Finding Joy in the Creative Process

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Ever noticed how time seems to fly when you're engrossed in something creative? There's science behind that magical feeling. Recent studies reveal that creative activities significantly boost mental wellbeing—63% of participants reported increased confidence, 61% experienced reduced stress, and 57% noted enhanced overall mental health.

Creativity exists on an infinite spectrum with countless forms of expression, but they all share one beautiful commonality: joy. Yet many of us lose sight of this fundamental aspect, becoming fixated on outcomes rather than enjoying the creative process itself. When we create without joy—merely to meet deadlines or achieve goals—our work lacks the love and energy that makes creativity fulfilling. This shift transforms what should be a rewarding experience into a source of frustration and even depression.

The journey to creative fulfillment isn't without obstacles. Perfectionism paralyzes us with impossible standards—as I discovered while building an English podcast despite being a native Italian speaker. Self-doubt makes us hesitant to even review our own work, while fear of failure prevents many from beginning creative pursuits at all. Fear of rejection, too, can sting deeply, especially when criticism comes with unnecessarily harsh judgment. Yet establishing structure and boundaries for our creative work—dedicated time, distraction-free spaces, even a sense of urgency—helps us enter that magical flow state where creativity flourishes naturally. When we're in this zone, enjoying the process becomes effortless.

Remember, creativity isn't just about producing something—it's about the joy experienced during creation. By embracing the journey rather than fixating solely on outcomes, creativity becomes freedom rather than pressure. What creative activity makes you lose track of time and fills you with joy? Share your story or connect with me on Substack! And if you found value in these insights, please subscribe and share this episode with someone who might need a reminder to make time for creativity in their life. Together, we're building lives that choose joy, one creative step at a time.

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Fabio Posca | Journey to Success
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I was reading an article on Nemiorg about a study
titled Creative Approaches forManaging Mental Health, which
involved guys 2,000 people age13 and older personal and mental

(00:21):
health benefits for individualswho engage in creative
activities, particularly withincommunity settings and you know
when people come together.
And did you know that amongthose who participate in any
creative activity, nearlytwo-thirds like of people so

(00:47):
we're talking about 63 percentreported an improved sense of
confidence in their abilities?
Additionally, we have a similarpercentage so 61 percent
indicated that engaging increative activities helps reduce
feelings of stress or anxiety,and plus, we have another 57

(01:10):
percent stated that theseactivities enhance their overall
mental well-being.
Very, very beautiful.
As you know, I love stats andthis is gonna say to us how much
helpful it can be to reach andexplore a new activity.

(01:33):
Hi guys, my name is Fabio fromJourney to Success, and welcome.
Today we're going to introducethe concept of finding joy
through creative expression,explaining how it can enhance
our well-being and personalfulfillment.
But, as always, before we goforward, please subscribe.
So I know this is the rightdirection to lead you guys, to

(01:55):
drive you, to guide you towardsyour journey to success, and
let's get started right, asalways.
So creativity, creativity is afunny story.
All right.
Human beings can express theircreativity in countless forms

(02:15):
and ways, with millions oflayers involved.
I honestly believe thatcreativity is an infinite
spectrum.
I honestly believe thatcreativity is an infinite
spectrum, right, so it doesn'thave an end.
And what fascinates me aboutcreativity is its common factor
the joy it brings.

(02:36):
So, no matter how complex orsimple a creation may be,
whether it is unique or aninspiration taken from others,
regardless of how many creationsexist in the world from
millions of people, creativityfinally, at the end of the story
, brings joy.
Okay, see, guys, people in thisworld often associate success

(03:02):
with money and considerachieving something in life as a
key to feeling fulfilled.
Okay, many dedicate hours towhat they think is their
creation.
But, generally speaking, if yourfocus point is merely your goal
, the truth is that this canlead to stress, can lead to

(03:26):
frustration and sometimes evendepression.
Why do I know that?
Because it happened to me aswell.
I remember when I used to makereels on Instagram about
motivational appeals.
I used to create reels aboutmotivational appeals In the
beginning.
I enjoyed the journey.
I tried to make everythingappealing, you know, with a

(03:47):
black background behind me andthe proper lightning.
I also had some niceinteraction, tiktok, you know,
some nice following grow, but Iwas rushing to see my follower
count grow quickly, and thisdesire ultimately led to
frustration and feelingoverwhelmed, and I realized that

(04:10):
creating Reels might not be mystrong skill to develop with
time as my ultimate goal wasn'tthe Reel itself, okay, so I
wasn't really passionate aboutthe real itself, but the outcome
.
And when you focus too much onthe outcome, you lose sight of

(04:30):
the creation's purpose and endup not enjoying it at all.
And this is an importantconcept to understand.
If you're creating somethingfrom scratch, all right, yet you
don't find joy with it, thatcan be a sign that you're
looking for something else,something that is not creative
at all.
And in my case, my primarymotivation was to gain followers

(04:53):
, okay.
So, yes, create something thatbrings you joy, but only if you
enjoy.
So if you don't enjoy whatyou're doing, can we truly call
it creativity?
The answer to all of this iseasy Absolutely not, okay.
No, of course, because youdon't enjoy your journey.

