There are several factors into finding the motivation to take a dream or vision and follow through until the creation is completed. When I decide I’m just not motivated then I’ve already convinced myself nothing is going to be produced whether I’m creative or not. Motivation is a very difficult thing to find especially when it results from my emotional state. It can hinge on the events of the day, yesterday, last week. The weather can put me in a funk that makes it difficult to start the forward momentum to get me working.

What can I do to overcome these situations? I feed my anticipation. For instance, an up coming vacation conjures thoughts of relaxation, fun and carefree living for a few days. When there is a party on the horizon I can’t wait to see friends or family, chat, have a good time, tell stories and laugh.

So what? What does anticipation have to do with creative motivation?

Here are my three motivation creating tools where I use anticipation to get me in the right frame of mind.

Setting a definitive goal and figuring out how to reach it. This tool at first seems obvious but it’s not. There are times where I think I’m working toward a goal but I’m only spinning wheels and the spin doesn’t foster creativity. I get bored. If I can’t measure the goal then it’s not going to force me to grow and therefore my creativity muscle won’t work like I want it to. The closer I get to the measurable goal the more the anticipation of completing it builds and therefore I do whatever I can to finish.
Reaching out to others for feedback. This will generate nervous energy because I won’t know (and will anticipate) if the reactions will be positive or negative. Yet, if I never share my creations then I don’t have any motivation to do anything new. What’s the point? But if I share my work the anticipation of others’ responses will keep me moving forward.
Be a kid again. Having fun with all the possibilities. Laugh and make room for pure joy. Examples could be writing something silly and then tearing it up, time yourself for thirty minutes, paint then gesso over it when you are finished. The anticipation is in the fact that I know I can start fresh when I’m finished. There is no pressure to have this fantastic creation I just create and enjoy.

What ways can you use anticipation to motivate? Let me know.

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