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I further researched South Asian famous artists and illustrators. I found this body of work by Amrita Sher-Gil, a mixed-heritage artist who produced the majority of her work in the 1930s. Her paintings had embodied the exoticism of South Asian women, Indian specifically, that were typically admired by a white voyeuristic male gaze.

She managed to capture these women by painting them in a way that highlighted their beauty without it coming from that same gaze.

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The majority of works by Amrita Sher- Gil in the public domain are with the NGMA, which houses over 100 paintings by this meteoric artist. Born of a Sikh father from an aristocratic, land owing family, and a Hungarian mother, Amrita Sher-Gil's life veered between Europe and India. She was blessed with beauty, breeding, charismatic personality and extra ordinary talent as a painter.

In 1929, she joined the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Her painting skills were recognized and acclaimed; she loved the bohemian life of artists in Paris. Sher-Gil's painting style at this time reflected the European idiom with its naturalism and textured application of paint. Many of the paintings done in the early 1930s are in the European style, and include a number of self portraits. There are also many paintings of life in Paris, nude studies, still life studied, as well as portraits of friends and fellow students. Of these, the self portraits form a significant corpus. They captured the artist in her many moods- somber, pensive and joyous- while revealing a narcissistic streak in her personality.

Her style underwent a radical change by the mid- 30s. she yearn for India, and by 1934, the family returned. This time, she looked at India with the eyes of an artist. The colours, the textures, the vibrancy and the earthiness of the people had a deep impact on the young artist. In India, she appropriated the language of miniatures.

The complexities of her life- she was of mixed parentage and her art school background in Paris made her both, an insider and outsider, as did her ambivalent sexuality- promoted her to constantly reinvent her visual language. She sought to reconcile her modern sensibility with her enthusiastic response to traditional art-historical resources.

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National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

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The majority of works by Amrita Sher- Gil in the public domain are with the NGMA, which houses over 100 paintings by this meteoric artist. Born of a Sikh father from an aristocratic, land owing family, and a Hungarian mother, Amrita Sher-Gil's life veered between Europe and India.

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The talk started off by mentioning the incredible decrease we have had in terms of our attention span and the numbers are shocking. Although I don't believe that my attention span is bad (I do my best to take breaks from social media, screens etc), it is a very concerning statement. I found this piece of research which details in much more depth, the levels of distraction we are facing.

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Sabba Khan's talk was extremely insightful. The illustrations within her book were beautiful, intricate and very good at telling a story. She explained that at the Myriad Publishing company, they were more focused on getting the messaging, story and social issues across.

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Myriad Editions is an independent publisher of original literary fiction and graphic novels

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Sabba also touched onto Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which explains the different motivations for human behaviour. These different motivations give really good insight to brands about their consumers, as they are able to gain a better understanding of why their customers want to buy into their products.

For example, customers who need safety may be more likely to buy products for health and wellness purposes, whereas others may invest more in experiences and retreats with loved ones for the love and belonging needs.

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Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one of the best-known theories of motivation. Maslow's theory states that our actions are motivated by certain physiological and psychological needs that progress from basic to complex.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Abraham Maslow first introduced the concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper, titled "A Theory of Human Motivation," and again in his subsequent book, "Motivation and Personality." This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs.

While some of the existing schools of thought at the time-such as psychoanalysis and behaviorism -tended to focus on problematic behaviors, Maslow was more interested in learning about what makes people happy and what they do to achieve that aim.

As a humanist, Maslow believed that people have an inborn desire to be self-actualized, that is, to be all they can be. To achieve this ultimate goal, however, a number of more basic needs must be met. This includes the need for food, safety, love, and self-esteem.

Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a major role in motivating behavior. There are five different levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, starting at the lowest level known as physiological needs.

Physiological Needs

The physiological needs include those that are vital to survival. Some examples of physiological needs include:

In addition to the basic requirements of nutrition, air, and temperature regulation, physiological needs also include shelter and clothing. Maslow included sexual reproduction in this level of the hierarchy as well, since it is essential to the survival and propagation of the species.

Security and Safety Needs

At the second level of Maslow's hierarchy, the needs start to become a bit more complex. At this level, the needs for security and safety become primary.

People want control and order in their lives. Some of the basic security and safety needs include:

Finding a job, obtaining health insurance and health care, contributing money to a savings account, and moving to a safer neighborhood are all examples of actions motivated by security and safety needs.

