art process or product?

Two Peas Challenge~ Is creating "beautiful art" more important than the process of creating?

This is such an interesting question for me. I am an Art Therapist by day - artist by night (in reality they can't be separated)! There are two ends of the Art Therapy spectrum and a number of theories in between...do we focus on the art product (sense of pride, accomplishment, mastery) or the process (catharsis, expression, getting "it" out)? Both in my work as a therapist and in my own artwork I tend to be somewhere in the middle. I feel accomplished and proud when I complete a piece that I find beautiful. I am a perfectionist and I guess this plays a large part of my process. Perfect to me is just that when I look at the artwork it feels finished, complete. However, I also love getting lost in the process of it all. Hours going by. Feeling like I've "talked" about something so important to me that I weight has been lifted and I've told my story in a layout or made a card I can't wait to give to the receiver. I find that for my clients both aspects of making art can be therapeutic and healing as well. The creating and the creation. I feel that each client takes something different from the process and get what they need from it. I do the same.