Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is an idea in psychology proposed by American Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” in the journal Psychological Review.[1] The theory is illustrated as a pyramid, with the most fundamental needs at the bottom. The theory says that a person’s most basic needs must be met before they become motivated to achieve higher-level needs. Here are the basic steps of the pyramid:
- Physiological needs: The basics like food, water, and rest. The things you need to keep your body running.
- Safety needs: The things that keep your body in one piece. Shelter, lack of violence.
- Love/belonging needs: Friends, family, intimate relationships, and community.
- Esteem needs: A feeling of accomplishment and being respected for those accomplishments.
- Self-Actualization needs: Achieving your full potential.

Art is usually placed in the higher segments of the pyramid, near self-actualization and often related to self esteem and accomplishment, as well. But it has been argued that art mustn’t be relegated to just the tip of the pyramid. Art can be used to help alleviate physiological and safety needs. Both the making of a meal and the making of a home can involve complicated personal aesthetic decisions. A strong artist community can help with feelings of love and belonging. One sees that art weaves its way through multiple levels of need.
Thinking about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs raises questions for us at McComb Made: How do we value the need for art, both on a personal level and in the community at large? Can an underserved and under resourced community meet its needs with the help of art? What would that look like? At which age do needs change from those of independence to those of self-sufficiency? When can art transform from just being thought of as a learning tool for children to an engrained way of living and functioning as an entrepreneurial adult? Living life as an ARTIST?
We certainly don’t have all the answers – yet! But at McComb Made we aren’t afraid to look for answers. Help us on our path to what we think of as a form of McComb made community actualization.