How does it feel to have passion for work? What does it take to have passion for work? What does it take to create?
“And what would you like to strengthen?”
This was one of the questions in the “Walk in my shoes” interview with Ilkka Niemelä, Aalto University’s President. Here’s what Ilkka answered:
“I like the fact that people are passionate about what they do. They want to go further and do even better. We have to create space for that, and often that means taking risks.
The next level is to do things passionately together, with the right partners. Through encounters and curiosity, we can discover what our colleagues are doing and build collaborations with respectful interactions.”
These are the questions we are exploring in this subchapter. Being passionate about work typically means having a deep and constant enthusiasm and dedication towards one’s job or career. Here, we’ll go beyond this traditional understanding of passion for work, and we’ll discuss what lies behind the enthusiasm to create.
M. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher was a Dutch artist who was known for a graphic art that explored geometric forms, like symmetry and perspective. He liked to play with the idea of certainty, break expectations and turn certainties into uncertainties.
Creativity and intrinsic motivation
What does it feel like to be passionate about what you do?
Flaherty (2018) finds the motivation to create to be more important than intelligence and talent for creative performance. Other researchers agree that drive is a crucial characteristic of creative people. (Ruscio & Amabile, 1996; Hennessey, 2010; Hennessey, 2015; Hennessey, 2019). In particular, intrinsic motivation—the drive to do something because it is inherently interesting, enjoyable or challenging—seems to be associated with radical creativity. (Gilson & Madjar, 2011) As the name suggests, intrinsic motivation, also known as inner motivation, refers to a type of motivation that comes from within the individual. It is not something that can be directly taught or imposed at school or in the workplace.
“Each one of us is the centre of our own world.”
This is the message the artist, M. C. Escher, wished to communicate with his illustration, “Hand with Reflecting Sphere”. Escher is a great example of an artist who was dedicated to his work.
How did he feel about his work? Well, Escher wrote in a letter to his son, Arthur, on November 12, 1955:
“I believe that to produce prints the way I do is almost strictly a matter of wanting so terribly much to do it well.”
“Talent and all that are really for the most part most baloney. Any schoolboy with a little aptitude can perhaps draw better than I; but what he lacks in most cases is that tenacious desire to make it a reality, that obstinate gnashing of teeth and saying, ‘Although I know it can’t be done, I want to do it anyway’”.
(Escher on Escher, Exploring the Infinite, pp. 8).
For the first 30 years of artistic career, Escher’s works brought a modest income. It was in his last 20 years of career that he received fame. As we can see, Escher’s work was triggered by an inner drive to create which was less about feeling good or talented, and more about the curiosity and determination to find a satisfying solution to a problem that occupies the creator’s mind. Escher was proud that through his illustrations, he created a bridge between mathematics and art. In 1965, he said:
“I cannot help mocking all our unwavering certainties,”
“Are you sure that a floor cannot also be a ceiling? Are you absolutely certain that you go up when you walk up a staircase?”
So, to create is to find and follow your drive to create. To create is about falling in love with an idea and going for it. To create is about assuming the risk of performing tasks that might or might not result in something that others will find groundbreaking.
Differently said, to be a creator is to follow the flow of your inner drives. To find the problems you enjoy figuring out. To perform creative activities out of pure curiosity and despite the risks.
Self-determination and finding your passion
Sometimes, you don’t know the tasks you have a passion for until you find them. So, how can you seek for your dormant passions?
Escher pondered on the origins of his fascination with the regular division of planes, speculating that it might have begun during his student years, when he visited the Moorish majolica mosaics at Alhambra, in Spain. Like Escher, you too may discover activities you have a passion for, thanks to luck or serendipity. Some other times, you may have to look for such activities by choosing continuous learning.
Let’s now move on to discuss how you can become more deliberate about finding the drive to create. Intrinsic motivation is a core element of your inner subjective experience. An activity that sparks a friend’s passion, may not have the same effect on you. You might want to copy what your friend is doing, but it’s less likely you’ll be equally excited.
