creativity measures. Little-C is studies that use college students or children as participants who focus on everyday creativity. Mini-C highlights personal and developmental aspects of creativity. Pro-C represents the developmental and effortful progression beyond little-c (but has not reached Big-C status). “The model offers a framework for conceptualizing and classifying various levels of creative expression and points to potential paths of creative maturation.” (Kaufman and Beghetto 90) Basically what Kaufman and Beghetto are saying is that there are different ways and levels to classify creativity and its achievement.

Zhu et al focus on brain structure and how it can be linked to everyday creativity and creative achievement. “Many inconsistent results have been reported because of the different measures and tasks of creativity employed.” (Arden et al., Dietrich & Kanzo, 2010; Piffer 2012) This quote from a study signifies that there are multiple studies being conducted that has applied different brain imaging technology that show there is no link to creativity and brain structure. “Despite these studies… creativity remains elusive, largely due to the complex cognitive processes and neural networks that are likely to be involved in creative behavior (Zhu et al 127).  Even though Zhu et al have found that brain structure has some affect on everyday creativity it does have limitations. “We were not able to determine the direction of causation between everyday creativity, creative achievement, and the volume of the right premotor cortex.” (Zhu et al 138)

 Even though scholars define creativity in numerous ways there is not just one way to look at it. It really depends on the person. Researchers demonstrate everyday creativity inside and outside of the classroom by doing research and having multiple teaching methods. Having multiple teaching methods while teaching students in class help students realize that there is more than one way to do something. Research helps not only students but teachers too. It helps students if they have a question about something or if they want to know more about a topic. Doing research helps teachers to further their knowledge in that topic and get be more confident in explaining that topic. Teachers may also have students participate in research which means both teacher and student are both gaining academic innovation.

Academic innovation occurs when teachers and students seek to build or use knowledge and skills in different ways. This innovation can occur inside and outside of classroom, students demonstrate this by getting together in study groups to study, finding ways to help them learn better, and using different resources (i.e. the library) to gain knowledge. Having/gaining academic innovation in college is important if you want to succeed because you need to find what works for you. Something that might work for someone else might not always work for you. Another reason that gaining academic innovation is important is because it could lead to others succeeding. For example, teacher’s assistants are just students who have taken that class before who have done well and breaks the topics down to make it easier for students to learn.

UNF along with other colleges show academic innovation around school by creating clubs and research groups. Not only does creating clubs show academic innovation but participating in them show it as well. Being involved in clubs you need to advertise for people to join your club. When you advertise for a club it is important to be creative because you want people to join it. UNF shows academic innovation around school by creating The Institute of Undergraduate Research program which helps bring undergraduate students together to do research on topics they want more information on.   Everyday creativity and academic innovation are important if you want to be successful. Writing this essay, I had trouble trying to understand how creativity is achieved. Reading these excerpts, I realized there are multiple ways to define creativity and that in every person it is achieved at a different point in time in life. “We argue that the Four C model allows us to consider creative ability, interest, and pursuits at an appropriate level of specificity.” (Kaufman & Beghetto 100) In this quote Kaufman and Beghetto state the Four C model helps to determine what may affect creativity. [870 words]

Academic innovation is a huge contribution to creative achievement because it helps expand current ideas and conceiving new ones. Not only students, but teachers too use academic innovation from having different teaching methods to doing research. I feel like academic innovation is not talked about enough because to be completely honest I had no idea what it was. Explaining what academic knowledge and creative achievement helps everyone (students and teachers) reach creative achievement. Teachers using different teaching methods can show student’s that there is more than one way to do things and I feel that is important because it shows students other opportunities to learn. Everyone sharing knowledge when doing research leads to creative achievement because having more than one brain is better than just working with one. Talking more about academic innovation I hope to make people realize that academic innovation plays a VERY important role in creative achievement. 

What Is Creativity?

The idea of Creativity is a rather broad subject that few understand. When you are asked to think of creativity, what comes to mind? I bet it was a musician or artist. But, what if creativity wasn't just found in your typical artistic endeavors?

