Unearthing your unseen motivations
Welcome to the ArtsBound Newsletter. Every Tuesday, I share three thoughts or insights meant to help performing arts students and young professionals flourish in their life and career. Today we’re looking at the unseen motivations that impact our decision-making:
- 6-minute read -
(NOTE: I started ArtsBound because I believe the world would be a better place with more people living their true calling. If you know a student or young professional who is searching for their niche in the performing arts world, consider forwarding this email to them. If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up to receive my newsletter every Tuesday. It's free.)
1. The Enneagram as a source of motivational wisdom.
The Enneagram is a personality typing system that has received a great deal of attention in recent years. The origins of the system are not altogether known, but it is believed to have its roots in several ancient mystical and spiritual traditions. Today, you see it take on a wide variety of forms, from a personal development tool for executive coaches to a process of spiritual formation in the Christian Church.
There’s no way for me to do justice to the entire system in this short newsletter. If you are unfamiliar with the Enneagram, I recommend the Enneagram Institute website, the Enneagram Journey podcast, or this episode of the Liturgists Podcast.
Most importantly, if you are interested in determining your type, don’t try to do so with just what I write here. The system is very complex and dynamic. I’ve been studying it independently for over three years, and I still learn something every time I read something about it or listen to a new podcast.
The Enneagram helps us understand the motivations for each type that lie under our behaviors, and it does a lot more. I’m giving it a very topical treatment here, and just because you can say, “Oh, I do that all the time!” doesn’t mean that a given number is your primary type.
I’d like to use the Enneagram to examine the decisions we make as we graduate high school. Here’s a little look at each number:
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ONES are motivated by improvement. They may look for colleges or programs that will present them with the most rigorous challenges and opportunities to improve themselves. Alternatively, they may be drawn to pursue socio-political reform efforts.
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TWOS are motivated by being needed. They may look for a college that has lots of volunteer opportunities, so they can feel they are helping and/or serving other people.
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THREES are motivated by achievement. They are competitive and will look for opportunities to elevate their status in the eyes of themselves and others.
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FOURS are motivated by a need to be unique. They want meaning in their life, and they might pursue obscure colleges, opportunities, or endeavors to feel a sense of differentiation between themselves and others.
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FIVES are motivated by knowledge. They will look for a college with a highly intellectual environment and are less likely to prioritize the social life on campus.
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SIXES are motivated by security and certainty. They will look for the tried and true paths, asking for advice from trusted authorities and pursuing a career that is likely to create a sense of security and stability.
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SEVENS are motivated by variety and adventure. They may choose a college with the richest offers for campus life - the food, activities, facilities, etc. They may also want to travel before going to school or choose a college far away from home.
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EIGHTS are motivated by intensity. They may be drawn to bold endeavors or courses of study - challenging opportunities that give them the chance to prove their strength and determination.
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NINES are motivated by placidity. When it comes to looking at opportunities after high school, they are most likely to merge their desires with those of others - parents, teachers, friends, etc. They are drawn to spiritual matters and peacemaking.
All of these characteristics have a positive and a negative side. By being aware of our underlying motivations, we can capitalize on the positive while watching to be sure they don’t become fixations that drive us away from our calling.
Again, if this piques your interest in the Enneagram, don’t stop here. There’s so much to know, and it can really be eye-opening in understanding yourself and others in your life.
2. The reasons music teachers give for entering their profession.
Teaching in public school is the most common occupation for professional artists. Simultaneously, the rate of teacher attrition - driven by wide-spread teacher dissatisfaction - is growing dramatically in the US. My interest in these trends are a key part of my passion for guiding young performers as a performing arts career coach.
I just posted a blog article titled “Why Musicians Become School Music Teachers… And Why They Quit”. In the article, I look at reasons that seasoned music teachers give for entering into the profession after reflecting on their early years. And I compare them with the more idealistic reasons espoused in many-a cover letter and college essay written by aspiring young teachers.
The article ever-so-briefly touches upon the woes of the education system that are at the root of the teacher attrition phenomenon. But my primary purpose is to encourage young musicians considering music education as a career to examine their motivations, being honest about all the reasons they are exploring that path and clear-headed about the challenges they will face as they move forward.
3. The unseen motivation for creative expression.
My journey into music education started with my love of playing the piano. Having shifted into the role of a nonprofit arts executive, it’s been a little over two years since my job required me to play piano on a regular basis. And it’s been over three years since I had regular access to a real grand piano.
I miss it.
I realized recently just how much I miss it while working with my own coach on articulating my personal core values. Since then, I’ve been making a point to sit down at my keyboard or pick up another one of my instruments more often, and I’m grateful for being at home and having more opportunities to do that.
I’ve decided (or perhaps remembered is a better word) that being musical is a fundamental part of who I am - one of the most natural ways my essence as a human and spiritual being is brought into the world. It is easy however, to lose sight of that in the demands of daily life.
Creative expression, in its purest form, is essential for the flourishing of any human being, and it takes as many unique forms as there are individuals in the world.
This short musing is just encouragement to remember your unseen motivation to be creative - to live in the essence of who you are through the activities that make you feel most like yourself.
See you next week!
Lee
PS - I started ArtsBound because I believe the world would be a better place with more people living their true calling. If you know a student or young professional who is searching for their niche in the performing arts world, consider forwarding this email to them. If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up to receive my newsletter every Tuesday. It's free.