Instead, to find your inner motivation, it might help to look for the social, learning and work environments that accommodate the following sources of motivation: the need for autonomy, the need for competence and the need for relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017). To varied degrees and modes of cultural expression, these needs are innate in each one of us. In addition, they drive us towards self-determined behaviours, goals, and projects. What might be your strongest need, now?
The need for autonomy: for you, it’s important to have a sense of self-determination, choice and ownership over your decisions and behaviours.
The need for competence: for you, it’s important to have a sense of mastery over current skills and confidence about developing new skills. It’s about feeling able to achieve the goals you choose to achieve.
The need for relatedness: for you, whatever activities you engage in, it’s important to feel a sense of connection with others who are somewhat involved in what you do – colleagues, team members, supervisors, clients, etc.
Let’s take the example of an individual who works as a graphic designer in a Finnish company. How might they express their psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness within their role?
This individual could express their need for autonomy by seeking projects that allow for creative freedom. For instance, they might prefer to work on assignments where they have the liberty to choose the design elements and the overall aesthetic, reflecting their personal style and decision-making.
To fulfil their need for competence, the designer might take on challenging projects that require advanced skills or learning new design software. Completing these projects would enhance their sense of mastery and effectiveness in their professional domain.
The need for relatedness could be met by building strong relationships with colleagues and clients. Participating in team projects, collaborating with other departments, or being part of a community of designers where they share ideas and meaningful feedback, would help them feel connected and valued within their social and professional circles.
So, to sum up, your subjective experience of intrinsic motivation will likely get activated once you choose to respect your self-determination needs in a specific learning or workplace environment. You’ll then find it easier to concentrate, persevere, and possibly, achieve creative outcomes.
Four psychological needs for creativity and risk-taking
Let’s now look at the four psychological needs that call for you to take risks and create. Which one do you identify with and care about the most?
When you exercise activities for which you have passion, there may come a moment when you discover the need to take new creative actions in the name of independence, fairness, collective growth and leaving a legacy (Velcu-Laitinen, 2022). See Figure 2.2.4 below.
The desire for autonomy and competence can combine to drive you to engage in creative projects where you prefer to work alone and develop a set of competencies that make you a niche expert in a domain that has meaning to you. The need for relatedness can result in three different types of initiatives you might get excited to introduce in your community, which will benefit from a boost in fairness, collective growth and building a legacy.
Independence
The Cloud Reachers Podcast is an example of this kind of creative action, taken by Tomi Kauppinen, the Head of Aalto Online Learning and a docent of media technology at Aalto University. Tomi invites experts from different fields, within and outside our university, to discuss relevant topics for future learning: philosophy and artificial intelligence, digital art and virtual worlds, poetry and storytelling, design thinking and online learning. After five years as a podcast host, Tomi is nowadays invited to give talks and workshops on how to start a podcast in university settings.
Assuming you don’t have already a podcast, what if you become a podcast host? What would be the topic you would choose?
Fairness
In Aalto University, fair treatment is based on acknowledging the value of every individual:
“If we have the right organizational culture and we see each other as worthwhile and interesting, then small actions can set great things in motion.”
This is said by Ilkka Niemelä in the “Walk in my shoes” interview, mentioned at the beginning of this subchapter.
The Aalto International Talent Program is an initiative that was organized again in January-March 2024 and aimed to increase international students’ chances of landing a job in Finland. Students meet their mentor companies’ recruiters, leaders and other specialists to discuss topics related to work-life and their specialization.
In any workplace, initiatives of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are examples of creative actions that result from a strong sense of what is right and wrong. In addition, there can be other initiatives originating from this need for equal and just treatment between:
- Two or more individuals.
- People and animals.
- Nature and people.
The brain’s reward centres, basal ganglia and the ventral prefrontal cortex are activated not only by material rewards but also by social rewards like fair treatment. For instance, Massi and Luhmann (2015) find that the brain processes fairness as a hedonic experience, similar to physical or monetary rewards.
After all, fairness is a human need that refers to the innate desire for equal and just treatment in social, economic, and interpersonal interactions for yourself and the people you care for. This need is deeply rooted in our sense of morality and ethics. We should all have equal opportunities and should not be discriminated against based on race, gender, age, or socio-economic status.
