Where Does Writing Fit in Your Hierarchy of Needs?

The Conversation Continues, Part 1

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Hi Everyone,

I’m going to try something a little different for the next few mid-week inspirations. I was looking at my notes for the conversation I moderated the other night with Percival Everett (James) and David Mas Masumoto (Secret Harvests), and I found the talk continuing in my mind. So much is left unexplored in an hour onstage. Questions go sideways, lead to tangents. We had a wonderful discussion, covering a range of ideas, but any one of these ideas could have occupied us for the whole hour. And, of course, the stars of the evening being Percival and Mas, they did most of the speaking.

Also, our audience the other night consisted mostly of readers, especially fans of James, and not fellow writers. They were interested in hearing about one story, less in the life of writing that concerned the three of us. So what I’d like to do is unpack my planned questions and see where they lead me in talking directly with you.

This will be a series of short posts subtitled “The Conversation Continues” over the next few weeks. I hope this prompts you to ask a few new questions about your own writing life and maybe find new inspiration!

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Writing & Your Hierarchy of Needs

Here’s how I opened the conversation with Percival and Mas:

SOME AUTHORS ARE “JUST WRITERS.” THEY MIGHT HAVE FAMILIES OR TEACHING JOBS OR A SPORT, BUT WHEN ASKED WHAT THEY DO, THEY SAY, “I’M A WRITER.”

YOU TWO ARE ANYTHING BUT “JUST” WRITERS. YOU’VE BOTH TRAINED MULES AND HORSES. BETWEEN YOU, YOU FARM, RIDE, FLY FISH, PAINT. MAS, YOU RUN THE FAMILY BUSINESS. PERCIVAL, YOU’RE A CLASSICAL PIANIST— AS WELL AS A FULL PROFESSOR AT USC AND THE AUTHOR OF OVER 30 BOOKS.

SO MY 1^ST QUESTION TO YOU BOTH IS, WHERE DOES WRITING FIT IN YOUR HIERARCHY OF NEEDS?

I was thinking of Abraham Maslow’s motivational theory, which posits that a hierarchy of fundamental needs shapes human life. This five-tier model consists of physiological basics like food, sleep, and sex; physical security; love and belonging; self-esteem and dignity; and “self-actualization” encompassing creativity, problem-solving, and accomplishment. Creative writing is typically a conduit to the top two tiers— self-esteem and accomplishment— and draws inspiration from all layers. But when a life includes so many other passions and pursuits, how does writing not get crowded out? How does its meaning not shift within the hierarchy?

Percival and Mas both replied that all their other interests fueled their writing. Indeed, Percival said he couldn’t imagine writing if he didn’t have those other passions, all of which have shown up in his fiction over the years. And Mas writes even more directly about his farm, peach trees and raisin harvests, organic agriculture and food.