On Motivation and the Flow

Describe the circumstances behind learning situations wherein you were (a) highly motivated to pursue your goal and (b) strongly unmotivated to achieve at all. Use motivation theories to help you understand or explain why your motivations differ in each of the circumstances.
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My Highly Motivating Experience :

When I was in grade school, I was highly motivated to learn in my English subject. The extrinsic motivations I had were to get high grades and to please my parents. I know that the performance goals that I wanted to get is a big part of my learning. However, I knew that I also want to master the subject because I really liked reading pocket books and novels in grade school, particularly the mystery books. 

I borrowed books in our library every week so  I could read the Nancy Drew series, Hardy Boys, and especially books with nice pictures. I was a visual learner. I also loved the smell of books, now I know that I might have been a little bit of an olfactory learner (I never thought of this before, until now, how one can be an olfactory learner). 
My intrinsic motivation may have been because I like reading novels. It takes me to a different place and I could get lost in my imagination. 

My Highly Unmotivating Experience:

When I was in my first year high school, I didn't like the Earth Science subject. Looking back, I see that there were several reasons why it wasn't my favorite subject. 

1. First, the subject was once a week, three hours on a Saturday morning. 
2. Second, the teacher was really old and talks very slow. 
3. Third, the classroom was inside our dormitory (since our classrooms were being renovated that time). 

I love learning about science, however, the environment and situation was not really conducive for learning. External factors in motivation play a really big part in my learning. 
I guess the carrot and stick is something that it easily seen and can easily influence behavior. 

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Reflect on your own experiences of flow. What were important features of the task that facilitated the experience? What was it like for you to experience flow?
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My FLOW Experience:

   As I've mentioned before in my previous post, I'm more of a creative person. I don't have the best drawing skills, although I really enjoy painting and drawing.(Arousal moment) When I was in college, my course was far from the arts. I was enrolled in BS Management of Applied Chemistry program (and every time I mention my course, people's faces go blank). 
    However, in my elective subject, I took up "Introduction to Painting". I really enjoyed the activities given by my teacher. He would ask us to draw still life, do collage and even do a painting. I could spend days and sleepless nights just trying to create the perfect work of art. (Flow moment)  And every time I get an "A" on my work, I would be floating in air! 
    Since I didn't have the best drawing skills at the start, I was still motivated to do well. So, I listened the teacher's techniques on how to improve more. We also studied the works of the famous artists and painters. I also did research on my own and I was interested mostly with abstract and modern artists. 
   By increasing my knowledge and skills, I was able as well to do the more difficult activities that were taught to us. We had to do watercolor painting, and I wasn't good with that medium. (Anxiety moment) I really wanted to get "A" as my final mark, because it will reaffirm my feeling that I'm a creative person.

The Flow moment for me was when I lose track of time while doing a portrait, a painting or a collage. I was so engrossed in what I was doing and I enjoy doing it that if given a chance it was what I would have wanted to do all my life. 

References:

Juanchon, Malou, Module 3 Handout, Motivation.