"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working," - Pablo Picasso

I've written a bit about [url=https://www.bungie.net/7_The-Problem-With-Motivation/en-us/Groups/Post?id=1879124&groupId=861]motivation[/url] before, and it's a topic that's garnered a lot of [url=https://www.bungie.net/7_Student-Motivation/en-us/Groups/Post?id=2827626&groupId=861]discussion[/url] in the past. Motivation comes up a lot around here, and I think it's probably got something to do with the fact that many of us have sporadic moments of something quite similar to motivation: inspiration. Inspiration and motivation aren't synonymous, yet I've heard them used interchangeably by lots of people on multiple occasions. In many cases, the two overlap, but that doesn't mean the two are inextricably linked. Motivation is relatively easy to define. Motivation is the desire to put effort into a task, be it the physical effort needed to take out the garbage or the mental effort needed to finish a big homework assignment. Whatever the result, motivation is always a desire to take some sort of action. In that manner, motivation is as much the "thing" motivating you as it is the "feeling" of urgency and capability you feel when tackling whatever task it is that you've been motivated to complete. Inspiration is very similar. Inspiration often drives creativity. It frequently leads to action. But does that make it motivation? Not really. Inspiration is really an "Aha!" moment — the point when an individual has suddenly come to understand how or why something simply [i]must[/i] be true. Be it a moment of artistic or scientific discovery, inspiration is marked by a jarring realization. For Archimedes, his inspiration behind investigating the properties of fluid mechanics and properties of physical volume was the simple act of walking into a tub of water, only to see the water displace as he submerged himself. For an artist, inspiration is the idea which is so clear — so vivid in their mind — that they finally understand exactly how best to convey their thoughts to others. Inspiration is the solution to a complex puzzle. Once you know how everything fits together, the urge to act is hard to control. Inspiration is the motivation to complete something, because you're sure of its value. This is why I used that quote from Pablo Picasso as the subject for this thread. Inspiration is a solution. Inspiration is the understanding of something that was once complex. Motivation is simply an urge to act. It's rare that people discover solutions to problems when they're not confronted by any problems to begin with. It's only when you encounter a problem that a solution can be found. Inspiration is often the only motivation needed to act — to solve that problem. When inspiration doesn't exist, but a problem does, it's often very difficult to motivate oneself. If you're motivated, however, inspiration isn't needed. Inspiration will arguably get you better results, but there's no harm being an artisan instead of an artist.