I was recently reviewing A.H. Maslow’s A Theory of Human Motivation, which explains Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The hierarchy theorizes that humans need to satisfy basic needs before pursuing higher callings. It occurred to me that Steven Pressfield’s book, The War of Art, is similar to the upper stages of Maslow’s Hierarchy model (more on that below). 

I don’t recall the Theory of Human Motivation taught in art school. In my experience, art school was mainly concerned with making and critiquing but not about the business of living a life as an artist. Luckily we have art bloggers for that. 🙂 So the question is, can we pursue our artistic callings while we are still working to accomplish basic needs lower on the hierarchy scale? Should we buy new watercolors instead of food? Is there a middle ground?

As a Refresher, Here Are My Three Main Takeaways From The War on Art:

    1. We are in a never-ending war with resistance to creating.
    2. We hinder resistance by being professionals in our craft (rather than amateurs or hobbyists)
    3. Our Egos prefer things the way they are, and the Self wants to keep improving. We can help the Ego accept our dedication to our chosen, creative path by approaching it as a professional. Going pro won’t stop resistance, but it will help Self manage its power and move forward.

A Brief Outline of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs From A Theory of Human Motivation:

Maslow’s motivation theory suggests that we need to meet our ‘deficiency needs’ before working on our growth (or being) and self-actualization callings. 

Deficiency needs are needs that, when unmet, are said to motivate actions to meet that need. For example, a deficiency of food will cause hunger and a need for food. Once satisfied, you can move on to meeting other, higher needs. Growth needs are less tangible and deal with efforts to attain personal growth and self-actualization.

Maslow’s theory is illustrated by a pyramid with the bottom needs being the foundational needs and the needs above it add to our quality of life. The original model had five stages: biological and physiological, safety, love and belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization. In the 1970s, the model was expanded to include cognitive and aesthetic and later adding transcendence needs. The model below shows the more updated version:

Maslow Needs

Do the Ideas Expressed in The War of Art and Maslow’s Motivational Theory Disagree? 

In a way, yes, and in another way, no. Most obviously, Pressfield proposes “going pro” to quiet resistance that is continually telling us to put off that painting or play or poem. Maslow suggests that we must meet basic human needs before pursuing our higher callings (such as artistic callings). It seems to me you could call deficiency needs of Maslow’s hierarchy elements of resistance to the achievement of the higher goals. In other words, both theories’ end goal is self-actualization through honoring and pursuing our higher calling. Pressfield has a “go for it” attitude towards following our dreams. Maslow has a “work towards its” message, suggesting we must build a foundation to support higher callings.

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In my view, Maslow’s theory is a more realistic take on how artists navigate being a creator and earning a living. We can satisfy basic human needs that, for right or wrong, require lots of money and still work on some higher-level goals. As an art school professor of mine once said, when you have to choose between a loaf of bread to survive or a tube of paint to create, choose the bread because you “can’t eat paint.”

A Note About Maslow’s Motivational Theory:

An important point about The Hierarchy of Needs and it’s pyramid model is that it suggests that one must satisfy each level before moving up towards tackling growth needs. Maslow later clarified that it “is not nearly as rigid” as the pyramid might imply, and an individual may be moving at several different stages at any given time. This strikes me as the most reasonable interpretation. We can walk and chew gum simultaneously, but there are times when we might need to spend more time walking to afford the gum we really want.

Pursuing Growth Needs During a Pandemic?

While writing this, we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Lockdown, layoffs, social distancing, and isolation have amplified deficiency needs and have made attention to growth needs difficult. Of course, the level of deficiencies and their impact on pursuing growth needs is primarily influenced by individual and family economic status. 

The wealthy, those who have been able to work from home, and those who have not suffered financial hardship, may find pursuing growth needs easier. Those who have lost work and earning power may face the pursuit of self-actualization and transcendence much more difficult. Suppose you depend on unemployment and social services for financial security, food, and housing security. In that case, you may find it challenging to work on your creative endeavors.

How I Plan to Use The Theory of Human Motivation in the Coming Weeks/Months:

This unusual time has caused many to revisit deficiencies that were thought to be satisfied in more comfortable times. I think it may be possible to work on creative stuff while under financial and emotional duress. My next few blog posts will address this from my own perspective as I manage underemployment and my desire to advance my creative output. I plan to use The Theory of Human Motivation to help me understand my situation and, hopefully, help a reader or two simultaneously. I will be examining where I can make changes in how I approach deficiency needs and work on actualization needs. How can I make better use of my time to create while trying to make ends meet? 

Please be sure to check back for updates.

 

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