Ah, composing takes time, time that I gladly give. However, there are so many other obstacles to completing a composition, and some, of course, are more important than the next great symphony. Completing my first opera last year, Libertaria:The Virtual Opera, after three years of hard work cost me hundreds of hours of work, countless lost hours of sleep, and time with my family. I am glad to be finished with the work, although I already have several other projects in the works, but none so consuming as an opera. So time, sleep.
But what does it give me?
Composition brings me joy, it allows me to travel through the deepest levels of my subconscious and bask in the most mysterious corners of my mind. When I am at the piano or Malletkat (a MIDI mallet controller), I lose myself, quite literally, in creation. What it gives me directly relates to what I can give back. Some works are simple self-indulgences, others are truly meant for the audience members to experience something innovative and exciting. And of course, there is the appreciation of others who experience your work and have learned something new.
(Great question!)