(05:14):
And when you don't enjoy yourjourney, it means you don't
enjoy the process, all right.
Your focus shifts to merelymeeting deadlines and goals.
That's not the purpose ofcreativity.
So, in such cases, your purposeis not about the creation

(05:36):
itself, but rather the end goal.
Now, of course, it's essentialto think about your goals.
Okay, it is crucial.
However, if you don't enjoy whatyou're doing, it means you're
not truly creating.
You might be going through theactions without showing love for

(06:00):
what you create, love for whatyou create.
And when there is a lack oflove in your work guys, you know
your same work your creationdoesn't reciprocate that love.
Consequently, you experiencenegative emotions instead of joy
, leading at the end to sadness.
All right, sadness, all right.

(06:30):
Now let's discuss the commonbarriers people face in
expressing their creativity,such as fear of judgment or lack
of time.
While there are variousbarriers to consider, I believe
we should focus on five keybarriers, each of which has its
own layers and keys to analyze.
Okay, so the first barrier is.
So the first point, firstbarrier is navigating in

(06:51):
creative projects.
So, in my experience, barrierscan arise the moment you stop
enjoying what you're doing.
Okay, for example, I like tomake personal example, personal
example.
So during my time hosting aguest podcast, I found that by

(07:12):
the end, I wasn't enjoying asmuch as I had hoped, you know to
to have a guest in my, in mypodcast, I felt frustrated,
which became a barrier to myenjoyment and creativity.
Actually, sorry, while I lovedengaging with my guests so the
problem wasn't the interactionbetween the guest and myself the

(07:36):
truth is that the preparationprocess was really annoyed for
me, you know.
Assigning topics, studyingtopics, crafting questions
everything became sooverwhelming and initially it
was fun, but I realized itwasn't something I could do
forever.
It's not something for me, youknow, even if I know most of the

(07:57):
podcasters do host and guest,you know, especially because
with host and guest you canreach also a bigger audience.
But truly it's not for me and Ihad to change my approach to
podcasting.
So now I absolutely enjoy it.
Sure, there are moments when Ithink I still need to schedule

(08:20):
another month of recordings.
I still need to scheduleanother month of recordings, but
the truth is that when I writethe script and get into the zone
, that's when I genuinely enjoythe process, guys.
Number two perfectionism.
So the second barrier isperfectionism.
As a perfectionist, I canrelate to this strangle,

(08:45):
especially since I'm a nativeItalian speaker who is building
the podcast in English, and youknow, guys, without my grammarly
tool here, and I'm not ashamedto say that I could make
numerous, numerous grammaticalmistakes.
A lot, and I still do at times,maybe also now, even if I don't

(09:05):
realize.
But I write everything nowbecause I don't want to be
unprepared.
But still I've come to realizethat trying to be perfect is a
trap.
It's impossible.
No one can truly achieveperfection.
There will always be mistakesand things we don't like, and

(09:28):
that's simply part of thejourney, you know, and it's
simply part of the process.
So the more you engage in yourcraft, the more polished your
work becomes.
And just remember, even if youdo your best to perfect your
work right, you're still notperfect and it's okay like that.

(09:48):
You have to accept it.
That's the reality.
Number no we still.
We still have number yeah.

(10:09):
Number three, sorry, I gotconfused.
So number three the truth isthat there is a fly here around
me.
It doesn't want to go away so Igot distracted.
So again, I'm not gonna cutthis piece, this uh piece, so
you can hear the real me.
Anyway, yes, in the beginning Ithought there was a mosquito
and I have kind of a phobiaabout mosquitoes, maybe a phobia

(10:30):
about their sound.
But no, it's just a fly.
So number three, sorry,self-doubt.
It's normal to have doubtsabout your work.
I want to remind you for thesecond time again that I'm an
Italian native speaker who hasbeen creating a weekly podcast

(10:51):
about motivation.
Okay, I feel satisfied with mywork now, but it was a disaster
for years.
Sometimes I like to listen tomy previous recordings, guys,
which are no longer available onthe podcast.
It actually was inside toanother podcast that I deleted.

