The biggest excuse in the world is a lack of time. It seems that the days are shorter than ever and there is never enough time to do everything that needs to be done. Within the list of daily chores, we can find things like, buy groceries, paying the bills, cleaning the house, and preparing food. It would be strange to find within that same list, things like painting, playing the guitar, or writing a poem.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a pyramid where physiological needs like air, food, water, shelter, and warmth, to name a few, are on the first level. They are the foundation of every human being and without them, we would not be able to function. As these needs are met, we require more, and the need to grow takes us to the next levels. In total, according to Maslow, there are eight levels, the eighth being personal and spiritual transcendence. It’s the need to explore beyond ourselves and human consciousness.
Creating art falls into the sixth level of aesthetics within the category of self-actualization. Simply put, creating art or expressing ourselves creatively is in the same category as transcendence. Monks, prophets, philosophers, and individuals who have reached high levels of intelligence, self-improvement, and enlightenment are thought to be perch on the top of Maslow's pyramid. In contrast, art will fall to the bottom of the list if the pyramid's foundations are not stable and our basic needs still require priority. This does not mean that if dinner is yet to be served at a certain time but you have a pantry full of food, that you can’t delight in observing the beauty of a rose. What it means is that if you have nothing to eat that night and you don't know if you will have a meal the following day, your attention is focused on satisfying hunger and not on creating art or contemplating life.
The time we dedicate to satisfying our needs is important to feel fulfilled and to be able to grow. But what happens when our time remains stagnant trying to satisfy only a few needs? Categories three and four of the hierarchy are needs for love, social belonging, and esteem. In the age of social media, we have been given false satisfaction to these needs and have paid a high price with our time. Our interpersonal interactions have been reduced to apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. It could be debated and said that there are millions of creative people on these platforms, the so-called “creators”. My counterargument is that creativity is limited to what is, "trending" at the moment as we await the applause and approval of millions of strangers so our creativity can go viral.
In 2020 the average time a person spent on social media was 145 minutes a day according to statista.com. That's almost 2 and a half hours, in a year, that becomes approximately 15 hours. In many cases, these hours are wasted time as most of us are consumers and not creators. I am not recommending getting rid of these apps, when using them sparingly and consciously they become great tools that can promote our work. I’m simply offering this piece as a reflection of the time that slips out of hands and how we can invest our time differently to foster personal growth that can lead to self-actualization.
To the non-artist, your art medium does not matter, be it dance, food, photography, each one of us carries something within that asks us for time to germinate. Art does not have to be shared with anyone, you can even create art as meditation or observational practice. Not everyone has to like what you do, not even yourself. Serenade the river and the trees around you, dedicate an ode to the cup of coffee that you sip every morning, look for the beauty of everyday life. And finally, add a little creativity to your to-do list from time to time.