Creative people (in other words, all of us) are supposed to be motivated by the pure joy of creating. But what happens when we aren’t?

Poet, coach, and creative entrepreneur Mark McGuinness has a new book for us called Motivation for Creative People. He joined me to talk about some of the lessons he’s learned while working with countless creative professionals of all kinds.

Note: You may or may not think of yourself as an “artist,” but these lessons apply to all of us — after all, we each apply creative solutions to the work we do every day, or to some creative side project.

In this 20-minute episode, Mark and I talk about:

• The four corners that make up the “pinwheel” of creative motivation
• What drives creatively successful people
• Working with the tension between “art” and “usefulness”
• The question of money as a motivator for creative folks
• An exercise for finding more creative energy when you’re feeling burned out

Listen to Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer below ...

The Show Notes

• Mark’s site Lateral Action, a great resource for any kind of creative professional
• Where to find Mark’s new book, Motivation for Creative People
• A Copyblogger infographic with tons of tips on How to Break out of a Creative Rut
• My two-part interview with sculptor John T. Unger about business and marketing for artists — Part 1 and Part 2