The Creative's Hierarchy of Needs

Here's a thought Reader,

Last week I took a moment to revisit what I want and why it's important to me... (two questions I always invite my clients to ponder), and I keep coming back to a business vision I created for myself years before I even contemplated starting my own business:

"To write a better story for my family"

Nice words, but what does it mean?

My marketing brain loves the sentiment. My logical brain has to challenge the inherent fluffiness... And this took me further into the "What does a better story look like, and how do I get there?"

Maslow is SO last year my friend

I'm going to confess something to you – I have never leaned into Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a tool.

If you're not familiar with Maslow, by all means Google it, or stick with me as I share my own version: aimed at creatives, but essentially a roadmap for any business owner who is in charge of their own future and direction (spoiler alert – that includes you!).

The Creative's Hierarchy of Needs

A triangle made of five coloured tiers. Starting at the bottom, the tiers represent: Getting Paid, Client Transformation, Adventure, Presence and Happiness. Each tier is labelled on the diagram and the image is titled 'The Creative's Hierarchy of Needs'

Starting from the bottom up...

Getting paid – An obvious starting point. If your business isn't financially viable, you don't have a business. But I suggest that many creatives are not money-minded. Instead, getting paid is more a facilitation to the tiers above and, crucially, it is evidence that what you do 'works'. A validation of the difference you are bringing to the world. Which leads you to...
Client transformation – Regardless of what you do, the positive effect you have on your clients and their worlds is a probably a huge factor in how you measure your success (beyond the bank balance). Testimonials add to that validation and also fuel your confidence and contribute to the body of evidence that proves how good you are at what you do
Adventure – It is in a creative's nature to experiment, play with new toys and try new things. The money and the feedback give you the bravery to stretch your comfort zone. More importantly though, the money and the feedback give you a platform to start to enjoy life more. To spend time with those you love and work on a better balance of your time in and out of the office. You begin to think 'where' you want to spend your time living a better life
Presence – Wherever your adventures take you, the balance, the confidence, the clarity and the validation from the lower tiers manifest the capacity to be more present. There is no point being with those you love if you are not 'being' with those you love. The laptop stays closed, the phone is picked up less. You're living in the moment
Happiness – I could have chosen 'joy', 'contentment'... many other words to label the top tier but the point is – it's your story so you get to choose the right word for you. Happiness is 'the better story'. It's the culmination of all the little victories from the lower tiers that answer those two original questions: what do you want, and why is that important to you?

I'm going to be taking about this a lot more but I'd be very interest in your first thoughts.

Does this resonate, or is there something else at the top of your triangle?