Unlocking Creative Motivation: Understanding the Interest-Based Nervous System

Learn how your brain’s wiring can be the key to unlocking motivation and transform the way that you create!

On our creative journey one challenge we will meet repeatedly is how to stay motivated. Why do we find starting projects so much easier then finishing them? And why are some tasks easy but others feel impossible, never making it beyond our to-do list?

Well one thing we can do is to try and understand how our brain responds to these scenarios so we can work with our traits and innate motivations, rather than against them.

So in this post we’ll be exploring the idea of an ‘interest-based nervous system’, and learning how this unique perspective might impact your creative life.

So what is an interest-based nervous system?

If you’re like me something about that phrase will make your ears prick up like a curious fox with, you guessed it, interest! I really really like things that I find interesting. Learning new things is one of my core drivers. Does that mean I have an interest-based nervous system?!

Well maybe yes! And also possibly…no? Permit me to try to explain.

What is an interest-based nervous system?

The term interest-based nervous system was coined by Dr. William Dodson, a psychiatrist who was one of the first to specialise in working with adults with ADHD over 25 years ago (and ADHDer himself).

He recognised that while ADHD was commonly perceived as making it difficult for people to get things done, the real ‘challenge often lies not in performing the tasks but getting motivated and engaged.’ Dr Dodson found most of his ADHDer clients found once they were engaged in a task they could become extremely productive and he sums this us as ‘If I can get engaged, I can do anything’. Source​

ADHD superpowers include hyperfocus, deep thinking and creative problem solving all of which can lead to wonderful work being made. But for these to be activated so the maker can get making, the maker needs to be interested.

What does ‘being interested’ look like? Well for people with ADHD the core drivers are interest, fascination, curiosity, play and wonder (hello most of my favourite words!). Plus urgency…which we’ll talk more about later!

The 5 Drivers of an Interest-Based Nervous System (PINCH)

In a great blog post on interest-based nervous systems neurodivergent psychologist Dr Neff shares the acronym PINCH which is now used to describe core drivers of the ADHD brain as:

• Passion (And I like to add Play): Engaging in activities that are enjoyable and intrinsically motivating.

• Interest: Focusing on tasks that are inherently fascinating and captivating.

• Novelty: Seeking out new, shiny, and exciting experiences to maintain engagement.

• Competition (Cooperation or Challenge): Adding an element of competition, working cooperatively, or turning tasks into challenges to make them more engaging.

• Hurry (Urgency): Completing tasks under time pressure to create a sense of urgency.

​From 'Interest-Based Nervous System: Understanding ADHD and Motivation​

While it might seem like we are all inspired by these, the big difference between a neurotypical brain and an ADHD one is that neurotypical people tend to not have to be really interested in a task to start it at all. (A quick aside - being a Questioner I’m a little dubious about this distinction and the idea that there are ‘neurotypicals’ and ‘neurodivergents’ and nothing in between. But I’m going to use it here as it is used in the research).

Instead neurotypical people have what is known as an importance-based nervous system which is more influenced by the extrinsic motivation we looked at last week.

Interest-Based vs. Importance-Based Nervous Systems

An importance-based nervous system is driven by the need to respond to the stimuli that are most important to either our own goals or other people. A big driver in the importance-based nervous system is whether doing something brings consequences or rewards. It’s a brain that has the ability to assess what is most important, filter out what isn’t and focus on the task at hand. It also recognises that something doesn’t have to result in immediate outcomes to be important, thereby allowing the person to make progress on things that matter to them without requiring urgency (see all longer term and self-actualization goals).

I made this inspired by a few images to illustrate the point!

People with interest-based nervous systems might know that something is important…in a kind of abstract conceptual manner. But it’s only when that thing becomes really blooming urgent that their brains are able to prioritise them and focus on getting them done. Which might explain why so many of us leave that ever so important creative project until the last minute and are always really motivated to make a birthday card when we are going to see the birthday person that afternoon. Urgency triggers hyperfocus which can make us feel like we’ve unlocked our superpower skills….but ultimately as a means of making your creative work that is unsustainable and often leads to burnout.

When Creative Motivation Wains: Interest vs. Burnout

But what about when you really are interested in your creative pursuits but you still can’t find the drive to make anything? Once we have crossed out burnout, your physical health or mental well-being as factors then looking at novelty can be useful.

For example - were you really interested and excited at the beginning but then procrastination and perfectionism came to the party? If this is the case you might have spent a lot of time thinking about the idea without actually making, therefore the idea is no longer novel enough to produce the dopamine you need to be motivated enough to get started again and stay engaged.

Ways to navigate this could be to reintroduce novelty by adding a new element to a project, or incorporating elements you find exciting or fun. Experimenting, being playful and resparking our interest by looking at what initially inspired us can all help reignite motivation.

Why Understanding The Interest-based Nervous System Matters

So do you have an interest-based nervous system? As a creativity coach I would never diagnose someone as an ADHDer, nor is it my place to gatekeep who does and doesn’t have the right to identify as neurodivergent.

However I think it’s important to share this information as I know it when I discovered it it felt like all sorts of things clicked into place and a new understanding of myself left me feeling empowered.

It also helps to realise that education and work cultures tend to use the importance-based nervous system to motivate people, and learning about the interest-based nervous system can help relieve a lot of shame and insecurity for neurodivergent people who have struggled.

But I do think that for all creatives looking at our projects through the lens of passion, play, interest, novelty, challenge and cooperation can be a really helpful way channeling our focus and keeping us engaged in the things that matter to us!

Embracing Your Creative Motivation Style

Whether or not you have an interest-based nervous system, there’s value in viewing your projects through the lens of passion, play, interest, novelty, challenge, and cooperation. These elements can be powerful tools for anyone looking to deepen their connection to creative work.

Understanding how you are best motivated and learning to work with your brain rather than against it are key to encouraging our creativity and enabling us to make what really matters to us.

So keep learning about how that wonderful rain of yours works, and embracing what it brings to your creative life!