Artistic motivation is something Michelle Cheyne from Instinctive Living is well qualified to write about, given her expertise in psychology. She has written a guest post for us about the three cornerstones that help us find artistic motivation.

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Finding your creative voice can be quite the journey and very much a worthwhile one. I strongly believe we all have a need to express ourselves creatively. It might just not always be seen as such by others or ourselves. Being an artist as such has been made out to be something only some are destined for. However, integrating your source of income with that which you love is an integral part of living fulfilled lives. As with most things, understanding our real motivation for what we are doing is key.
The main question is motivation. Why are you doing what you are doing? Whether it is writing a book or creating watercolours. Is your motivation to earn an income, to express yourself or something a bit more playful? Not only will your motivation give you clarity on how to proceed, but it will be the thing you go back to when you hit a ‘creative wall’.
The why then involves a sense of the concept of know, like and trust. This, sometimes odd sounding, term is attributed to the author Bob Burg from a line in his book, Endless Referrals.

“All things being equal, people do business with, and refer business to people they know, like and trust.” Bob Burg

The cornerstones of artistic motivation

I think it is also the know, like and trust aspect that can be brought back to yourself and the inner understanding of your own motivation. Motivation is what drives our behaviour and has different aspects to it. It involves biological, emotional and social aspects, but it also has either an intrinsic or an extrinsic nature.
In a recent blog I wrote on How to Build Know, Like and Trust, I proposed 3 cornerstones to know, like and trust.

  1. Curiosity

    To be curious is what helps us seek out ways to express ourselves in different ways. Being an artist means being curious. Finding forms of expression and experimenting with different mediums are an integral part of being an artist.

  2. Openness

    If we aren’t open to new ways, we will not grow as people. This is even more relevant to being an artist. Finding ways of expressing oneself and following your instincts to create what you feel inspired to, is such a freeing approach. You have to be open to the possibilities and tune into that gut feeling.

  3. Authenticity

    Authenticity is the key to everything. When we create a persona that is not true to who we really are, we create inner stress and mal-alignment. This in turn creates a disconnect with more than just our audience.
    Finding your artistic voice is definitely more of a process than a destination. However, making sure of your motivation and possibly grounding it in an intrinsic one would be the most important part of this wonderful journey.

This is our main aim with the Content College Club and subsequent courses we are creating. To help people find their motivation for creating the lifestyle they want, not settling for a linear approach that might not work for them.