An interesting bit on the value of struggle during the creative process from comedian Louis C.K. (from the 4/25/13
Rolling Stone):
"When it's time to write, I have one computer that has no ability to get on the Internet. Because the ability to just move your finger less than a millimeter and be looking straight into someone's #*$^ or at a new Porsche, or a whole movie - To Kill a Mockingbird, let's just sit here and watch the whole thing! - it's too much. So if you put a couple of moves between you and that, you've got a fighting chance.
When I hit a stopping moment in what I'm writing, a moment of agitation - that itch always leads to a brand new thing, to inspiration. But if you bail out and buy a product online, you're robbing yourself. It's terrible, so I sit there: "F*ck, f*ck." The worst thing happening to this generation is that they're taking discomfort away from themselves."