Social Needs

The social needs in Maslow's hierarchy include love, acceptance, and belonging. At this level, the need for emotional relationships drives human behavior. Some of the things that satisfy this need include:

Friendships

Romantic attachments

Family relationships

Social groups

Community groups

Churches and religious organizations

In order to avoid loneliness, depression, and anxiety, it is important for people to feel loved and accepted by others. Personal relationships with friends, family, and lovers play an important role, as does involvement in groups-such as religious groups, sports teams, book clubs, and other group activities.

Esteem Needs

At the fourth level in Maslow's hierarchy is the need for appreciation and respect. Once the needs at the bottom three levels have been satisfied, the esteem needs begin to play a more prominent role in motivating behavior.

At this level, it becomes increasingly important to gain the respect and appreciation of others. People have a need to accomplish things, then have their efforts recognized. In addition to the need for feelings of accomplishment and prestige, esteem needs include such things as self-esteem and personal worth.

People need to sense that they are valued by others and feel that they are making a contribution to the world. Participation in professional activities, academic accomplishments, athletic or team participation, and personal hobbies can all play a role in fulfilling the esteem needs.

People who are able to satisfy esteem needs by achieving good self-esteem and the recognition of others tend to feel confident in their abilities. Conversely, those who lack self-esteem and the respect of others can develop feelings of inferiority.

Self-Actualization Needs

At the very peak of Maslow's hierarchy are the self-actualization needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested in fulfilling their potential.

"What a man can be, he must be," Maslow explained, referring to the need people have to achieve their full potential as human beings.

Maslow's said of self-actualization: "It may be loosely described as the full use and exploitation of talents, capabilities, potentialities, etc. Such people seem to be fulfilling themselves and to be doing the best that they are capable of doing. They are people who have developed or are developing to the full stature of which they capable."

Progressing Through the Pyramid of Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often displayed as a pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid of needs are made up of the most basic needs while the most complex needs are at the top.

Once lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs. As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social.

At the top of the pyramid, the need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority. Like Carl Rogers, Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve individual potential.

Different Types of Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be separated into two types of needs: deficiency needs and growth needs.

Deficiency needs: Physiological, security, social, and esteem needs are deficiency needs, which arise due to deprivation. Satisfying these lower-level needs is important to avoid unpleasant feelings or consequences.

Growth needs: Maslow called the needs at the top of the pyramid growth needs. These needs don't stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person.

While the theory is generally portrayed as a fairly rigid hierarchy, Maslow noted that the order in which these needs are fulfilled does not always follow this standard progression.

For example, he noted that for some individuals, the need for self-esteem is more important than the need for love. For others, the need for creative fulfillment may supersede even the most basic needs.

Criticisms of Maslow's Theory

Maslow's theory has become wildly popular both in and out of psychology. The fields of education and business have been particularly influenced by the theory. But Maslow's concept has not been without criticism. Chief among the long-held objections are:

Needs don't follow a hierarchy: While some research has shown support for Maslow's theories, most of the research has not been able to substantiate the idea of a needs hierarchy. Wahba and Bridwell (researchers from Baruch College) reported that there was little evidence for Maslow's ranking of these needs and even less evidence that these needs are in a hierarchical order.

The theory is difficult to test: Other critics of Maslow's theory note that his definition of self-actualization is difficult to test scientifically. His research on self-actualization was also based on a very limited sample of individuals, including people he knew as well as biographies of famous individuals who Maslow believed to be self-actualized.

Some of the more recent critiques suggest that Maslow was inspired by the belief systems of the Blackfoot nation, but neglected to acknowledge this. Maslow's studied the Northern Blackfoot tribe as an anthropologist. However, this foundational basis disappeared over time, causing him to misuse the concepts he was originally there to assess.

Impact of Maslow's Hierarchy

Regardless of these criticisms, Maslow's hierarchy of needs represented part of an important shift in psychology. Rather than focusing on abnormal behavior and development, Maslow's humanistic psychology was focused on the development of healthy individuals.

There has been relatively little research supporting Maslow's theory, yet the hierarchy of needs is well-known and popular both in and out of psychology. And in a study published in 2011, researchers from the University of Illinois set out to put this hierarchy to the test.

What they discovered is that, while the fulfillment of the needs was strongly correlated with happiness, people from cultures all over the world reported that self-actualization and social needs were important even when many of the most basic needs were unfulfilled.

Such results suggest that while these needs can be powerful motivators of human behavior, they do not necessarily take the hierarchical form that Maslow described.

The Expanded Hierarchy of Needs

In 1970, Maslow built upon his original hierarchy to include three additional needs at the top of his pyramid, for a total of eight:

Cognitive needs. This centers on knowledge. People generally want to learn and know things about their world and their places in it.

