It's interesting that you use the word transcend. I believe its 100% appropriate in this case. Money, power, passion, and status are wholly human motivations a

It's interesting that you use the word transcend. I believe its 100% appropriate in this case. Money, power, passion, and status are wholly human motivations available to anyone. The desire for beauty for the sake of beauty really does transcend the far more practical goals of majority of people, and places as an ideal something completely abstract. Now, I wouldn't call it "true" motivation because that'd lead us down the angle of a "no true scotsman" discussion.