What motivates you?

A common question, but one which deserves some thinking about, as I believe that even knowing what motivates you will help drive that motivation to produce great work.

It may be a generalisation, but as creatives we tend to be motivated by things other than money. Don’t get me wrong – money is always good and we all need it to survive these days – but it doesn’t give us the push to create amazing work. Creative people often do what they do because they love it. It’s the act of creating, seeing a finished product, whether it be a freshly printed piece, the moment a website goes live, or seeing your design on store shelves. Knowing we’ve provided the best solution to a problem, strategically, visually or a combination of both. It’s the satisfaction we get at the end, or the challenge of a new brief or project that keeps us going. The creation of something meaningful, being able to achieve our goals, and to use our skills and experience to help the world, all other possible motivators for us as designers.

I had a recent experience where I was engaged to design some business cards for a new client. After going through the process of designing and presenting my work they eventually went with designs their friend had created for them, not wanting to offend him. They were happy with my work, and still paid me in full. It is, of course, great getting paid, but I felt rather disappointed not getting to see the design through to the finished product, as is sometimes the case. Being primarily a print based designer, it brought home the realisation that the satisfaction of seeing the final result is a major motivator for me. It’s the ink on the page, feeling that stock in your hands, and seeing the finish that gets me excited and keeps me motivated. It’s being able to create something physical to hold at the end of the process.

So, I put this to you as a designer – what motivates you?

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