Need to Create

I have been considering what is so addictive about making art and being an artist.  Many artists talk about their need to create, as if it were a basic need like eating or sleeping. What is this need and where does it come from?

For me the most exciting part of being an artist is the thrilling moment a new idea falls into place, the eureka moment when the idea for an artwork pops into my head.  As well as the slower process of thinking about how to go about making something on a particular topic and exploring and developing ideas until they gradually start to come together into a coherent form.  I just love the excitement of the moment when I am on the cusp of starting a new piece, when it is all I can think about and with a flurry of frantic activity I race around the studio setting up materials, sketching and making notes.  The difficulty comes in keeping this momentum going when everyday life gets in the way.