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- On emotional connection to things... I'm a Native American ... - rockstar
- I LOOOOOOVE BEAUTIFUL stuff, but stuff that lasts. Although I ... - Oregonthinkingwoman
- Here is a neat program for donating you shoes. Go ... - Wilma
Kate Bingaman-Burt thinks a lot about stuff. No, not philosophical conundrums or brain teasers, but literally the stuff of everyday life. She's been drawing her daily purchases for years. Recently the Oregon Humanities Magazine used her drawings for its summer issue all about — you guessed it — stuff. She has a new book coming out in a few months that compiles these drawings.
I wonder what I might learn from Kate. If I were to even list all my purchases or even just keep all my receipts — let alone draw what I buy — would that affect how much stuff I end up with? I don't usually think much about my possessions, but I'm completely overwhelmed by them every time I move from one place to another.
Last month was no exception. I vowed to accumulate less stuff, to go through my stuff and weed out the detritus from the items of true sentimental value. (How do so many of both categories end up sharing space in the same boxes?) I don't consider myself a packrat — and certainly I am no hoarder — but I have to admit, I have a deep identification with some of my stuff which — rightly or wrongly — tells me, at least in part, who I am. Why can't I rid myself of those last few college notebooks? But maybe even more puzzling, why can't I stop myself from buying that lip balm or that checkstand magazine that I really only want to read one article in? I'm on a budget, I don't need this stuff.
There is some evidence that the recession is affecting our buying habits and consequently the waste we produce. But are we also thinking more about the role our stuff plays in our lives?
Have you been buying less lately? What does your stuff say about you, if anything? Are you consciously trying to avoid more stuff? Do you think about how your accumulation of stuff fits into a bigger social or ecological picture?
GUESTS:
- Lindsey Newkirk: Founder of Junk to Funk
- Kate Bingaman-Burt: Author of Obssessive Consumption
- Brian W. Jones: Designer, author of Buy-By Brian
Photo credit: Kate Bingaman-Burt
COMMENTS: (79 total)
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scan it to your hard drive OR find the info on the 'net?
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I love shoes. What is worse, some of the shoes I have in my closet hurt my feet, but I can't part with them. I look at them and see there is still a lot of good use. So they sit in my closet unused, but useful.
Meanwhile, my feet are itching to wear brand new shoes.
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Here is a neat program for donating you shoes. Go to soles4souls.org and see how much good your gently worn shoes can do. They have worked with the Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina & Rita as well as people in need in Portland.
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When it coms to stuff, I have my fair share of it. The problem is discerning between what is "stuff" and what is "important". I love books and read a lot of them, but then they pile up and the shelves sag. I love to have these as a collection, but do they count in the stuff category? I am also an artist. My style is kind of DIY, and I often use found objects such as magazines, old books etc. for collages. Or I paint on panels of wood, so I tend to collect a bit of stuff around me. However this is crucial to my creative work. So...how do we discern between the junk drawer full of old paper work, the stuff we don't need and al that wonderful disjecta floating around, that is crucial, needed and wonderful?
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I moved from Boston to Oregon last year. I left behind with my family a library of a few thousand thousand books I had accumulated over more than 20 years, with the plan that I would arrange to bring them here once I was settled. They were books from college, that were left to me by my grandfather, and that I had selected carefully from old and used book shops. I have a special relationship to books and reading, which have consoled me through difficult times. So anyone could understand why I was upset when my mother called a charity to haul my books away. Also, a conservative estimate of the monetary value of these books would be $70,000.
The lesson I learned was forgiveness. Books can have unique value. Like some other special and unique things, they can be halfway between "stuff" and people, they way a certain place can. But in the end, they are only things, and you have to let things go.
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As I establish minimalism as an important aspect of life, I muse upon the picture of Gandhi's possessions at death as a reminder. Everything he owned shown in one photograph.
http://www.southasiaoutreach.wisc.edu/high%20school/gandhiDiscovery.htm
I don't know if the photo is accurate but I use it as a mental mantra to inhibit collecting non-useful baggage.
Each year I re-purpose and give away not needed belongings. I've developed elaborate schemes to determine what stays and goes. I do track everything I buy with financial software but I'm surprised how little I use this data. It's really an addendum to my diary.
It's more important to live life than to tabulate and collate it.
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I have always imagined that every thing I really, Really need would probably amount to 3 large suitcases and a garment bag. Think about it: If you go on a wonderful two week vacation and everything you need to survive fits in two suit cases... that should be the cap for things that you own.
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I looked at the picture - wow
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When I retired, I found my relationship to my stuff changing. It has become much easier to part with things I had held on to for years. Some stuff I’ve given to family and friends where I know the stuff is a good match with the person and will have a good new home. Other stuff goes to Goodwill and becomes a modest tax deduction to help my budget.
