Want to be Creative? Guard Your Happiness

I was reading a discussion with designer Allison House (www.carsonified.com), on her methods for staying up-to-date when designing for rapidly evolving technologies.  At one point she made the simple comment, “guard your happiness carefully.”

I must confess that, historically, my very best work always seemed to require the least effort to produce.  Even when these projects took a great deal of physical time, they did not feel like “work” while I was doing them.  Ideas flowed quickly, time seemed to evaporate, and my productivity soared.  Now I realize why those projects seemed so easy:  My motivation was fueled by happiness and self-efficacy.

I’ll openly admit that I’m addicted to the emotional rush of a project coming together just as I envisioned. At those moments, I have to suppress a Victor-Frankenstein-like desire to shout out, “It’s Alive!”  (I’ve been told that type of behavior is generally frowned upon at the office.)   So why does one project make me feel as if I am ten-feet-tall-and-bulletproof, while others seem so tedious I can barely bring myself to look at the files?  

The answer probably has nothing to do with the project itself, but with my state of mind at that moment.  Am I overwhelmed from weeks of juggling multiple jobs? Is there a poisonous co-worker bringing down the team?  Am I afraid to start because I’m still uncertain what I’m supposed to be building?  In all these instances, I now realize that my lack of motivation can be traced straight back to one thing: unhappiness.

Therefore, thanks to Ms. House, the next time it seems as if laboring through a project, I’m going to recognize that feeling as a valuable signal.  Simply being aware of the need to “guard my happiness” may help me control my reaction to negative influences in my life, increasing my motivation and creativity.