I’m working on a large new painting and just beginning the drawing process. A large painting like this will take weeks to complete, but when I put pencil to canvas I start to lose myself in my work… I move into a state of “flow” where time disappears… And I’m one with the process of creation itself.

The outside world with all it’s timelines, deadlines and pressures disappear. In the moment they don’t matter.

Having a creative activity, or any activity that puts you in this state of flow, brings meaning to life from the activity itself. You feel happy.

We use our skills with the belief that the outcome is the reward. We get paid for our work… A job well done.

But then, the more money we make does not necessarily make us any more happy. The true reward for the work we do comes from being in this state of flow… Where the reward is not in the outcome, but in the happy and positive feelings that are generated by the activity itself.

So as I sit back and look at these new lines I’m putting on canvas, I feel this happiness... There’s a sense of eager anticipation, for what I’m creating, but at the same time a feeling of contentment.

Because in the moment, this is all that matters...