How Do You Get There from Here?
How do you bridge the gap between there and here—between the vision of your desired outcome and your current reality?
The gap between vision and current reality is also a source of energy. If there were no gap, there would be no need for any action to move towards the vision. We call this gap creative tension. —Peter Senge, systems scientist
Creative tension arises in the space between what you really want—or where you want to be—and where you are now. That space only arises when you have a clearly articulated desired outcome (there) and an accurate grasp of the current status quo in relation to that outcome (here). The discrepancy between there and here produces a sense of urgency about closing the gap.
A simple example is realizing you’re missing an essential ingredient of a favorite dish you promised to serve your family later tonight. It’s a special occasion and your desired outcome is the pleasure and satisfaction you can provide for people you care about. The current situation is that you are missing a key ingredient for the entrée.
The more you desire the outcome you envision, the greater the sense of urgency you’ll have about closing the gap between it and your current situation. A trip to the grocery store may not have been in your plans, but pleasing your family is important (and juicy), so you’ll find a way to fit it in.
If you don’t care that much about the desired outcome, you’ll just apologize and feed your family with what’s on hand (and rationalize the undesired outcome).
Creative tension motivates us to act with urgency to reduce the tension by resolving the issue somehow. The problem is that most of us relieve creative tension by lowering our vision so that we reduce the gap between our vision and our current reality. This successfully reduces the tension, but it also reduces your motivation and creativity to make your vision a reality, and of course, you’re not going to create what you really want—at best, you’ll be successful in creating the “reduced” version of your vision. —Cath Duncan, A User’s Guide to Creative Tension
Diminishing your desired outcome can become habitual, especially if you haven’t developed a reliable sense of personal agency. The uncertainty and discomfort of liminal space* can be difficult to tolerate. An unreliable sense of personal agency can turn creative tension into psychological tension and:
- send you crashing and blundering your way through the forest without regard to whether or not what you’re doing is getting you any closer to your desired outcome
- keep you in a state of either anxiety or apathy
- lead you to give up on your desired outcome and settle for the status quo
- prompt regular bouts of frustration
The bottom line: creative tension is energizing but depends on a juicy desired outcome and a reliable sense of personal agency; otherwise, the default is psychological tension, which is enervating. As I wrote in the last newsletter:
If you want to get somewhere, choose a destination or target that’s worth the effort. It will inspire you and intrinsically motivate you to take action. A small vision is both uninspiring and unmotivating.
And it definitely won’t generate creative tension.
*Liminal comes from the Latin word for threshold. A doorway, for example, represents a physical liminal space between two rooms or between the inside and the outside. Liminal space is relational: it only arises between a distinct here and a distinct there. It’s also dynamic, meaning characterized by constant change, activity, or progress. Liminal space is uncertain and ambiguous, but it is also filled with possibility.