Hey friend,
Can we talk about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs for a minute? I think we should talk about Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs. Because that explains the large gap in time between posts for me (the decade-ish gap, not the month gap since my last post).
In short, it's a chart someone came up with to describe human needs and their priority. At the bottom you have the very basic necessities: food, water, shelter, clothing, etc.
The next step up is what a human seeks when those first needs are met: physical safety, financial stability, health, connection, etc. After that: deeper social connections, love, belonging. After THAT, you get to self esteem: respect, achievement, self worth, etc.
The final tier is self actualization: the highest form of potential a human can reach for. The big questions in life. Morality, purpose, meaning, imagination, creativity.
I'm sure you could google it and look through all the research on it, but the premise is this: a person can't focus on the next tier of needs unless the previous needs are met. A person isn't going to reach for the stars until their terrestrial life is safe and fulfilled. (I'm sure I butchered it, but you get the idea.)
Growing up, it is the hope that children have all these needs met already by their parents/guardians. Children shouldn't have to worry about food, safety, money, etc. They are safe and fulfilled and free to learn, explore, and imagine.
As we grow into adults, we become the ones fulfilling these needs for ourselves. We have to make sure these needs are still met and then turn around and provide them for the next generation.
The ideal scenario is that every human is able to reach their full potential. A beautiful dream. The reality is a bit harsher. I don't know that a lot of people get to reach their full potential. I think too many of us are stuck still trying to fulfill the basic needs.
I've seen a lot of people call it survivial mode. I can understand that. Between the pandemic, the economy, the politics, the wars, and the social ruptures ON TOP of the everyday demands of work, family, friends, and general self upkeep, it's no wonder most of us are a hair's bredth from losing our ever loving minds at any given moment. It's no wonder we live one day to the next looking for the next break, the next rest, the next shoe to drop. It's no wonder we go to bed at night utterly exhausted and wake up the next morning unsure of what day it is because they all feel the same. It's a hard cycle to get out of. Maybe some of us never get out of it. But we still have to try.
I digress. I don't want this to be another dismal post. Some are able to climb through the needs and reach that top tier. Some fight for that top tier even when the other needs aren't met and we applaud them all the more for it. Eminem's Lose Yourself, Dolly Parton's Nine to Five, Loverboy's Workin for the Weekend. Maslow's Heirarchy of needs isn't a new concept. I didn't learn it in college. I learned it in business.
My point with bringing it up is this. It's really hard to get to the creative and fun things in life if you're barely making it through the day. If you spend an hour or two in transportation to work every day, work a demanding and stressful job for 7-10 hours, then come home to more responsibilities, you don't have the time, energy, or creativity to do anything but survive. And the worst thing you can do is berate yourself for not being able to be as creative as you want. It's taken me a solid 8-10 years to get to a point where I can write again. There were days I wanted to write, but didn't have the energy. Or when I had the energy, I didn't have the time. And if by some miracle I had both, I had no creativity left to spend. Most days, I didn't feel like writing. Most days, I didn't think I had anything worth sharing. It's a hard pit to climb out of. I had a lot of help. I put in a lot of work to better myself so I could better my position. Now, I have time, I have energy, and I have support. Only recently have I been able to get the creativity going again.
The stories I abandoned haunted me. My characters left unfinished whisper in my ear. I think they've been slow cooking on the back burner long enough. Don't you? At the moment, I will write while I am able. I want to breathe life into my stories and let them walk free. That's not to say another cataclysmic life event won't knock me down again. I'm sure it will. And when it does, I'll get back up. I have to.
The world may be cruel and unforgiving, but now I know my place in it. I'm a writer. I spent so many years trying to figure out what I was good at. Trying to find a purpose. I don't know if I'll ever be a good writer. At least I can be good enough. I don't know if anyone will ever read what I write, but that's okay. What I do know is that I need to finish what I started. After that, we'll see where the road takes me.
On that note, I have a few changes I want to make.
1. I miss the person I was 10 years ago. I'll bring her back. It's time to put away the mask. If you see more online activity from me, that's why.
2. My websites need an update. Desperately. (Looking at you, non-https web address.) Whether that means creating a new site or moving the blog, I'm not entirely sure yet. I know for a fact the ISC fb page is full of bots now so that's on the docket too. Again, not sure what the play is right now, but I'll figure something out.
3. Ice Sword Chronicles is my dream. I'll get it written. I'll finish the prequels. I'll finish the sequels. I'll get them published. It won't die with me.
It will be a very long road ahead to get these changes into place. I can only take it one day at a time. The changes won't happen overnight, as much as I would love for them to. I've put off these dreams long enough. I'm going to accomplish them with or without your help. Because at the end of the day, I'm not doing them for you.
I'm writing for me.
That said, I'm not an idiot. If you would like to help or have tips, I won't turn you down. I need all the help and support I can get. :p
If you made it this far, congrats! You can read the first two re-written sections of Hanna's Prequel here!
~ Always Hope ~
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