Little C vs Big C and why there should be one in the middle

I spend a lot of time talking to people about creativity. Often people don’t know what it is exactly, why it matters, and they don’t believe that they’re creative at all.

You have a good idea what creativity is, believe that it’s important and have a strong desire to be more creative.

Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi discusses creativity on two levels. Big C and Little c. Big C creativity leads to changing domains, changing entire ways of life and is accepted and acknowledged by a relevant field. Little c, that’s where you are hanging out, but are even having trouble admitting that,  is connected to day to day life, and activities such as finding the fastest way to a  destination using side streets. While I highly respect, Csikszentmihalyi, and have spent a lot of time studying his work on creativity , I’m going to go ahead and say that there needs to be a middle level. And that what most people are shooting for. There’s a big jump from doing the day to day, and changing an entire way of life.

However, I’m not writing today to argue how many levels of creativity there should be. I’m mostly thankful that there’s a discussion of there being any levels, as that takes some of the pressure off.

You struggle with with telling people that you’re creative. Standing up and saying that you’re creative, gives off the same vibe as standing up and saying that you think you’re best looking person in the room. Everyone wants to be creative, and their a bit jealous of those who have it together and know it. But the truth is, we were all born with the ability to be creative , it’s just something that a lot of people lose along the way, and then have no idea how to get back .

“What are we really risking when we create? We might fear losing our jobs, but often we’re concerned about being perceived as inadequate or ineffective. ”  ( sorry I wrote this down, and failed to write the source 🙁 )

You aren’t reaching your full potential because you’re afraid to step up and put your ideas out there. You’re afraid of rejection, not sure that you’re ideas make sense, and feel like you’re all over the map. It doesn’t have to stay that way. You need to bring creative practices into you life.

Let’s get started.

Write down three questions that you have. You might be trying to make a decision about a job, a relationship, or where you should go on vacation.

Leave those questions sitting in front of you.

Grab 2 pieces of paper and a pen. Really you’re going to want a pen, not a pencil. Now start writing, and keep on writing until you fill both pages. If you get stuck and don’t know what to write, continue to write the last thing you wrote over and over until something new comes. You’ll find that you feel like you’re racing while doing this activity, as your hand may have trouble keeping up with your mind.

After you’ve finished go back and look over what you wrote, see if you notice common themes, words or ideas. Often times you see answers to your questions show up in your writing. The more you do this , the more comfortable it will become. Try to do this a few days in a row and see what happens.

PS: Even though Csikszentmihalyi doesn’t talk about a middle C, there is one, and I can get you there. As a middle C  you have lots of ideas, are able to solve problems left and right, become the go to person at work, and are able to develop businesses and goals around your creative skills. In Changing Minds, I’ll walk you through the steps to develop your creative ability, break down walls, and make you feel comfortable and confident in telling the world the you’re a creative thinker.