"Look at your motivation as the engine that keeps you moving. Sometimes, you might see some indicator lights on your dashboard you don't recognize. Learn to understand them and you learn how to keep going."

Thomas Props

What is Motivation?

Motivation is essentially the question of why we do things. An American psychologist named Abraham Maslow said that people are motivated by unsatisfied needs. He made this pyramid called the 'Hierarchy of Needs', which sums up all human motives. Why is it a pyramid? Because according to Maslow, the basic needs like food, water and sleep must be met first in order for an individual to actually move up. So: if the base isn't there, you can't keep building. Since a lot of us are fortunate enough to have the first three levels down, we tend to mostly worry about the top two levels of the pyramid. For artists, this might involve things like receiving praise for a performance or even opening up your very own art gallery! Now, these things can be described as 'extrinsic motivation'; external influences that have an effect on your motivation to do something. Things like tangible rewards, but also the threat of punishment are common examples of extrinsic motivation. On the other hand, there's 'Intrinsic motivation'; being motivated to do something, simply for the experience of doing so. If you write songs purely for the sake of expressing yourself, regardless of how good the songs might be, you're intrinsically motivated.

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How do we become unmotivated?

Now, this is a bit of a trick question. According to psychiatrist Dr. Alok Kanojia, better known as Dr. K online, it's usually not that we lack motivation; it's either being blocked by something else, or simply pointed in the wrong direction.
One explanation for blocked motivation is 'task paralysis'; having so many things to do that you don't even know where to start. If you've ever fallen behind in your studies or work, you know how this feels. This is closely related to the principle of 'karmic ties'; where you consciously want to do something that your subconscious mind does not support. Dr. K gives the example of a recovering alcoholic. They might consciously make the decision that they want to stop drinking, but their subconscious doesn't join in helping to complete that task. The reason for this is that its hands are full, fighting against the symptoms of withdrawal and perhaps handling a lot of regrets. This is why one of the steps in the 'Alcoholics Anonymous' 12-step program is to make amends with any people that might have been harmed by the alcoholism in some way; to put the conscious mind more in control, instead of being bogged down by subconscious 'loose ends'. Additionally, what we often see is that we try to boost our motivation when we feel unmotivated. But actually, it's possible that our motivation is pointed in another direction than where we want it to be. A studying dancer might have an essay to write, while they'd much rather practice their new choreography. They are highly motivated, but not for the essay, which is not very handy if it's due in two days.

Another interesting angle is that of the 'Self Determination Theory' (SDT). It states that there are three psychological needs that play a huge role in one's intrinsic motivation: autonomy, competence and relatedness. This theory argues that supporting these needs enhances intrinsic motivation and internalization, resulting in higher achievement. But it also exposes a flaw in our education system: According to SDT,

"...attempting to control achievement outcomes directly through extrinsic rewards, sanctions, and evaluations generally backfires, leading to lower-quality motivation and performance."

R.M. Ryan & E.L. Deci

In defense of our teachers, though, creating an atmosphere conducive of thriving students requires thriving teachers. So the importance of satisfying their psychological needs is just as important.

One last thing, I find, is worth mentioning about feeling unmotivated is that our fear of failure often gets in the way of us trying things at all. Much like having a to-do list that's too long, this fear leads to a form of paralysis that leaves us lying on couch thinking: "Why even bother?". But failure is a big part of life's balance and frankly, it can be quite liberating. If we are able to accept failure as an outcome and we accept that human beings are imperfect, then what's left to stand in the way of us taking action?

Effects of the pandemic on our motivation.

If we use SDT as a measuring tool for motivation, we can instantly see why the current reality of the world is a harsh one; because the pandemic is affecting all three psychological needs. We are left with less control over our daily lives, taking away our feeling of autonomy. Job loss or the inability to work effectively is affecting our sense of competence, and social distancing and lockdown are serious strains on our feelings of relatedness.

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I mean, these are the unemployment rates in arts and artist-heavy occupations from January 2020 compared to May 2020. Just looking at it can cause a feeling of "Why bother?".

But it goes deeper than that. It seems that there is a state of mind that's mostly been neglected. A feeling that lies somewhere between being depressed and flourishing that the world's current state of 'meh' has induced: it's called 'languishing'. It's not quite mental illness; just the absence of well-being. That being said, though, it does not mean it's not a serious threat to our mental health. Sociologist Corey Keyes, who coined the term 'languishing', describes it as follows:

"...languishing may be conceived of as emptiness and stagnation, constituting a life of quiet despair that parallels accounts of individuals who describe themselves and life as 'hollow,' 'empty,' 'a shell,' and 'a void'."

Cushman, Keyes, Levy, Singer

What can we do about it?

Given the fact that we are in an abnormal situation, I think we should first cut ourselves some slack. None of us asked for this and we're suddenly thrown into the deep end. There is also little we can change about this global crisis. Instead, we should focus our attention on the things that we can change. To find out how artists are dealing with the pandemic, I reached out to my own network for clues. They had a wide range of answers, from teaching, performing and hosting workshops online to getting a master's degree just because they have the time. Another colleague remains intrinsically motivated by just the enjoyment of writing songs, but there are also those who have simply taken up new hobbies to break up the monotony of life. As you can see, some of them are just having fun and others are using their time to hone their skills. The key takeaway is that all of them are shifting their attention away from the daily despair and instead focus on growing. They don't look at 'what might be' after the pandemic, therefore letting go of their expectations and accepting the temporary loss of normality. The key takeaway here is that we should manage our expectations and focus on taking action.