How can parents more clearly understand what's behind shifts in motivation so that they may preserve their gifted children's joy and kindle a lifelong love of the arts? A shift takes place when intrinsic motivation gives way to extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is desire kindled within. One who is intrinsically motivated is deeply engaged and enjoys the process. Extrinsic motivation is behavior controlled by outside factors, such as a promise of rewards or a fear of punishment. Harvard Business School professor Theresa Amabile has led several decades of research which demonstrates that creativity flourishes under the influence of intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivators include interest, enjoyment, satisfaction, and challenge of the work itself. There is interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and Amabile has documented this as well. The bottom line for parents is that the task at hand, and the work more generally, must be meaningful to the child in order to sustain intrinsic motivation over time. Parents can help keep curiosity alive by: (1) Sharing what they love; (2) Providing opportunities for their children to explore within the context of the arts; (3) Looking for classes that value process over product; and (4) Allowing children to pursue new types of activities.