Content Developers: How do you keep motivated?

Here I am, wandering around, looking at things, thinking of things I could be doing that possibly productive within SL, I've done and seen a lot of things. Not to mention, being a slacker for the past year and a half or so, only building or putting something together when I have to or want to, after all that's occured, changes in policy, changes of events, etc etc etc, the list goes on, I'm finding it difficult to stay motivated to continue developing.

What exactly keeps you motivated to be a content developer?

I like new coding challenges and trying to find needs within the community to fill. Oh, and stuff that makes people laugh. A lot of what inspires me to do stuff is simply to see if I can; kinda like why people climb Everest. It doesn't always have to have any deep purpose, just a cool coding challenge.

Regards,

-Flip

Competition, SL feature updates, and a desire to put into the world what doesn't exist, or the desire to do better at something than what currently exists.

There's also the development of little tools which makes development itself easier, that's always fun. :>

Live, in-world collaboration on big projects...

Positive feedback brings self esteem, and the sales generation can do anything from offset SL's costs to being able to make a living.

Anything else?

Making stuff is fun. That's all really.

That about sums it up for me. If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't try and push myself to do it anyway. Those times when I get burn-out and just don't feel like doing anything productive, I don't, and I find that it passes as soon as I see something that inspires me.

I like to build cool stuff, and I like to use that stuff and enjoy it. I spend more time than I care to admit standing around just staring at things I've built, thinking to myself, "Gee, that's so cool!" Yeah, I know, I'm simple.

Sometimes I build something because someone else asked me to build it, and some of those people are the clients who pay my RL bills. It would seem from time to time that my responsibility to my client has helped keep me up til 4 a.m. trying to work out difficult problems, but really it's just because I can't walk away and leave things flawed, because . . . well, it just doesn't fit my world view. I just CAN'T leave it.

Anyhow, I doubt anyone has enjoyed my toys as much as I have myself. If I didn't really love this stuff, I would still be focused on my writing career . . . which has a similar dynamic.

I like to build and make clothes, and not a lot of people in SL share similar visions for clothes i'd like to wear, so everything I make is stuff that I would want in SL that no one has made (or not to the specifications that I wanted anyways).

I try and maintain a delicate balance of my productivity in world and how big an asshole I am here.

Thats just so folks who say 'well what the hell do you do except hang out in porn clubs' can feel like real dickheads when they look around in world.

Thats what keeps me motivated

I get IM's from Kim Anubis that go something like:- "If you don't make X then I shall smash your face in."

So I make it.

and a lovely one it is too. -----> X

I'll send it over later, Kim.

See, that's the thing about Starax . . . he's so pretentious.

(50 L$ to the first poster to claim they build because of their cruel muse.)

EDIT: Oh, nm, Starax already won!

I create for the "wow"s

Because while I could build a rocketbike in the real world, it wouldn't fly very far.

I don't just crank out content regularly. I now have a 'to do' list of items to make but I don't feel like putting the time in. I've wanted to form groups to use the stuff I make, but there are scheduling difficulties and at the moment I just can't stand to stay logged in for long periods of time after work.

I keep hearing about this motivation thing ... what is it and where can I get it in bottles?

Simple..... I listen to my customer's feedback.

The 1.0 version of my radio was nothing more than a half a dozen genre presets.

As time went by, suggestions to use a notecard, same group, hovertext, direct entry URL, error controls, current selection playing and other features where inspired by the users themselves, many of which become implimented in future models.

I really have fun giving form to my imaginings. So really, my motivations have always been driven by the fun of creating and need to share that fun with my customers. This keeps usability at the front of my mind, which is a great bonus.

That said, I don't always have a project that's driving me. I go through my dry spells, to be certain. But when I get an awesome idea, I have a hard time letting it go until I'm finished. That's usually two or three times a year.

I basically create stuff because I enjoy it, I like the challenge of turning an idea into (virtual) reality. And I know from experience, that as soon as the fun of a challenge wears off, I get distracted and start to goof off.

Plus, ya know, the ego boost you get when people like your little knicknacks is wicked!

But even then it goes in waves... much of last year I just slacked around, this year I've been on a major productive streak. Inspiration hits from the strangest places...

But, seriously, dude, I build prim hair (yes, it's building too! ) and make clothes because I am always experimenting. I see certain styles in SL (or pics on the Internet) and want to recreate them in the way my mind sees them. It keeps me going.

Also I have a sketchbook of possible ideas.

Um...that should be it from me. :3

I don't.

I just like to tinker with things! That people find these things neat is a massive bonus.

I'll make some "Motivation in a bottle" in SL. Then give you a few.
But, wait, I need to find the motivation to do that first.

Mostly what others keep saying... the "wow" feedback, the extra coin to spend, creating things in SL simply because they don't exist in SL yet, or because they don't exist in a way I'd like them to, being able to look at stuff at a later date you've poured your heart into and go "wow" yourself, the new challenges to overcome from various sources (LSL problems, new SL features, and the like), and I could go on and on. As for what keeps me going during the making of a new project? It's that "one more level" thing that you get when playing an excellent, challenging video game. That "one more level" thing that gets more done in a day than you should normally be able to... and destroys your social life and puts bags under your eyes. c.c;;;

I don't have to be particularly motivated to build things - I enjoy it, unless I'm in a terrible mood, in which case it's more likely to be things outside SL that are causing it. What I do lack sometimes is inspiration, and I find that two things help that:

1. Constraints, either other people's or my own stylistic ones. Constraints can be stimulating - a completely blank page can be intimidating. If I'm building a device in a Victorian steampunk style, which I frequently am, I can always google around for Victorian gadgets, or suitable textures, or even just put something together at random from a library of existing components and textures - gears, clockwork, smoke, chimneys, brass etc - and move them around until I get some ideas. And if I'm designing for someone else, they'll have their own ideas which can get my own imagination working.

2. Hanging around with creative people, seeing what they're doing, and getting their opinion on your projects. Taking a tour of sandboxes is always good, sometimes you come across something absolutely breathtaking. I also welcome constructive criticism of anything I'm working on - I'm quite capable of ignoring it if I don't agree, after all.

I keep motivated by seeing my skills evolve. What was awesome three months ago can be even more improved now.

oh, and the actual reward...

- I like the sheer process of imagining something and then creating it
- I like to play with the things I've built
- I like to show off and have people say "wow that's terrific"
- I like to make other people happy with the things that I build
- I like to stretch my mind with scripting as well as help other people who have similar scripting issues
- I like to make the environment prettier or at least more interesting for me and other people
- and I like helping to make things more complex than I could on my own and build up a whole consistent series or setting, being a part of something larger.

I started making more content in an effort to better understand what content developers go through. Otherwise, how the heck am I supposed to know? That's my professional standpoint. However, fun is a factor too, certainly, and I'm also concerned with creating things that are truely self-expression and/or fill holes that I'd like to see explored more in this world. This includes my recent texture pack.

I've always found your little knickers very sexy...

Wait.. I think I misread that...