Creativity Quote by Jim Capaldi

Capaldi’s line has the loose-limbed logic of a musician talking the way musicians actually talk: half instinct, half philosophy, all tempo. “You do better when you are really up for it” isn’t a productivity mantra so much as a performer’s weather report. Being “up for it” names that volatile state where nerves turn into electricity instead of self-doubt, where the body wants the stage rather than tolerates it. The casual “cause” matters: he’s not arguing, he’s testifying.

The phrase “passion goes up” is clumsy on the page and perfectly legible in a studio or backstage hallway. It suggests a fader being pushed, a volume knob turned, a take catching fire. Passion isn’t presented as a stable trait you either have or lack; it’s a level that rises with commitment, with risk, with the decision to lean in. That’s the subtext: motivation is reciprocal. You don’t wait for inspiration like a polite guest; you invite it by showing up fully.

Coming from Capaldi, a songwriter and drummer whose career moved between band chemistry (Traffic) and the grind of session work, it reads like hard-earned self-coaching. Musicians live under repeating tests: new rooms, new collaborators, the same songs played as if they’re new. The quote sidesteps romantic mythmaking about “genius” and replaces it with something more practical and braver: intensity is a choice, and your best work often follows your willingness to want it out loud.