What’s Your Why? (And Why Does It Matter?)
5 reasons to define the secret ingredient that makes your practice uniquely yours.
Welcome (or welcome back!) to Multifaceted, a weekly newsletter about finding delight and direction in a creative life made up of many different interests.
Why do you paint with this shade of blue instead of that one?
Why do you write YA fiction rather than adult fantasy?
Why did you pick your chosen creative activity out of the hundreds of options out there?
Why do you create in the first place?
Why, why, why? Agh!
For multifaceted creatives like us, these can feel like huge questions. You might not be able to come up with solid answers off the top of your head, but you know in your gut when a creative choice is the right one.
When you can explain the answers to questions like these – especially the last one about why you create in the first place – that’s your why.
Defining the question
Your why is a statement of purpose that sums up the motivating factors behind the decisions you make throughout your life.
It’s a powerful force of energy that drives what you do and how you do it.
It’s the reason you can inject your distinctive voice, style, and process into all the creative projects you do in a way that no one else can ever replicate.
You can see your why at work across all stages of the creative process – from your initial input to the final output. It shines through in your choice of materials, processes, techniques, themes, colors, and more.
Your why is what makes your creative practice yours and nobody else’s.
Can you have a why without a what?
If you’re a creative who dabbles across disciplines, you might be wondering if it’s even possible to sum up everything you do under one umbrella.
The wonderful thing about why is that it’s not meant to limit you. Instead, it can provide more creative freedom than ever.
Some creatives have one overarching why that covers work, life, and creative endeavors. Others have different whys that relate to paid work vs. passion projects. For me, one part of my why relates to intellectual pursuits and another relates to tactile projects.
No matter what your why looks like, it can steer you in the right direction anytime you set off on a new creative path.
5 reasons your why matters for your creative practice
If you take your creative side seriously, your why can have a transformative effect on the work you do. Here’s why it’s kind of a big deal:
1. It’s your creative signature
I like to think your creative style is the ultimate expression of your why. When you’re in touch with the powerful, personal motivating force behind your work, you’re able to inject your creative voice into whatever project you pick up.
Whether you dive down the rabbit hole of editorial photography, game design, or urban sketching, your why will leave your stamp on anything you do.
During college, I attended a slew of art and design courses with a small cohort of classmates. It was fascinating to see each person’s distinct creative hand come through across completely different projects.
From the way someone sketched a still life, drafted a sewing pattern, or constructed a garment to how they made a sculpture and wrote an essay – you could always tell whose work was whose. Even if it was something we were all trying for the first time. Even if we weren’t even trying to be unique.
That’s the power of why at work.
2. It’s your first defense against decision fatigue
This might be the most valuable one for creative people who have a hard time choosing one pursuit over another: With a why informing your next move, you’ve got yourself a built-in decision-making filter.
Your why helps you quickly determine which creative processes and conditions you likely will or won’t enjoy. It will bring you one step closer to deciding which new project to pour your energy into and which others to set aside.
For example, part of my why is that I like the process of assembling things together (as I do with collage, writing, and baking). And I don’t enjoy creating things from thin air (as with knitting and graphic illustration). Maybe you can guess which type of pottery class I enjoyed more:
Hand-building – cutting out slabs of clay and sticking pieces together
Wheel-throwing – squeezing and spinning a lump of clay until it magically turns into a beautiful piece of pottery
3. It forges cross-disciplinary connections
If you’re always drawn to different disciplines (like I am!), you might feel all over the place. But your why can serve as a common thread across everything you do. It’ll help you explore themes and develop ideas across various formats.
As your best ideas cross-pollinate, you’ll end up creating work that’s even more authentic and exciting than it could be without those connections in place.
4. It unlocks deeper enjoyment and engagement
It doesn’t matter if you’re building up a long-term side hustle or trying something for the first time. Understanding your why always allows you to engage more deeply with your work.
It helps you see how even the most mundane tasks support your overarching purpose. And, when the going gets tough – as it often does when you’re doing something worth doing – your why gives you the motivation you need to push through.
5. It grows along with you
Your why isn’t static. Watch closely and you’ll see that it evolves as you do.
With each project and each life chapter, you’re learning something new about your motivations and reasons for being the creative human you are today. All of these discoveries simmer down into your why, which then bubbles up into whatever you do. It’s a constant cycle.
Embracing the dynamic nature of your way fosters personal and professional growth and keeps you moving forward, even on the most roundabout creative path.
Your why isn’t just a shallow question. It’s the motivating force behind your creative life. It shapes how you approach your art, how you tackle challenges, and how you grow as a creator.
Whether you’re sketching, singing, or synchronized swimming – or all three! – your why will be a steadfast companion on this wildly creative journey.
Get to know it well, and let it lead you to your best creative self.
Not sure where to start? Next week, I’ll share a questionnaire that can help you get to know your why a little better.
Until then,
Ooooh! I love this so much Jess. I think that you enjoyed constructing a piece from slabs of clay?? I would LOVE to have a go at a potters wheel!! Brilliant points all so well written. I’ve been just letting my why percolate .. I feel like I have the inklings of it… like the tingling of my fingers and on the tip of my tongue, but it’s elusive and enticing and I’m not sure quite of its substance… can’t wait to read your next article 💛
My two favorite points that you made: first, it helps with decision fatigue. I couldn't agree more. Having a very clear purpose in mind helps so much with that. Also, I love that you point out that our why is subject to change. I've noticed that so much in my 9-5 and in my creative work. :) Being open to that change is so important.