---
author: TED
date: '2026-05-29'
guest: ''
layout: post.njk
source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjmUzxEPJeM
speaker: TED
tags:
- creative-fulfillment
- intrinsic-motivation
- performance-anxiety
- creative-process
title: 成功转瞬即逝：如何寻找创作的持久动力
summary: 著名播客主持人黛比·米尔曼（Debbie Millman）通过对数百名创作者的访谈，探讨了成就感带来的喜悦为何往往极其短暂。她呼吁摆脱对外部指标和成就的过度追求，转而将“创作行为”本身视为真正的奖赏，强调在缓慢攀登职业巅峰的过程中，通过持续创作来滋养自己。
insight: ''
draft: true
series: ''
category: psychology
area: society-thinking
project: []
people: []
companies_orgs:
- Van Halen
products_models: []
media_books:
- Design Matters
- PRINT
status: evergreen
---
### 创作成就的“11分钟效应”
过去20年里，我在播客**《Design Matters》**中采访了数百位创作者，探讨他们的创作动机、雄心，以及在世界上感到完整和自在的感受。我曾采访一位著名画家，询问她在展览开幕后，那份成就感能持续多久。她羞涩地笑了笑，回答说：“大约11分钟。”这并非个例，随后我通过**《PRINT》**杂志的问卷调研发现，对于许多创作者而言，成就带来的喜悦往往转瞬即逝。无论是诗人出版作品、设计师获得奖项，还是音乐家在创作过程中的宁静，人们普遍感到成就在实现后很快就会消散。
Original English Source
For the last 20 years,
I've interviewed hundreds of people
about their motivation to create,
their ambition
and what it feels like to be whole
and at home in the world
on my podcast, "Design Matters."
In one episode several years ago,
I interviewed a famous painter
about a recent exhibition,
a show that had taken years to create.
Given the magnitude of the accomplishment,
I asked her how long
the feeling of pride lasted
after opening night.
She looked at me,
she smiled sheepishly
and stated,
"About 11 minutes."
(Laughter)
I thought she was joking, but she wasn't.
Since that interview,
I've come to realize
she's not the only one
whose achievements feel
ephemeral and fleeting.
Not by a long shot.
Over the past four years,
in addition to my interviews,
I've conducted my own version
of a Proustian questionnaire
for PRINT magazine.
Hundreds of creative people
have answered the same 10 questions
about their life and their work.
Given the response I had
with the famous painter,
I included this question:
How long does the feeling of pride and joy
at accomplishing something last for you?
As I collected my responses
to the questionnaire
and reviewed all of my transcripts
of my interviews and conversations,
I saw how, up close, for so many people,
the pride and joy
of accomplishment dissipates
almost as quickly as it manifests.
I heard it in the words of a poet
who shared that the high
of publishing a book
lasted until she sent in
her final manuscript.
I heard it in the voice of a designer
who admitted he felt restless
the very night of an awards ceremony.
And I heard it in the plaintiff confession
of a musician who told me,
"The only time I feel at peace
is when I'm in the studio.
Not on stage, not after.
Only while I'm making."
Original English Source
Another confession.
I felt this way my whole life.
After publishing a book,
after mounting an exhibition,
after a TED Talk,
after what should feel
like I've reached the pinnacle,
moments I've dreamed of for decades.
The joy evaporates within days,
sometimes hours,
and once, terrifyingly, within minutes.
And then for so many people,
what happens next?
The quest to create,
to make something bigger, more ambitious
or more challenging begins again.
I found this all utterly confounding,
and I became consumed
with the question of why?
Why does the feeling
of creative achievement slip away
almost as soon as we grasp it?
Why are we in such a rush
to want something more?
Is it ego, ambition,
addiction to attainment?
We're living in a culture now
obsessed with achievement,
and we measure that success with metrics,
likes, views, followers,
awards, trophies, sales
and we celebrate the hustle.
We glorify the grind,
and we equate visibility with value.
Original English Source
Now after 20 years of interviewing
more than 1,000 people,
I've come to believe
that something else is at play.
When I look at the creative
people I admire most,
I see people answering a calling.
A calling that says create,
shape, build, imagine, express.
Not necessarily to be seen,
but to be.
What if the actual reward
is not accomplishment
but the act of creating?
Think about it.
The finished products
and trappings of creative accomplishment
are often seen as the goal.
And if we haven't yet reached mastery,
we're told we have to fake it
until we make it.
Pretend.
But I don't think people
should have to fake anything.
Instead, I'd rather
make it until I make it.
You see, I believe that the act
of making is like oxygen.
When the making stops,
it becomes hard to breathe.
Now I admit I still struggle with this.
I crave recognition, I still measure
myself by external markers of success,
and I'm still racing
towards multiple finish lines.
But I'm learning, albeit slowly,
that these moments
will never, ever be enough.
They can't be, because in the end,
they represent a certain scarcity,
while making is the actual abundance.
Original English Source
Several years ago,
I interviewed David Lee Roth,
the swashbuckling former frontman
of the rock group Van Halen.
I first became a fan
of the band in the mid-1980s,
after the release of their
five-time platinum album, "1984."
The record sold over 12 million copies,
produced four singles,
peaked at number two
on the Billboard charts,
and was only held back
from the number one position
by Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
I interviewed David Lee in 2019
and asked him what it felt like
to reach the peak of the tallest mountain
in his storied career.
He paused and was reflective
as he recalled the experience.
And what he said next really surprised me.
He told me you have to be really
careful when you reach that peak,
as it's always cold,
you’re often alone,
and there's only one direction to go.
And it occurred to me right then and there
that I didn't want to peak
until the day before I die.
(Laughter)
And I wanted to take my time,
slowly, walking up that mountain,
making new things all along the way.
So the next time you finish anything,
a book, a poem, a song, a painting,
try not to despair.
That fleeting feeling
of accomplishment isn't a flaw.
It's part of the creative condition.
Instead, heed the calling.
Continue to make things,
and maybe, just maybe,
take your time becoming
the creative being that you want to be.
Thank you.
(Applause)