Years ago I tried to hold garage sales, to get more money for the stuff I was sending on, but it was too painful. Watching people paw over my beloved stuff hurt enough. To then be offered half of what I already thought was too low a price for a treasure was more than I could bare. Somehow it is easier to give my stuff away than to try and sell it. -
Your comments are valuable to me. I am ready to get rid of my stuff, but I am not sure how to go about that. Your experience teaches me to give it away and I will gain more fulfillment than I will trying to sell it. I have learned already from the small amount that I have given away that I don't miss it after it is gone.
Thanks
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Still just one purchase away from happiness?
I have requently looked for things to buy when I had extra money, and I would love each one, for about "a minute", or so it almost always seemed.
Then I read a quotation from Leonard Peltier and have thought long and hard about it, unintentionally, each time I "fall in love" with some new thing I could buy.
He said, "I could be like you. I could shop at the mall, and you would say, 'what a good Indian.', but
I don't want to live always thinking I'm just one purchase away from happiness."
Then I thought more and realized that we are as a species about 30% over sustainability in our consumption, those of us in the earth's North much more than those in the Southern Hemisphere.
If that is the case, our continued trajectory will only mean the further impoverishment of the poorer world who provide our raw materials.
(We pay about 10% of what they are worth; so they are very cheap for us to use to make things to buy and own.)
If someone in that world starves to death every 1.7 seconds, then
consuming is like murder to the exagerated and unfair degree that our culture does it.
I don't believe we can have a discussion about consumption and not dwell on this rarely spoken truth.
And it all started for me with an Indian who refused to play my tired old game.
Thank you.
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So the point is that we should reduce consumption... that's cool, then the people we buy stuff from wouldn't have any way to make a living at all and they could starve to death faster?
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Buying less? Avoiding more stuff? Yes, but that's more a response to recent tax increases than anything else.
What my stuff says about us? Hmmm... my wife hoards then purges print materials at regular intervals and I tend to hoard books worth re-reading and wood/metal materials in my shop... never know when you'll need a small piece of wood to patch the squirrel house. We both hoard family/friends/travel photographs on storage media.
Do we think about how it fits into the bigger social/ecological picture? No.
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An old philosopher, George MacDonald, said that a person who actually enjoyed, -used fully-, the land or any other object, owned it more than anyone who might legally have had possession. I think that this is very true. I've found that unless I use each of the things I have, there is a subtle sense of obligation. Something inside says, "Unless you use this, you should give it to someone who does." Memorial items are used, if they actually elicit a valid memory. But I've found greater freedom in letting go of the things I haven't actually used in a year. Great for my house, too! Now, if only I could convince Hubby.
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After 18 years in Portland, I'm moving out of the state..on a pretty rapid schedule. Which means getting rid of all my stuff.
I've felt pretty "owned" for some time, but now I'm losing my attachments to things like…(oh, there's a sports analogy in there somewhere, but that would be unkind.)
I have to say, the idea of starting fresh with a couple boxes of clothes and not much more has me pretty giddy.
Want some stuff? C'mon over!
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Fortunately, there are many resources in Portland that make it easy to make sure your "stuff" gets reused rather than end up in the landfill. The ReBuilding Center and ReStore for building materials, SCRAP for art and creative materials, FREE GEEK for computer parts, and many great places to take clothing: Goodwill, Value Village, Red Light, Buffalo Exchange, ReRun and tons of other small resale shops. Now there's even a Free Store in SE Portland and tons of people that LOVE a good Free Box. When in doubt call the Metro Recycling Hotline: 503-234-3000.
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In the Portland State University Department of Architecture we have been doing research on self-storage units. According to the Self Storage Association there are now 20.8 square feet of self storage for every household in the U.S. It took twenty five years for the first billion square feet to appear. The second billion square feet took only eight years (1998-2005). One might assume that this growth has to do with the excesses of consumption in our country, but the phenomenon is actually far more diverse. The deployment of military personnel, and the incarceration of individuals contribute to these numbers as do households in transition (divorce, death, aging, moving) Even the homeless have self storage units. What makes this interesting is that regardless of the circumstances individuals want to retain posession of their things even when the cost of storing their items far exceeds the value of the things being stored.
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That is so amazing.
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What I love about Kate's drawings is that they are so matter-of-fact about what they represent. Bringing out the beauty from the mundane: not unlike Warhol and some of the artists of the Pop Art movement who took everyday objects and made us, the viewers, look upon them as something more relevant than merely 'objects'. Kate's drawings are simple, elegant and entirely addictive.
Plus, Kate's is über-cool so we gotta give her that!