(11:12):
Anyway, these recordings wereterrible.
For a long time I didn't wantto hear my own voice.
I felt ashamed, and now Igenuinely enjoy my work and I
can say that I'm a fan of myselfin this podcast, in this
beautiful project.
I really like to listen tomyself.
Self-doubt is always around thecorner anyway, but you have two

(11:34):
choices at the end right Pushthrough or give up.
I don't know what your choicewill be, but remember, if you
enjoy doing something and youpersist, okay, life can surprise

(11:55):
you, just as it has surprisedme.
Life can bring beautifulmoments and your second version
of yourself will start to emergeone day, talking to you in a
way like hey, I'm here, I amreplacing version one of you,
but don't worry, it's still youand we're going to do fantastic

(12:16):
things together, you know, butyou have to go through, of
course.
You have to go through.
Number four fear of failure.
So how often do we discuss theidea that failing is a good
thing?
Failure serves as a teacher anda spiritual guide.

(12:41):
So imagine it as a strict buthonest teacher say hey, you know
what you made this mistake,correct it.
I know it feels uncomfortable,but no one is perfect, not even
you.
Life continues, so enjoy yourjourney, work through it and one
day I might surprise you by notmentioning this misstep anymore

(13:03):
, this mistake anymore.
That's failure, that's it.
It's a way of saying that youare doing.
Great is a bright silence.
It's just silence, stillpresent.
Correcting the next mistake,the next misstep.
Okay, this is how I look at it.
I look at, look at this way andI tell you guys, I love mr

(13:24):
failure more and more, and youshould do the same, because only
with mr failure you can, youcan correct yourself and you can
become better and better andbetter in what you want to
become.
Number five so the fifth pointis fear of rejection.

(13:45):
Fear of rejection.
I want to share an experience Ihad the day before working on
this episode.
It's a coincidence that thisevent happened while I was
already scheduled to cover thistopic, so I didn't prepare this
episode specifically because ofit, but it's funny how it

(14:06):
coincidentally aligns with mysituation.
So pretty funny, since I'mgoing to talk right now.
So, anyway, it's primarilyabout something that happened
with my community on Substack.
So Substack has a great futurethat allows users to recommend
each other right.
It is an innovative system.

(14:30):
I often wonder why differentsocial media platforms have not
implemented something similaryet, because it's very powerful.
So this system automaticallysuggests recommending users to
new subscribers, you know.
So very, very powerful.
So I'll occasionally selectfive individuals per day to

(14:50):
explore reciprocal collaborationopportunities where both
parties can mutually promoteeach other right.
Most of the time, I receivepositive feedback.
Fact, I don't recall receivingnegative feedback until
yesterday, when a contentcreator rejected the
collaboration.
Actually, this was the secondperson, but the first content

(15:11):
creator was very polite and kindin his rejection.
And what I'm going to say toyou guys, it's not about the
rejection itself.
There is nothing wrong withthat.
Rejection is a regular part ofpresenting any project.
It's part of the process.
So, whether it's a book youwrote you want to present to
someone or something else, youknow, you should always expect

(15:35):
rejection, as it can help yougrow.
The problem is that thisperson's rejection came with a
judgmental tone.
They because I don't want tomention who was a woman or man,
so they assumed my intentions orbehavior without asking

(15:55):
questions or trying tounderstand my perspective.
It felt like they were usingtheir authority in a way that
was shaming, which I reallydislike.
Actually, I hate it.
And it doesn't matter who youthink you are.
You can't use your authority tooverlook someone else.
So, instead of inviting adialogue, they closed off the

(16:19):
conversation, which reduces thechance for learning or growth.
Right, and that, of course,brings me to my primary focus,
and I don't want to judge theactions of this person first of
all.
That's not the point.
But I want to shift theconversation to this chapter and
reflect on my experience, on myexperience.
So it would be easy for me tothink okay, you know, this

(16:46):
person is probably right to actin this way, with this
particular tone.
They have hundreds of thousandsof followers and significant
authority in the market, whileI'm just a small fish.
Okay, but please don't makethose mistakes.
You have not to do these kindsof mistakes.
You are the only person whocounts on this journey.

(17:06):
You are as valuable as anyother human being, so don't feel
intimidated by the prominentfigures in the industry.
Okay?
So take the rejection, filterout the tone and the manner in
which it was delivered.
Learn if there is anything toextract from the experience.