 Creativity is far more impactful and complex than simply affecting how well someone can produce artwork or play an instrument. It boils down to our very core of being; it interacts with ones personality and choices of self expression. For some, it is even the basis of their self-confidence.

These nuanced ways in which creativity impacts individuals accounts for the differences in strengths and weaknesses that can be observed between members of any given community. This is why Suzan in accounting may be extremely gifted with mathematical problems, while Sally over in partner relations finds it enjoyable to be the leader of a large group. This is because each person express their creativity in different ways, and these preconceived strengths are actually creative outlets for each person.

The ideas discussed above can be further explored through the magnitude of research that has come from the work of Kaufman and Baghetto's discussion on the 4C's of creativity. Studies have shown how creativity can be impactful in in interpersonal development, those "ah-ha" moments when someone grasps a concept, and the desire to pursue various paths throughout ones life. Even when examining the work of Zhu et. all, it is easy to see just how interrelated ones interests and ability to understand things easily directly correlate to their passion and profession.

So, the next time you are sitting around wondering why your peer can grasp a subject substantially easier than you, just remember that these varied strengths are simply individual differences in creative expression shining through. Chase those passions and don't be afraid to express yourself, and let your creative identity shine through!

Creativity in College

Creativity can best be described as an onion. There are multiple layers and each layer represents a different section or category of creativity. Kaufman and Beghetto describe creativity as having 4 layers that they call the 4-C model. The layers consist of Big-C, Little-C, Mini-C, and Pro-C. Their model is very well put together and covers a lot of what creativity is about. Still, there is much to be learned about creativity and all that it truly encompasses.

            Creativity is so important because it is something that us humans do each and every day whether we know it or not. Creativity can be the littlest things such as drawing, writing a story, building something, or solving a problem. All of these are examples of Little-C creativity. Each and every day we use Little-C creativity which is why it is important to teach students ways to strengthen their creativity.

            Perhaps the best place to help students grow their creativity is at college. In college students can be taught how to improve their creativity through critical thinking problems, real world applications, hands-on studies, projects that exercise thought, and many more ways. Students can also grow their creativity on their own by utilizing a campuses academic creativity resources. There are programs specifically designed to help students increase their inventive and innovative skills.

            Many colleges have preparatory and improvement seminars that students can attend to learn new ways in which they can improve their habits and skills. Students can learn tips on time management by making schedules or attend workshops that help to boost ones reading or writing proficiency. Students can take in all of this information and modify it to their benefit, enhancing their techniques that will ultimately make them better students with a stronger sense of creativity.

            LLC’s (Living-Learning Communities) are great for students to be a part of because they nurture creativity and promote growth in all students. These communities are where students and faculty of similar interests can collaborate to stimulate creativity and advancement. Creativity can be found everywhere and everyone is capable of expressing it. It is the job of teachers to help students grow the seed of creativity that is within them.

How much do we know about creativity?

Creativity as a whole is a topic that is insufficient. By insufficient it is meant that there is a lack of knowledge in this field. I can tell that this is true because even in my own daily life I never think about creativity or what it is. But, little did I know that I experience creativity on a daily basis, however, it’s that lack of knowledge on creativity that didn’t allow me to see that. Being creative doesn’t have to mean that you have to come up with crazy inventions or develop new theories. The kind of creativity we experience is everyday creativity. This can consist of adding a new ingredient to a recipe or doodling something on a piece of paper. Creativity is originality! The more we look into what creativity is and how can accomplish it, the more we can incorporate this concept in our lives. Therefore, knowledge about creativity is very important. Being able to involve ourselves with creativity will even alter how our minds think, in a good way of course. We will make smarter decisions and think twice before doing something. Creativity has a way of allowing us to not have such a linear mindset but to think outside the box being able to put piece together and with this we are able to have a sense of accomplishment in our lives. We can feel that we were able to achieve something on our own through an original thought. It doesn’t take much to be creative but when we know how to achieve its amazing how much it has an impact on our lives. 