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And yes, I have a lot of stuff. I collect a lot of old children's books, but they help me out in what I do as an illustrator. I look at the books for inspiration, for ideas, for help. I love looking at how the illustration masters from the 50's and '60's did what they do and wonder how they did it. My 'stuff' helps me become a better artist, if you can believe that!
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The only thing I've boughten this week (besides food) is a Patagonia shirt. I splurged because it is so expensive, but I know it will last for forever and be extremely useful. Usually clothing made today is so cheaply made it only last a little while.
My significant other and I try to live very simply. Really the only "junk" we own is stuff we acquired from our travels such as paintings and other memory related items.
We don't own a T.V. and haven't wanted to watch one in years, so I wonder if that is a reason why we are so disinchanted with materialism? We don't feel the need to compete
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TV, no matter how you look at it, is just one big commercial to make you want to buy stuff.
But as far as the Patagonia shirt. I think there is a sense in which buying nice clothes is a "Gift" of respect you give your friends. I would show up to gatherings with a old garments stitched together any which way and friends seemed to take it as a personal insult. However, if I showed up the next week in a suit and tie... for some weird reason they would seem to feel like my aparrel was paying them a compliment. So... buying quality for long term endurance is one thing... but relationships seems to be another.
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I feel good about my stuff this week: I bought a pair of long needed tires for my bike. I also accidently broke an old coffee mug from my navy days, but just threw it out.
I have learned that I have to ACTIVELY tell myself that i don't need more stuff, and dream of a truly minimalist and spartan lifesyle.
Ironiclly, my favorite thing now is my iPhone, which pretty much owns me, with it's data plans, the cool new apps for it. It's aptly named "The Precious" after the one ring from "The Lord of the Rings".
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It isn't about never getting things, it is about being mindful of what you get and why.
If you consider everything you bring in or discard (why do I need it? why do I need to throw it away? can I do something with it other than throw it away), you just start seing things differently. The trick for me was realizing that "not throwing it away" did not mean I had to keep something.
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I think Lindsey hit the nail on the head--much of the environmental impact of the "stuff" that we buy occurs during the production or manufacturing process.
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As much as I want to reduce my current stuff, and reduce my need for new stuff, I wonder about the impact on our economy. The US capitalist model can't exist, let alone grow, without continual purchases of stuff. So if we reduce, reuse, recycle--which we should, do we then need to reclassify the economic model of the US?
The other benefit of reducing stuff is perhaps the bigger problem of packaging. Less stuff, less packaging/waste--and packaging is really a big problem.
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When we were children we were primarily focused on experience. As we age, we are taught to appreciate, crave and covet stuff. No matter what stuff brings into our lives, we will all have to leave here without our stuff. Our experiences are all we will have.
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And as the Good Book says, "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. So having food and clothing let us be content with these..." I Timonthy 6:7&8
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I acquired a Meadows ski pass this week. It will bring me more long-lasting happiness than any piece of long-lasting junk I could buy for my home or wardrobe!
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TIP:
Here's a good idea if you have internet access and like books. Buy e-books or download free ones. I found this website for free books:
The Gutenburg Project http://www.gutenberg.org/
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If 150 Million Americans each spent $50 less per month - there would be in 12 months $90 Trillion less in the economy .
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Check ur math... 90 billion :-)
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Local government solid waste agencies in Salem, Portland, Eugene, Medford, Corvallis, McMinnville, and many other cities offer an excellent 8 week course that talks a lot about the importance of waste reduction. If you are interested in stuff and how (and why) to make less of it, I'd strongly encourage you to become a Master Recycler!
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1. I haven't heard a mention of "YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE". This is the concept of calculating how much you earn by hour, by adding in how much time it takes you to get ready, wind down in the evening etc. to see how much you TRULY earn. Then as you purchase things you can see how many hours of LIFE ENERGY it takes to acquire that...to help you determine if you want to spend 5 hours working to acquire that new rug, etc.
2. We have moved away from stuff as much as possible. In our recent move we ejected hundreds of pounds of books to the library and downsized by about half. We're doing the same as we look to move again soon. We eventually hope to downsize enough to move onto a boat and get the ultimate freedom.
***We try to keep our posessions to a minimum, but make sure everything we have is nice. We don't have multiples of things for "in case" (ie" in case we lose it or need to loan one out) AND, if we get something new as a gift or buying it, we make sure that something else of equal volume goes OUT of the house.
3. In the Buddhist philosophy being unable to accept change(ie: losing all of your things) is the only thing that creates suffering....
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I like that. I've heard, "Time is money". But I suppose it's also true that, "Money is life."
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Research shows that shopping triggers endorphins. http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/shopping-spree-addiction Could this be the age old programmed reward of hunting and gathering for food? I think it is actually the hunt for the object that is rewarding more than the object itself for some of us.
