Musician’s Hierarchy of Needs, Part 3

MUSICIAN’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

At some point we are all touched by an incident or a person and the artist in us is awakened. (right) My stage-mate Sarai and I let a little girl on stage who had big eyes, but frozen up when she got up there. It was adorable! Who knows the impact that moment will have on her, if any, in the future. At any rate, from that time our lives are like the lit fuse on a stick of dynamite.

Once that dynamite blows, you’ll have a different set of needs (rules). Here is that list of musician’s needs, not as a pyramid, but as a list to be read from top to bottom. This hierarchy builds on skills, mental and emotional states and business acumen. You must attend to all three.

STAGE 1 – MUSICIAN PHYSIOLOGICAL STAGE

ACHIEVEMENT FEELS LIKE – You are an artist and you know it. You are a “creative” and are most often driven to create. Knowing that if there were no other concerns, it would be music that filled your time and your senses. Choosing music. Making small sacrifices to create time for music.

NOT THERE YET FEELS LIKE – Can’t comprehend what others are doing. Do not understand the need to create or impress others with skills or creations. More frustration than enjoyment with progress. Annoyed by the process or a general lack of concern for it.

WORKING TOWARDS LOOKS LIKE – Having a mentor or being inspired by an idol. Developing the discipline to practice. Becoming consistently “good” at your craft or skill. The need to be with music feels like anything from a longing to being overpowered. Seek out critique or advice. Study both the art and academia.

STAGE 2 – MUSICIAN SAFETY STAGE

ACHIEVEMENT FEELS LIKE  –  Stability. Knowing you’re on the right form of expression and genre paths. Obsession with your instrument or with music in general. A deep dive into your idols. Bonding to inspirations. Wanting to be around or collaborate with others of similar interest and taste in music. Excitement. Curiosity. Motivation. A spark of passion. We are free to create or practice our craft. For some, needed support is felt. A basic knowledge of what a future in music means to you.

NOT THERE YET FEELS LIKE – Not trusting those in our environment to support us. Worried we will be ridiculed or made fun of. Anxiety about the value of our work. Distrust of the industry.

WORKING TOWARDS LOOKS LIKE – Artistic safety is most important in times of high emotional risk, like a recital or performance. It’s times like this we are most vulnerable. Many musicians quit after a traumatic emotional experience like a bombed show, an embarrassing episode of stage fright or harsh criticism of our work. Concerns of safety are the number one reason musicians quit their career prematurely. Understanding basic entrepreneurial concepts like internet tools, self promotion and branding yourself and your skill.

STAGE 3 – MUSICIAN SENSE OF BELONGING STAGE

ACHIEVEMENT FEELS LIKE  –  Connected to our art and to others. Appreciated and valued amongst our peers or fans. Comfortable networking and getting your name out there online and in the real world.

NOT THERE YET FEELS LIKE – Our skill or creations are unappreciated. We may feel isolated, like an outsider to a scene or community we believe we should belong to. General skepticism of peers. Resistant to networking and getting your name out there.

WORKING TOWARDS LOOKS LIKE – This applies to romantic relationships as well as ties to friends and family in Maslow’s hierarchy. For us it applies to our relationship with our art. It also includes the need to find our place. The is complicated by the fact that we need to feel appreciated (love) as well as needing to appreciate others in our shared space (belonging). Learning about basic business practices and developing responsible habits with money and business. New mentors or teachers in the actual world of working musicians. Our relationships bloom in music because we understand musicians (personality types) hearts and minds work differently than non-musicians.

STAGE 4 – MUSICIAN ESTEEM STAGE

ACHIEVEMENT FEELS LIKE  – Self confidence in creations or performances. Feeling good about our role in our own career. We feel like we are on the right path. We feel we are doing what we are meant to do. Feels like motivation and optimism. We are branded and focused on our purpose. We live life in support of our passions.

NOT THERE YET FEELS LIKE – Feelings of inferiority or shortcoming. Thinking our skeptics are many. Not sure people will see the value in what we do. Trepidation. Hesitance. The feeling that our work is never quite ready.

WORKING TOWARDS LOOKS LIKE – For most musicians this involves sharing our work and so the validation of others might play a role. We begin to feel our contributions and achievements are important and have value. There may be a financial return on our efforts but there is certainly an emotional return. We have formed an LLC of our person or of a group we have created. We dive into contract language, marketing, networking, career planning and learn to manage or work with all personality types in music.

STAGE 5 – MUSICIAN SELF ACTUALIZATION

ACHIEVEMENT FEELS LIKE  – Essentially this is being fulfilled. Knowing we have lived to our potential. Understanding fully where we are, how we got there and how to stay.

NOT THERE YET FEELS LIKE – Questioning our contributions or their impact on others. Concern or distrust of ourselves. Feeling unsatisfied with our work. Feeling like “something is missing”.

WORKING TOWARDS LOOKS LIKE  – For some this involves helping others, for others it might mean achievements in the field of music. Basically, self-actualization for a musician means we are doing what we feel we were meant to do and there is a body of work to confirm it. The goal isn’t to become fully self-actualized and then rest or die, many believe that isn’t possible anyway, the goal is to pursue it. Self actualization for musicians is a journey ripe with emotional rewards, not a destination or trophy. Money is a bi-product of self-actualization not part of its composition.