Why Creativity

Creativity is used by everyone around us. It is used so often people usually do not even realize its happening. But why is it important? Creativity gives us our unique identity. When we use our creativity we are producing an idea that no one else has experienced or thought of in that exact same way, this gives us so much power because the possibilities are endless with creativity. We show our creativity in what we wear, how we decorate, and the crafts we do. In a professional environment we show creativity by the way we tackle the problems we have to solve and by ways we will present the information so that customers will enjoy it. This is so important to the way our society runs; if we weren’t creative everyone would be the same and there would only be one idea for how to accomplish any task. Many of the new advancements in technology would not be around because someone was uniquely creative and made it. Our lives are heavily impacted by the creativity of others by drawing from their inspiration. We look at the ideas of others and expand them into something that could be entirely new. Creativity brings joy to the entire world and it develops a sense of community. Music and art are appreciated around the world. People spend their lives listening to music and when groups get together and sing the same songs it brings a sense of unity. This is especially true in a concert setting or in smaller settings such as a car full of friends. Art is appreciated in galleries all over. People travel to Europe to visit famous pieces of artwork as well as traveling to art galleries that are local. People fill their homes with artwork because we love individual creativity, people would not want to go into another house that is filled with the same art, we want that sense of uniqueness. Creativity balances out our society by giving each person a unique place. If we open ourselves to the idea of being creative and giving ourselves permission to explore our creative side, we will begin to accomplish much more than we ever thought possible. The world needs to support creativity on a more public level to inspire the community to open themselves to it. 

Creativity and innovation

Creativity is far more than what meets the eye. Creativity is what makes everyone unique,helping them with the creation of their own special set of skills. These skills transfer over to one's level of creativity and level of engagement in everyday life.  We tend to find people who have more open personalities are more creative, than those who are more closed off and introverted. Based off of the similarities and differences in these texts we are able to better understand creativity and how it affects everyday life. It helps us understand how we incorporate it into our lives. 

Creativity and innovation go hand and hand. You cannot have one without the other. It is a combined force that helps us live our everyday lives. An example of innovation on Unf’s campus would be the osprey robotics club. In the osprey robotics club, members gain a better understanding of the world of robotics while incorporating mechanics, programming and electronics Unf has made that has allowed students to feel safe and comfortable with their own unique ideas. It has allowed students the ability to create innovations that can be not only applied in school but out of school as well. It has shaped a campus into a safe haven where all ideas are welcomed and embraced.

Knowledge and Creativity

            As a person learns more and more about a specific craft, they gather up an increasingly sizeable pool of knowledge about the subject as a result. This is a given, of course, but what’s interesting is what knowledge about something can open up for you. When you know just how you can shape something, and use your experiences and previous failures and continuously improve a specific concept, occasionally diverging from the original concept to make something entirely new, you get this feeling of pride in your creativity.

            In Kaufman and Beghetto’s Four-C Model of creativity, they describe the growth of creativity as made up of four stages: mini-, little-, pro-, and big-C. Each of these stages are split up by how well one understands their personal creative process and, especially at the latter end of the scale, how much one’s creative accomplishments affect the medium itself. Once you have a grip on expressing your emotions, like possibly through a couple fridge drawings as a child, and then done a couple projects or classes on the subject, you’re on your way to pro-C, also known as the “professional” level.

            At this point, this is where at least half of your growth is based on knowledge. If you’re an artist, maybe learning a new artstyle or learning something new about color theory may expand the appeal of your work. If you’re a game designer, perhaps learning about how a new game on the market made players feel will give you a new insight on how to make a meaningful challenge. It’s very important that you broaden your horizons when it comes to your craft. After all, many groundbreaking fantasy authors were anthropology and humanities majors, or at least studied it on the side.

            Of course, what will really bring you to big-C, if you ever get there, is passion and dedication. But knowledge tends to be foundation and your tool to innovate and move forward in your profession, as it can help you light the path towards continual improvement.