Contrasting a Cassian-Merton model of mystical prayer with moments of Big-C creativity in contemporary music.
Front Psychol November 21, 2024 David Priilaid, Christian Callaghan 1 citation
A parallel is drawn between the development of prayer and creativity, distinguishing ordinary 'little-c' creativity from profound 'Big-C' creativity. Little-c creativity follows a sequential path from authenticity to task motivation, practice, and experience, analogous to ordinary prayer. Big-C creativity, akin to mystical prayer, can emerge spontaneously by moving from authenticity to task motivation while bypassing extensive practice and experience. In such extreme creative moments, artists experience a surrender of agency, with Big-C arising with minimal deliberate thought and no sense of ownership. Drawing on insights from St. John Cassian and Thomas Merton, this work offers a historically grounded perspective on the enigmatic emergence of Big-C creativity.