Getting Started as a Creator Part 1: What Motivates You?

Some high-level bullshit before we dig into more practical tips

Feb 25, 2025

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What’s My Motivation?

Years ago, when visiting my family back east, I sat my parents down in the kitchen of my childhood home and told them I wanted to be a TV writer. They were supportive of my choice (emotionally as well as via the groceries they’d help cover for when I was between gigs) and I set out to pursue my dream.

Back then, I had a crystal clear picture of the future based on conversations I’d had with writers who shared their own journey with me. I would be well-paid, well-connected and I’d get to do what I loved day in and day out.

After working in production for a few years, I started as a Writers’ Assistant in 2015 and worked in WA and Script Coordinator roles until 2023, when my last contract ended. It’s worth noting that the Showrunners of my most recent show hired my writing partner and me to write what would be my first aired episode of TV back in 2022. I love and respect these Showrunners deeply and I’m not just saying that because they’re probably going to read this.

All that time, as I faced setbacks and false starts, as I witnessed opportunities drying up around entertainment, I remained steadfast. I’d grumble about “the state of the industry” but I’d always return to that mantra that many of us clung to: “Just keep writing.” It’s comforting, to have that little semblance of control in the eye of a hurricane.

Pretty early on though, I began having doubts about this path I’d chosen. The doubts weren’t about whether I wanted this. I definitely did. These doubts were about why. What - in the words of the archetypal Hollywood performer - was my motivation?

Was it the swell of pride I’d felt when a seasoned writer/producer told me and my writing partner the pilot we’d sent them was genuinely great?
Was I seeking recognition from friends, family and peers?
Did I imagine delivering a heart-rending acceptance speech for my inevitable Emmy?
Or maybe it was the lifestyle: Living in the lap of luxury and befriending celebrities and powerful people across the industry.

Eventually, I concluded that of all of these real and imagined outcomes, the one that appealed to me most was the friends and colleagues I would lift up along the way. I knew (and know) so many talented, hardworking people that have so much creativity to give the world, and if I had the influence and power I was after, maybe - just maybe - I could help them fulfill their dreams.

But this was still tied to an outcome. It didn’t have anything to do with the process of writing, of creating. The work that goes into it. Collaborating hand-in-hand with other creatives to make beautiful, bizarre things come to life.

What, then? What kept me going?

Was it the destination? Or was it the journey?

Identifying Motivation Types

You’re presumably here because you want to write, direct, produce or otherwise make entertainment. It’s a noble pursuit that has shaped culture and - by extension - civilization as we know it. There’s a certain amount of power held by people who make the stuff we watch. To broadcast values, to inform and inspire.

But for now, let’s set all that aside and assume that we’re starting from the bottom. Let’s typecast you as an early-career creative who has yet to gain a foothold in this crazy business. Your individual motivation may vary, but you probably fall into one (or more) of these archetypes1:

The Storyteller: You have stories burning inside you that need to come out
The Builder: You love the craft of making things, regardless of recognition
The Teacher: You want to share knowledge and help others learn
The Connector: You create to build community and bring people together
The Entrepreneur: You see creative work as a path to independence
The Culture Shaper: You want to influence how people think and feel
The Healer: You create to process your own experiences and help others

You can’t find these archetypes in any book because no respectable publisher would print it.

Why Are We Talking About This?

I promise I’m going to get to some practical pointers to get started creating using self-distribution models. But when discussing career paths, I try to operate from a holistic perspective.

If you start from a place of uncertainty, if you’re unable to see the forest from the trees, you’re always going to be groping your way through your career in the dark. Whereas if you have a 10,000 foot view of why you’re here and you understand what you want out of it, you improve the chances of achieving your goals by an order of magnitude.

So bear with me.

Why the Why Matters

Motivation as a Compass

Defining what motivates you will help you understand the best path to take when navigating a creative career (or hobby, if that’s the right direction). Your why gives you a compass you can always turn to when coming up with a decision-making framework.

For instance, when deciding between two possible projects to pursue, The Healer might want to base their decision on how the endeavor will help others cope with past trauma and The Entrepreneur might want to base their decision on how the project will grow their audience.

Neither is ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than the other, they’ll just lead you different places.