Aesthetic needs. This addresses the appreciation of beauty and form. People might fulfill this need through enjoying or creating music, art, literature, and other creative expressions.

Transcendence needs. Maslow believed that humans are driven to look beyond the physical self in search of meaning. Helping others, practicing spirituality, and connecting with nature are a few ways we might meet this need.

A Word From Verywell

Whether you accept Maslow's hierarchy of needs or not, his theory shines a light on the many needs we have as human beings. And even if we don't all place these needs in the same order, keeping them in mind when interacting with others can help make our interactions more caring and respectful.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Explains Human Motivation

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Maslow's hierarchy of needs describes five levels of needs that motivate human nature. Learn more about the pyramid of needs and why it matters.

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Sabba creatively uses her illustrations to highlight social issues and those that may affect her directly. This illustration demonstrates the experience of Muslim university students across the UK. It highlights the stigma and discrimination these students go through, as society's view of Muslims often tends to trickle down into academic institutions.

With clear and calm narration, Sabba perfectly raises simple questions of "why can we not belong?" and challenges viewers to change their perceptions of how they view others.

As a student who doesn't face such hardships in education, it is really insightful and helpful for me to hear the viewpoint and empathise with those who follow Islam.

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Although already familiar with WGSN on my Fashion Buying course, it was nice to hear from somebody from the team about what is is they do/who they are, almost like a refresh.

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This article details the importance of trend forecasting. The impact of the coronavirus severely impacted on brands within and outside of the fashion industry and it is key to think about what life will be like for retail after this, as many brands are still recovering or struggling to do so.

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Importance Of Fashion Forecasting | JD Institute of Fashion Technology

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Fashion forecasters predict the collection of colors, textures, fabrics, prints, footwear, accessories that will be the forthcoming trends on the runway.

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This article highlights the AW22 fashion trends that may stem from the New York Fashion Week catwalks. Some key takeaways from this fashion show are:

Unexpected pairings
Glitz/glamour
Ethereal gowns
90s silhouettes

These insights are useful to brands because they provide guidance for future designs.

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The biggest moments from the NYFW catwalk

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Everything you need to see from the Big Apple

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Following different articles and sources on trend forecasting, I explored different runways and street styles that were seen throughout the month of 2021, to develop fashion that I think will be seen in 2022/23.

Here are some trend predictions and the reasons why:

Extreme oversized fits - During the pandemic, loungewear and comfort clothing were key as many stayed at home. The softer/bigger and cosier the better, and so I think as we move outside these silhouettes will continue to follow. They also provide an aspect of safety (see Maslow's hierarchy of needs post)

Playful punk - There is a lot of emphasis on goth vibes (see the article above on NYFW)

Summer in winter - I think that even into the winter months we will hold onto bright/pastel/summer colours. Following the lowness that many experienced during the pandemic, I believe that brands will still incorporate colours that spark joy and positive emotions to combat things like S.A.D.

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The creation of CADS is an extremely useful tool and allows me the opportunity to create range plans. If I am to go into the field of buying, this is a key part of the role. It enables me to have some design responsibility, using the trend predictions to direct a brand. Using WGSN's CAD catalogue, I downloaded and played around using Adobe Illustrator to create and colour some products below.

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I find that although CADs are an incredibly useful tool for designers, I do prefer looking at hand drawn illustrations of fashion designs, because I feel as though there are more intricacies and you can add more detail that digitally you may not be able to. That being said, this may be possible digitally and I admit that I don't have resources other than my laptop to create CADs with.

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“Creativity is a political act” This point from the presentation  really stuck with me because I have never really associated my work with the ability to make positive change. I think I underestimate the power of a piece of creative work - at times I may think about how my work can generate a nice reaction, but I never think it would be great enough or big enough to affect anything on society.

I think this is really going to stick with me and will definitely change the way in which I think about the work I produce, I am definitely inspired to do more and think bigger with the ways in which my creativity can make a big societal impact.

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Following the talk I went on to find further creative projects that aim to inspire change. In 2015, artist Luke Jerram collaborated with the Bristol homeless charity 1625 Independent People to highlight the invisibility of homeless people.

The glass sculpture he created reflected the figure of a sleeping homeless person. The sculpture was lit and stood out on the streets of Bristol where typically passersby would be oblivious to the existence of a homeless person.

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Created by Luke Jerram as part of a glass residency at The Glass Hub in England, with funding from the Arts Council of England. 

www.lukejerram.com