Mindset for Artivists: Part 3. Uncovering Your “Why”
Uncovering and knowing your “why” is essential for sustaining long-term creativity, purpose, and motivation. It’s the fuel for everything you do, it’s resilience building, and it will help you persevere through tough times. Knowing your “why” can also help you uncover the message you want your art to communicate and the kind of artivism you want to create.
In other words, knowing your “why” will help you get in touch with your internal motivation for your creative work, what you want that work to look like and communicate, and help you continue to create even when the journey isn’t only rainbows and unicorns.
If you know your “why”, and if it’s strong enough of a motivation for you, it doesn’t matter how you’re going to accomplish something. You’ll figure it out somehow because your “why” matters so much to you.
Knowing your “why” will also help you keep going when fears and limiting beliefs are trying to steer you in the wrong direction or hold you back.
Additionally, when you notice that something is holding you back, it may be an indication that reminding yourself of your “why” is needed.
But, how can we explore, uncover, and identify our “why”?
Uncovering Your “Why”
Finding your “why” is often a process of introspection, exploration, and experimentation. Here are some tips to help you discover your deeper motivations and purposes:
Reflect on What Moves You
Think about the moments or experiences in your life that have deeply impacted you:
What art, stories, or projects have had a lasting emotional effect on you?
What themes do you find yourself consistently drawn to in your creative work?
What causes and social issues and injustices are you drawn to?
Journaling or contemplating these questions can often reveal patterns that point to your “why”.
Identify Your Core Values
Ask yourself what matters most to you.
What do you want to stand for through your work? (i.e., freedom, connection, justice, awareness, healing, empowerment, etc.).
What causes and social issues and injustices do you want to bring awareness to? And what is the message you want your art to communicate in relation to those causes and social issues and injustices? Do they align with who you are and the message you want to communicate?
Articulating these values can serve as a guiding force in your creative practice, ensuring that your work reflects what is most important to you and what you want to bring awareness to.
Define Your Artistic Impact
Consider the impact you want your work to have on others and the society/culture/world at large.
Do you want to inspire, challenge perceptions, educate, evoke emotions, bring awareness to an issue, or something else?
Who do you want to reach?
What other goals do you have for your work and the impact you want to make in the world?
Think about the broader purpose of your work beyond just personal fulfillment. This can help you gain a sense of your “why” in relation to your family, your audience, community, and the world.
Experiment and Reflect
Sometimes, your “why” isn’t something that can be logically figured out, but something that you feel. And, sometimes, the act of creating in itself can help clarify your “why”. As you experiment with different materials, media, and concepts, take time to reflect on how each experience resonates with you.
What does it feel like when you’re creating something that’s truly aligned with your deeper purpose?
Does a particular type of project bring you joy?
What subjects and themes do you enjoy and/or feel the most urgency working with?
Does one style, medium, or subject matter feel more authentic to you?
Your creative process can help you discover what feels most aligned with your “why”.
The “5 Whys” Technique
This is a simple but powerful method you can use to go deeper and uncover your “why”.
Start by asking, “Why do I create art?” Answer honestly, then ask, “Why is that important to me?”
Repeat this process at least five times, drilling down deeper with each answer. This often leads to a core motivation that’s clearer and more meaningful.
The deeper you go, the closer you’ll get to something that resonates with you.
Here are some additional prompts that may help you go deeper:
Why is [this particular cause or social issue and injustice] important to me?
What kind of impact can my creativity, projects, and/or career have on my life and the lives of the people I care about?
Why is it important to feel ___?
Why is it important to get/have ___?
One Major “Why”
Go back to look at your notes and the “whys” you’ve uncovered and explored. Highlight any points that stand out to you relating to your “why”.
Then I want you to select one major “why”. It can either be one you’ve already fully formed in the previous steps or a combination of different thoughts you’ve written down.
Write down your “why” on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere you can see it every day. This will allow you to tap into your “why” regularly, which may fuel your motivation and help you create something deeply meaningful (whatever that means to you).
Final Words
Uncovering and knowing your “why” can be deeply transformative, clarifying, and motivational. Exploring this might even be a game-changer for you.
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