(17:28):
Time will tell and you willmove forward.
So eventually you know you havesomething your bag of
experiences to use or not.
Again, time will tell.
Okay.
So about this topic, rememberthese three beautiful quotes,
guys.
A first quote is criticism,like rain, should be gentle
enough to nourish a man's growthwithout destroying his roots.

(17:52):
Frank clark, albert Einstein.
We have two quotes from AlbertEinstein.
The first one is what is rightis not always popular and what
is popular is not always right,and the other one is great
spirits have always encounteredviolent opposition from mediocre
minds.

(18:12):
So I hope you understood themeaning of all of this.
I hope you understood themeaning of all of this.
Now let's talk about anothertopic, about the power of
structure and the urgency increative work.
It's essential to manage yourtime effectively, guys.
Setting a sense of urgency canbe helpful as well.

(18:35):
For example, to write thisepisode, I woke up at 7.30, my
clothes and computer werealready done the night before.
After making breakfast.
I arrived at the library by 9am, you know, 9 in the morning.
I try out a new app calledBrainfm, which really helped me
focus, and in just two hours Imanaged to write 1,300 words,

(19:00):
and this was a record for me.
Most of the times it's not likethat.
Most of the times I'm sodistracted.
So, like you, I'm reallylearning during my journey, and
this example highlights howimportant it is to schedule and
manage your time effectively.
Being so structured gives youmore freedom, as it forces you

(19:25):
to stay focused.
And, guys, when you stayfocused, you can enter the zone
more easily and if you are inthat zone, you become more
creative.
And when you're more creative,you enjoy what you're doing.
Okay, remember that.
Also, the sense of urgencyhaving a sense of urgency is
very important.

(19:46):
I felt a sense of urgency todayto finish early because my
fiance and I needed to book thecurtains for our house.
Okay, and this urgency didn'tconflict with my creativity, as
I had communicated with her thatI wanted to dedicate my day to
the podcast.
So in the end, we accomplishedboth tasks.

(20:08):
We were happy and this is veryimportant.
You know, boundaries are veryimportant.
Remember, when you really wantto be creative, boundaries are
the best things ever.
So I went to the library toprepare my podcast, because I
know there are too manydistractions in my house, and
this situation reminds me of allthe writers who often book a

(20:29):
cottage in a remote, snowy orcoastal location with a sea view
and they write their book.
Now I really understand whythey do that and they write
their book.
Now I really understand whythey do that Because it is
important to enter in your zone.
When you enter in the zone, youare more creative.
When you're creative, you enjoywhat you do.

(20:50):
Okay, lastly, explore variousforms of creative expression,
guys.
It can be writing, it can bepainting, it can be music, I
don't know.
Today I bought Sorry, I didn'tbuy a Lego.
I had a Lego as a present formy birthday.

(21:12):
So, you know, try always newthings and discover how each can
bring joy.
All right, always try somethingnew to see which resonates with
your soul.
And, lastly, if it brings youjoy, it can develop into
something unexpected, unplannedand wonderful.

(21:33):
Who knows, you might even findfinancial freedom through it.
Who knows, you might even findfinancial freedom through it.
So, to wrap this up, rememberthat creativity is not just
about producing something right.
It's more about the joy youfeel in the process.
So studies have shown howpowerful it can be for our

(21:59):
confidence, our stress level andour overall well-being.
But here's the truth If wefocus only on the outcome, we
lose the heart of creation.
That's when perfectionism,self-doubt, fear of failure or
rejection start to arise.
So instead, we need to enjoythe process, because when we do,

(22:19):
creativity becomes freedom.
Okay, not pressure.
So make time for it.
Protect your boundaries,whether it's writing, painting,
music or something entirelydifferent.
Give yourself space to createand to play.
That's where joy shows up, guys, often in the most unexpected

(22:41):
ways.
And who knows?
That joy might even lead you tonew opportunities, maybe even
the kind of success you neverimagined.
Ah, now I want to hear from youhow do you bring creativity into

(23:03):
your life?
What activity makes you losetrack of time and fills you with
joy?
Send me a message you know,share your story or connect.
Connect with me on sub stack.
I would love to know.
And if you enjoyed today'sepisode, of course, you know how
important it is to subscribe soyou never miss an update.

(23:25):
But what is especiallyimportant is sharing this
episode with a friend who mightneed a reminder to make time for
creativity in their own life.
Thank you so much for beinghere on Journey to Success.
Remember, together we arebuilding a life that chooses joy
, and this happened one step ata time.

(23:46):
I'll see you in the nextepisode.
Cheers, guys.