Finding the Joy of Creating in a World Obsessed with Productivity

why the joy of creating is essential for mental well-being

I recently came across a video of Doechii, the musical artist, where she talked about the importance of creating art for the sake of creating it. In the video, she encouraged artists to resist the drive to make things solely for popularity and consumption. Instead, she urged us to focus on the joy and catharsis of the creative process itself.

Doechii, the musical artist, reminds us of the joy of creating for the sake of creation.

This idea isn’t exactly groundbreaking. The tension between capitalism and art has been around forever. If you’re an artist, it’s so easy for your love of creating to get swallowed up by what people want from you—because, let’s be real, living costs money. Being able to make, explore, and imagine purely for fun? That’s a luxury most of us can’t afford. Spending time on something that isn’t “productive” is often seen as a waste and a priority is placed on our ability to generate revenue at all times. 

But here’s the thing: humans aren’t machines. We weren’t put here to generate profit. What makes us human is our ability to create, explore, and wonder. Honestly, I think a lot of our mental health struggles come from the fact that these deeply human experiences—creativity, curiosity, joy—have been pushed aside, treated like luxuries instead of necessities.

All my life, I’ve been a crafter. Growing up, I kept a box of craft supplies under my bed and called it my Rainy Day Box. The idea was that whenever I had nothing else to do, I could slide that box out and create something random from the leftover toilet paper rolls, beads, pipe cleaners, scissors, and glue. That creativity grew into a love for homemaking projects like sewing and interior design.

During the 2020 COVID shutdown, as masks became essential but hard to find, I was able to put my sewing machine to work. Using hair ties, old clothes, and whatever materials I had on hand, I made homemade masks. I got so into it that when my daughter returned to school, she had a variety of homemade masks to match every outfit. It wasn’t long before other people started asking me to make masks for them and their families.

My daughter modeling one of the homemade masks I made for her during the 2020 COVID shutdown.

But that’s when the fun begun to fade. People wanted different patterns, masks with pockets for filters, or ear straps of various materials and sizes. What had started as a creative, enjoyable project quickly became an overwhelming chore with timelines and customization requests. 

This is the risk of creating art for others. The fun of playing with materials disappears once you’re creating for someone else. It stops being about the joy of making and turns into a focus on making other people happy with a product they’ll invest in and consume.

I’ve been feeling a similar tension with this blog. I keep asking myself: Why am I doing this? Do I want people to read and share my writing? Am I trying to market my therapy services, my teaching, or my speaking work? Is this an exercise in critical thinking? Or is it just a cathartic outlet? Do I need people to see what I write, to tell me it’s good, to affirm my ideas? Should it be part of building community? Or does my writing get to exist just for me?

Even the platform I use—Wix—keeps nudging me to do more: “Want to set up a newsletter? Share this on social media? Boost your SEO to drive traffic?”

Right now, what I know is this: I’m trying to give myself permission to not have all the answers. To let myself figure it out as I go. To be okay with changing my mind.

For now, I just want to write. To stay curious. To celebrate the fact that I even get to do this. To find they joy of creating. And for today, that’s enough.

Your Turn: 

In what ways has productivity culture shaped how you view creativity?