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Money can't buy you love

I subscribe to artist Robert Genn's newsletter, and today he included an interesting quote that hits home with me, as I work in a non-profit arts center and also am an artist, not starving by any means, but not making a living from my art work.

Back in the day, artists who thought of making a living from their work were considered not as serious as poverty stricken poets in their paint spattered lofts.

But here's food for thought:

"Money can extinguish intrinsic motivation, diminish performance, crush creativity, encourage unethical behavior, foster short-term thinking, and become addictive." (Daniel H. Pink)

Dan Pink's excellent new book, Drive, has some valuable observations about motivation and creativity. It seems money is the lesser of motivators in comparison to feelings of autonomy, a sense of mastery, and the performance of meaningful work. In one psychologist's study, for example, people offered a financial incentive for a job well done actually did poorly compared to those where no money was involved. The lure of reward narrowed focus and clouded thinking. More money--less creativity.