#30: Why Would Anyone need constraints to create?
Happy first trimester to me
This is post #30 already! It seems like a good time to go meta and reflect about the irony of writing about follow-your-bliss intrinsic motivation without having picked that subject myself.
Limits breed creativity
If you give me free rein at the fabric store and ask me to make ‘something’ whenever inspiration strikes, you’ll find me wandering through the aisles haggardly three weeks later. But if I’ve got a 10-inch square of black felt, some yarn, and one hour to make a cat costume, you bet my son will be the darn cutest feline the neighbourhood has ever seen. (True story.) (Also, I think I’ve just pitched a potential Project Runway assignment!)
Likewise, if you tell me: “Go create a personal writing project before you die,” you’ll still find me pondering a smart, memorable name, and the right colour for a logo, and also, Should I buy some crypto? when my son is old enough to shave. But if you say: “Here’s some time, money, trust and boundaries; we launch in November,” I damn sure will write those 30 posts in 3 months.
All this to say: the sweet confines of this newsletter have become a playground where I can stretch myself into words, and explore ideas that I already cared about anyway.
Report card
If you’ve missed the origins story of this newsletter, you can read it below:
Rereading post #1 feels like going back to my wedding vows on our anniversary. Eek, there’s work to do and at the same time, High five! We’re on track.
In November, I wrote:
“I want to explore how [intrinsic motivation] shows up in all areas of our lives: from parenting [here, here & there & everywhere] to freelancing [yes & yes], through to learning languages [not yet, thanks for the reminder] to rock climbing [here].”
Other themes and formats I hadn’t planned took shape effortlessly: my love of music and lyrics; my chronic need for outside permission; an outlet for my voracious media consumption and thoughtful streak.
“I plan on talking to people who study and embody (and maybe try to engineer) intrinsic motivation: artists ❌ , athletes ❌, children ❌, economists ❌, neuroscientists [on it], policy analysts ❌, psychologists ✅✅✅.
I see the mission as an exercise in making something—this newsletter—honestly mine. [yeeees💛] I hope you will join me [🚧] and enjoy the ride.”
In practice, you might have noticed I’ve now settled into a two-post-per-week routine1:
on Tuesdays at 10.30am CET, I send out Three Things that got me thinking about intrinsic motivation (books, articles, podcasts, experiences: believe me, that intrinsic sh*t is everywhere)
on Fridays at 10.30am CET, I send out a personal post or reported essay.
Brainstorm
Another constraint that’s helped feed and shape a steady flow of ideas is the newsletter’s name. It’s a simple question I genuinely ask myself as I go through life. Why Would Anyone do this strange thing? Why Would Anyone do that other thing that seems obvious but maybe isn’t?
The intrinsic motivation lens has brought me juicy Aha moments and guidance. It’s become a thread bringing together the apparently disparate things that occupy my mind.
Here’s a peep into the two-person WhatsApp group where my beloved and I jot down post ideas about our pet subjects or random questions. (Somehow it’s also turned into a place to process our anger at real-life thieves and lark about:)
Here are other seeds we’ve planted on there:
WWA become a firefighter
WWA do things that can kill you
WWA live in a tiny house
WWA become a monk
Intrinsic motivation of fictional characters
Medals and rewards
Money
Queer Eye
Does any of this resonates with your own questioning or obsessions? I’m always grateful for inspiration and suggestions. You can use the comments section…
… or hit reply if you received this post by email. And if you did not, let’s fix that straight away:
As a journalist, it never ceases to amaze me that people trust me to share their life and work and ideas with the world. Now, it also blows my mind a little bit that you let me slip into your inbox, then read my words and thoughts.
I’d love your help so that more of y’all can find them. Do you know other folks who tend to (over)analyse all the things, and want to reform their people-pleasing tendencies? (Possibly because they want to raise kids who aren’t people-pleasers.) This isn’t a very neat demographic, but I know you get it.
Thank you 💛 and till soon!
Next week’s schedule will be an exception: expect Three Things on Monday at 10.30am CET and the second post on Wednesday at 4pm CET.
That type decision paralysis really resonates with me! :)