I think a big part of my motivation as a writer is that I love making things. Truth be told, I still dye Easter eggs every year (sometimes with a niece and nephew to legitimize the process, sometimes not), and it brings me joy. Artwork I’ve done at every age still hangs on the walls in my parents’ home. Something Don Revell said in a recent interview on Here Comes Everybody reverberated with this idea:
Q: How would you explain what a poem is to my seven year old?
A: A poem is something made of words that you enjoy.
I like the Q; I like the A. One positive aspect to being this kind of writer is that it helps me to finish projects. If I am, say, washing the dishes, that drive is not there. But with art, photography, writing, and other creative endeavors, I tend to wrap things up. And when I’m done, I tend to feel pretty good about the process. Which is not to say that I consider my work masterful, necessarily, but if nothing else, art reflects something meaningful (a conflict, emotion, obsession) that felt important to me at that particular time.
Today I’m leaning toward a not-so-intellectual perspective. In Houston it’s a rainy day. I’m glad to be home. My baby is taking a nap. And it is still no less than amazing to me that I could be typing words and seconds later you will be able to read them on the world wide web. Blog on.
Robin Reagler 
I love that aspect of blogs, too. Instant creative outlet, instant audience–possibility of instant feedback. I also love making things–Easter eggs topping the list! I just finished the dragonfly mobile of sparkly beads for our coming baby’s room and I’m moving on to colorfully painting an old bookshelf and some wooden chairs for same.
If I could make a living doing artsy-craftsy nonsense, I could be very happy!
Hello. I just visited your web site. Don’t really know what to do here, as I am very science oriented. However, about your ideas above. I,too, like things that are meaningful. However, I find meaning in so many things in life. It is not necessarily art for me. I find that I am happiest when I am doing meaningful things. But, I think that everyone feels that way. I think that we as humans have to have meaning in our life, or we are not happy. But, meaning can be anything. Each person just has to find it for themselves. I find art not very satisfying. I feel like it is not really contributing to anything at the time. On the other hand, when I am in the pediatric intensive care unit, drawing blood from a 20 month old boy as he is dying in front of me…this for me is very meaningful. So, just interesting what different people find meaningful for them. I don’t think that it matters what each person finds meaningful, just that every person does find it for themselves.