The Piirto Pyramid of Talent Development

Persons who have produced creative products — visual artists, creative writers, creative mathematicians, creative scientists, mathematicians, entrepreneurs, architects, performing artists, musicians, inventors—have certain patterns in their lives. What are their backgrounds, their personalities, their experiences, and their ways of looking at the world? The Piirto Pyramid of Talent Development is a model that considers genes (the genetic aspect), personality (the emotional aspect), intelligence (the cognitive aspect), specific talent in a domain (the talent aspect), and motivation (the thorn) in the individual person that is necessary for the development of talent. In addition, the model considers environmental factors, called environmental suns: The Sun of Home, The Sun of Community and Culture, The Sun of School, The Sun of Gender, and The Sun of Chance. This model has been used as a guide for national and international scholars of creativity and talent development in their own studies.