#85 On the Creative Pyramid

I’ve been thinking about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. You know, the pyramid. You’ve probably seen it before... it's got the basic needs at the bottom like food, shelter, safety… and at the top, self-actualization. That’s where the creative magic happens. That’s where you’re not just surviving, you’re expressing.

I remember printing out that pyramid once and scrapbooking it into a journal. Yeah, men journal, you can check out an episode from 2019 on The Switch w/ JunFresh and Eric Castillo about journaling. I wasn’t thinking of the pyramid in a clinical way, more like… a map for the creative journey. A way to see where I was in the creative life. And lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m finally operating from that top layer. Not trying to prove anything.Just creating because I want to. Not out of survival.

In this episode of Happy Human, I get into how that pyramid applies to the creative journey. How cash flow, whether through a job, freelance work, selling digital products... plays a role in creative freedom. When your foundation’s steady, you’re free to build on top of it.

But if you skip steps, if you jump to the top too fast, the pyramid gets shaky. I bring up MC Hammer. Huge star in the ‘90s, big team, high production, and then… it collapsed. Not because the talent wasn’t there — but maybe the foundation wasn’t.

Same thing goes for artists now. Some have a whole team writing and producing for them — they just show up and perform. Nothing wrong with that. But when you’re on your own? The work doesn’t stop. You’re writing, producing, releasing. You’re building something sustainable.

That’s where I’m at right now. I’ve been working on music. My first track’s about to drop... I composed, produced, and released it, finally! And it’s not about going viral. It’s about building a catalog. Creating things that’ll still be good 50 years from now. Same with the podcast. Same with the Happy Human app. Evergreen.

I talk about how once you’re creating from expression instead of survival, it changes everything. But you gotta build the base first. I’ve spent the last 12 years learning that. Systems, habits, structure. Now I’m recording these episodes consistently, writing blog posts after, releasing it all even if the audience is small.

Because you can’t wait for permission. You can’t wait for a crowd. You release because it’s what you do. You’re your own day-one fan. You have to be. I have to bop my head to my music before others do... simple as that.

So yeah, this episode touches on all of that. The pyramid, the pressure to romanticize struggle, and the difference between focusing on the build vs. oversharing the hardship. We’re all human. But the goal is to be a creative free agent! To create for you, building what feels true, and doing it sustainably.

Check out the latest art and tees at happyhuman.studio, or download the app (App Store or Google Play), sign up, and become a member. I’ll give you a Happy Human badge for your profile when you do.

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Being happy makes you have a good day.Words by Bella.