In this final reading, I really appreciated the full circle moment that brought design back to our human needs - espectially those that are deeply spiritual. I was reading Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs on page 415 and found myself pausing to reflect on moments I have had my own needs for transcendence met. I thought about moments I have been in flow using Ableton Live producing a song end to end - staying up all night because I felt in it and alive and wanted to bring the song to completion. I thought about how then Ableton Live as a piece of software has absolutely used gaming techniques and design principles in the user interface to encourage continuous use and flow state. I know many Ableton Live users who feel like they are routinely tapping into their own goddess or god energy simply because they are creating art that they love on the DAW. Examples of the design principles of Live that enable said flow state include loop-based creating, the ability to manipulate sound in a myriad of different ways and the ability to paint with thousands of pre-set instruments and loops that already exist. When we feel inspired by a piece of sound, it is easy to keep building on it, especially if it is on loop and we like it!
In terms of self-actualization, sometimes I fear that I am not acting in accordance with my fullest potential. This is usually on days when I feel I am doing many different things but at a mediocre level as opposed to at a level of depth that I know I am capable of. I have struggled with this since I was a kid - feeling like I should take on a lot of different projects but then not bringing them to completion to the degree that I might want to. Conversely, when I only have one or two things going on at a time, I lack the pressure to get those things done anyway! So it is a strange byproduct of having existed in intense rigorous academic environments since I was a kid. I am still on the journey of allowing space for deep flow space and open creation, with the rigor I know I need to actually bring a project to the finish line. One thing I feel I do well in terms of self-actualization is ensuring that I am always pursuing multi-disciplinary pursuits or combining my various interests. For example, at Stanford, I am taking 2 languages and a Black feminism class in addition to my 3 CCRMA classes. Another example is how I enjoy being in my body and not only in my head - I enjoy boxing, running, doing yoga, crossfit, snowboarding, surfing and biking. Being a multi-dimensional human energizing the various parts of my humanity allow me to feel like I am reaching my potential over the span of my life in various directions.
In terms of the next 4 needs on the tree, I feel they all particularly reinforce each other. When I have self-esteem, I feel more open to love/belonging/family and sexual intimacy. When I receive those inputs of love, I feel more brave to pursue challening pursuits either aesthetically or cognitively. These thehn reinforce my self-esteem, I feel more open to personal connections, and therefore more brave for more risk and more expansion.
We are deeply lucky to have our needs of physiological and safety needs met at the base of the tree, to allow for emotional and spiritual pursuits that many folks do not get to experience in a life time. When I travel to India, the country me and my family are from, that has some of the richest spiritual depth of any culture in the world, I find the disparity between those who can access that spirituality vs those who cannot very stark. When folks have to work full days to support their families and basic well-being, there is little time to pursue hobbies, sit for long meditations or tap into one's own mental health. In a way, capitalism's desire to improve quality of life is a direct attempt at finding ways to ensure basic needs are met, but sadly this luxury for some comes at the expense of others. We do not need to go all the way to India to see and understand this.
Even though the final Design Etude was not asked of us, I appreciated the question asked us about a moment that makes us still and a moment that moves us. I imagined my favorite song, being in quiet vast expansive natural spaces or being around people who make me feel at ease. I imagined no anxiety in my belly, clarity of thought and even excitement of something that I might want to go and make. It is a feeling of inner peace, personal freedom, fearlessness and enthusiasm to put your love into the work you do.