The 7 sins of creativity and writing – Greed

So far, we have covered Lust and Gluttony. The next in line is Greed. Traditionally, Greed in the 7 sins stood for the desire for copious amounts of wealth and a person who would stop at nothing to acquire that wealth. Over time, greed has been more loosely associated with the desire for too much of anything.

Whenever I think of greediness, the first thing that comes to mind is a book my mother used to make me read every time I was being greedy… The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies. Whenever I would start asking for too much, or acting ungrateful for what I had, she would threaten to make me read it again. It worked really well.

*honestly, if you have children and don’t have this book, I’d be surprised. The entire series of Berenstain Bears is actually worth owning as they cover almost all of the ‘lessons’ kids go through…I cherish the set I have of them.*

So, what does writing and creativity have to do with Greed?

Unfortunately, a lot!

Writers and creative types tend to be very greedy – and I am not sure why. I just know that anyone who I know who is creative or a writer (sadly, including myself) tends to be a bit greedy by nature.  As a person, I think those who are creative tend to want more out of everything. They want more attention, they want more appreciation and they want more recognition. Creative people do not make their money in basic 9-5, doing what someone tells them to, jobs. At least not those who are really hell bent on being creative. The creative types go out on their own and create their own businesses. Which means in order to do well, they must get noticed. So they talk about themselves, promote their work and show off. They gather a little bit of attention and all of a sudden, boom! They become greedier and greedier for that attention. They don’t want to share it, they don’t want anyone else to get that attention, they want it all to themselves.

I know what you’re thinking, “not all creative people/writers are like this. There are plenty of writers/creative types that show off other peoples work and are happy to share the spotlight”. I have to disagree. There are some, yes, that share the spotlight now that they are super successful, but have you noticed that even when they share the spotlight, they still have at least 51% of the attention? It is a challenge of personality that I think all creative people need to face, and realize, otherwise they risk it overpowering them.

Now, with this all said, I am not saying that creative/writers are the most greedy, or even in the top 10% (hello Bernie Maddoff? Imedla Marcos? George Steinbrenner?). But, I do believe that there is an inherently greedy nature to those involved in creative fields, and definitely in writers.

What do you think? Is there an inherent greediness or am I just assuming based on those whom I know?

Related posts:

1. The 7 sins of creativity and writing – Envy
2. The 7 sins of creativity and writing – Pride
3. The 7 sins of creativity and writing – Gluttony