I'm dumbfounded by how there is no correlation between how skilled you are and how much enrichment you get out of practicing an art form.

I spent years in strict training to achieve a certain level of performance ability in music, under an assumption that fulfillment comes from mastery. And don't get me wrong — there is a certain freedom in being able to smoothly skate across an instrument.

But it's not a requirement. And the joy can come from day 1.

The real source is flow. There are plenty reasons to do creative work, but I'd say most of us find the magic in those moments where time slips away.

There are several ingredients to reaching that state. When it comes to ability, though, the key lever is how well the task in front of you matches your skill level.

Is it challenging enough where you're doing a bit of reaching?

Is it easy enough where you don't feel totally overwhelmed by what you're doing.

That's it. And it's relative.

Saxophone is my most fluent instrument. To achieve flow, I would have to be working on a new piece with significant technical and expressive challenges to get there. But when I'm playing guitar, I find it just by spending time moving between two chords again and again and again.

Especially as we're getting started, we're moved by the product of creative work. Someone's ability as a performer inspires us, or a stunning painting really grabs us. That's great for lighting the spark.

If that's the only source of fuel in the practice, though, there's this resentment of not being at that ability.

Most of the fulfillment has to come from the actual act of doing the thing. Thankfully, a certain level of skill is not required. Just flow.