In a psychological and sociological context, the need for fairness is tied to our sense of self-worth and dignity. When people perceive fairness in their interactions and social structures, it fosters a sense of security, belonging, and trust in the community and its institutions.
Perceptions of fairness are individual. Some people may see injustice in situations that are considered fair by others. The human-dog work is one of the aspects of fairness addressed by Astrid Huopalainen, Assistant Professor at the Department of Management Studies at Aalto University. Astrid is the Principal Investigator of the multidisciplinary project “PAWWS – People and Animal Wellbeing at Work and in Society”. PAWWS aims to develop insights into interconnected human-dog wellbeing at work, develop better ethical dog work conditions, and introduce a multi-species approach to wellbeing into policy and practice.
What is a situation that you currently think lacks just treatment? On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (I’ll start now), how motivated are you to kickstart an initiative as a solution aimed at creating a balance?
Collective growth
At the heart of our existence, each one of us faces the challenge of understanding another person and what it takes to truly feel understood by another. Most often, as we all know from direct experiences, it takes considerable effort to understand what it is to be in someone else’s shoes, to think and behave as if you are the other.
Sometimes, the best that you can do is to signal that you are willing to do something to help others who go through some sort of challenge or trying to achieve something great. The gap between the difficulty of understanding others and the desire to help others can be filled by initiatives of collective growth.
Heidi Henrickson is one of Aalto Networking Platform’s Managers, responsible for two key research areas: Materials & Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, and Arts & Design Knowledge-Building. This is how she talks of her role, in the interview, “Walk in my shoes”.
“At Aalto I’m trying to invent research services and support, to put myself in the shoes of the researchers figuring out what would be the optimal working environment for them. What the researchers really want to do is just to put their heads down and work on a research problem instead of fundraising, grant applications and other administrative tasks. How can I help?”
What is a specific challenge you overcame? You made it triumphantly, as a stronger, kinder, and wiser human being. What is the knowledge and self-knowledge you would be willing to transfer to help others who are experiencing a similar challenge?
Leaving a legacy
The last type of creative initiative can come from the intention of leaving a legacy of belief systems for the next generation. Different cultures place varying degrees of importance on the idea of legacy, which can shape how individuals within those cultures perceive and pursue legacy-building activities. Moreover, personal experiences, values, and the desire for significance and remembrance can greatly influence one’s drive to leave a legacy.
“Your last will can be a first step to something new. A legacy gift for the university is a step towards a better future,” says Illka Niemelä, President of Aalto University.
However, the legacy that you leave doesn’t have to consist of money and doesn’t have to take place towards the end of your life. The legacy can start today, with a creative idea to write a book, paint a painting, make a sculpture, or, simply, invest in some key relationships with other human beings with whom you share the best of your values and the best of you.
Throughout this subchapter, we covered three questions:
- What does it feel to be passionate about what you do?
- What does it take to have passion for work?
- What does it take to create?
The takeaways are as follows:
- You are more likely to take radically creative action when you feel inner motivation for the respective activities.
- Inner motivation is about engaging in a specific task mainly for the emotional rewards of a sense of challenge, curiosity and satisfaction resulting from the activity itself.
- If you haven’t found yet your inner motivation to create, it doesn’t mean you don’t have it. You may need to put in some effort and look for it, starting from the dissatisfaction you experience related to the social interactions that matter to you.
To engage in radically creative action, you may yet discover one of the four needs to create: independence, fairness, collective growth and leaving a legacy.
Keywords
Creator, drive, intrinsic motivation, inner motivation, need for autonomy, need for competence, need for relatedness, independence, fairness, collective growth, leaving a legacy.
References
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The” what” and” why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.
Hennessey, B. A. (2019). 18 Motivation and Creativity. The Cambridge handbook of creativity, 374.
Flaherty, A. W. (2018). Homeostasis and the control of creative drive. The Cambridge handbook of the neuroscience of creativity, 19-49.
Ruscio, J., & Amabile, T. M. (1996). How does creativity happen. Chapter in N. Colangelo & S. G. Assouline (Eds.), Talent development, Vol. III.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Publications.
Velcu-Laitinen, O. (2022). How to Develop Your Creative Identity at Work. Apress.