@play

The state of flow is when you forget the mechanics of things. When you are learning something, you have to focus on the mechanics and doing all the different parts well.

Driving is a good example. When you know how to do it, a lot of it becomes automatic. Typing is another example, or any kind of writing. As I write, I'm only aware of what I'm expressing. I don't have to pay attention to each letter or word or to the mechanics of using language. Similarly with art. I've noticed how, with digital art, these days I'm not aware of what my hands are doing. It's as if my mind is directly creating what I want. Or video games. 

But then, with creative processes, after you have mastered the mechanics you can go back to being aware of the mechanics again and do interesting things. You play with the interaction between the mechanics and the process.