Motivation as an Anchor

Your why centers you. It is a point of reference to return to when waves get choppy and you feel like you’ve drifted off course. This sailing analogy has run its course, so I’ll just say this:

Distractions are part of every creative career. There’s your day job, which - if it’s anything besides being paid to be creative - should not be confused with your longterm career goals. There are industry parties and networking events and your personal life. It’s very easy to chase the obviously wrong thing for the obviously wrong reason.

This isn’t to say that you should neglect your job or your personal life. You should NOT neglect those things. But when thinking about what to focus on next, always remember the thing that brought you here.

Motivation as Wind in your Sails

Creativity is not easy. It’s a perpetual balancing act that requires focus to execute but also the freedom to let new ideas into your head. It’s stress and writers’ block and fighting your inner critic and sweating a deadline - self-imposed or otherwise.

It’s very easy to get overwhelmed and paralyze yourself with indecision and fear.

When things get hard, there’s a lot to be said for momentum. If you write on Tuesday, then it becomes easier to keep writing on Wednesday and Thursday and Friday. But reminding yourself of why you keep at it - whether the reason is something noble like bettering the world or something personal like coping with your past experiences - that’s the stuff that will keep you going.

Can you imagine a ship captain losing his bearings, questioning everything about why he’s doing this in the first place? Well, you don’t have to, because here’s a drawing of it:

This is what real art looks like. Share with someone who thinks otherwise.

How to Find Your Why

For some people, their motivation is easy to define. They may have it written down somewhere. Those people can skip this section.

For others - even smart, driven people (I’m including myself here but feel free to disagree) - it can get a little murky. Here are some actionable steps to define your motivation and help internalize why you want to create.

1: Motivation Inventory

First, list all the reasons you can think of for why you want to create. Feel free to use some of the archetypes above to get started. Try to keep your internal critic from speaking up when you do this. Just get the reasons down.

Next, rank these reasons by importance.

Be brutally honest here. It is OKAY to say you want to create because you think it will give you financial freedom. These are personal decisions that should not rely on society’s expectations of you.

Then, identify which motivations are process-focused vs. outcome-focused. This is super important for reasons I’ll outline below:

2: Sustainability Check

If all your main motivation is outcome-focused, it’s going to be really hard to sustain a career in creative. You’ll be constantly at war with yourself, having to coerce yourself to keep fighting for some imagined future goal. The opposite - a process-focused motivation - is much more sustainable.

You can’t assume that you’re going to find success immediately in a creative career. In fact, lots of people spend years - if not decades - pursuing a creative career without seeing the fruits of their labor. That’s a long time to do something you’re only sort of interested in.

If you love the process of making things, it doesn’t matter if you’re not successful right away, because you’re gaining something else from the transaction. You’re getting joy from the process, and you’re probably also getting better at the act of creating.

Ask yourself:

“Could I keep creating if no one watched or read my stuff for a year?”
“What would I make if I couldn’t share it with anyone?”
“What parts of creating bring me joy regardless of results?”

When in doubt, over-index on that stuff. Because that’s the stuff that will keep you creating, and keep you happy.

And if you don’t care about the process of creating, there are much better ways to accomplish your goals. If you want to build a sustainable business, you can go into finance. If you want to heal people, you can go into healthcare. If you want to create a sense of community, you can start a cult.

Many people have told me I would make an effective cult leader, so if you ever find yourself in a room with me at the lectern, you should probably leave quickly.

3: Allow Your Why to Change

Finally, it’s important to acknowledge that if growth is important to you - and it should be - your motivation for doing creative work will - and should - change.

People get older. Their financial situation changes. Their family situation changes. And as a result, their goals and desires change. Embrace this. There is no growth without change, and evolution is an inevitable part of life.

Once you’ve figured out why you’re here, you’ll have a much firmer footing and a much clearer path in approaching what you want to create and how you create it.

As for myself, I’m a mix of The Storyteller, The Connector and The Entrepreneur. I love connecting and collaborating with people and I want to build a sustainable career from my work, but I also see entertainment - and creativity in general - as an outlet: A spigot for the disparate and disordered thoughts that would otherwise inundate my conscious mind.

Getting the idea out of my head and onto paper is therapeutic.

This is me. What’s your motivation makeup?

I’d love to hear from you: Leave a comment with the type of creative you are below.