My most recent purchase was food and socks at Costco.
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I think you're spot-on with the hunt idea.
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I love this conversation! I just studied a passage in the Bible about this last week! In Luke 12:15 Jesus says, "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." This has really challenged me to get rid of the stuff that I have. In fact, I was studying with my friends and was challenged to give away my favorite thing (a courderoy, blue coat) as a symbol that my spiritual relationship with God is more important than my relationship to stuff. It seems silly but it really does feel hard.
Earlier on the show you mentioned the intimacy of sharing with an audience the things you purchase. I believe that where we spend our money reflects our heart and our spiritual mindset. Revealing where we spend our money would therefore be a very intimate and transparent experience, because we are opening up our souls. In the words of Jesus, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Matthew 6:21
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And there's I Timothy 6:6-10 "Godliness with contentment is the best way to go... because you didn't bring anything into this world and for sure you're not taking anything out... But if you get obsessed with having stuff you're just going to make yourself go nuts..." (Racke4 translation)
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I had let go of all the keepsakes, of generations, I had. It was not easy, not fun. But I scanned all the photos, papers, etc. Now I can still see the photos of my Great Grand folks from the hard drive, so I still have some touchstones. I came to know that as a token of her love for me my Grandma gave me things I no longer have, but she also gave me 'her chin' and I when I look in the mirror I remember how much my Grandma loved me. A touchstone I will ALWAYS have. Makes loosing the china a little easier! And that will make moving a little easier too ;) A little zen
But I wish I had a flat screen TV ;) not so zen
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I do not place much sentimental value on things, or at least that is what I thought. Last spring my younger brother gave my mother’s rocking chair to the goodwill. I was appalled. I cried over that for a week. Then I found myself keeping the knowledge of his "crime" secret for fear of what my family would feel when they found out. My mother died when I was 7 and my brothers were 3 and 1. That chair had such meaning to me now that I am a mother and have spent countless hours rocking my own children. Stuff can take on a life of their own when they are connected to someone we love.
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Many consumers do not understand how much power they hold with their purchases. I definitely vote with my money. I buy things to support caring people, causes, and movements.
When I no longer want something, I give it to someone else. Re-gifting is so underrated!
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I earned my undergrad and master's in industrial (product) design several years ago, but always felt conflicted about possibly designing the cheap disposable junk that is pushed on consumers. I do however remember one of my design professors preaching to us that we should never design products that will end up in a landfill or yardsale. Basically, make sure that product is well designed, well built, solves a problem, enhances life, and offers lasting value to the consumer. My career went into the direction of web/graphics/multimedia, but I didn't feel as bad about industrial design anymore.
Wastefull consumerisim is still a global problem and this site is a wonderfull way of summerising the big picture: http://www.storyofstuff.com
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If we would be willing to pay a little more to get "married" to a single quality product, we would find ourselves in a solid quality relationship. By paying more, we would keep more US factories open.
Instead, we go "Whoring" after casual, shallow relationships with inferior products and end up "Shacking Up" with multiple products in the same time that we could have been "Married" to one high quality product.
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I'm looking for a new computer--but I think that "planned obsolescence" is a big part of the problem.
Shouldn't producer's be responsible for the environmental costs of their products, so that they don't put the costs on us?
If they would make it to last, then they'd have lower environmental costs.
"Planned obsolescence is the process of a product becoming obsolete and/or non-functional after a certain period or amount of use in a way that is planned or designed by the manufacturer." (from Wiki)
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Wants vs. needs: You can cut back on alot of dumb purchases if you first ask yourself, "What bad thing will happen to me if I don't get this thing?"
If the answer is "Nothing", than don't waste your money on it.
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We could greatly improve our environment and our economy if as consumers we strived for "Quality, Long Term Relationships". Instead of buy alot of junky little things, we should concentrate on buy well built, quality items that will give good service for years to come.
As we treat our manufactures with a respectful payment, we will in turn receive more "Made in USA" products, and our economy will be better off.
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15 yrs ago I spent much of my life traveling around the country. I swore that I would never have more than what fit in my suitcase. This was a challenge at times and often put me in check of what I truly needed and what I wanted. Now I have two children, a partner, and a home. I still keep my old suitcase, now it holds precious keepsakes of my young family. I do still put myself in check and am always amazed at how easy it is to aquire "stuff".
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This discussion is interesting to us as we are in the life process of simplifying. There was a time when we had money enough to have about anything we could want, but we have found that with less money our choices are so much more simple! With money, the choices could be overwhelming. Now it is so much easier to say NO if we ask ourselves, "is this simple?" We have chosen to NOT work to possess things. We were slaves to possessions once, and the stress was crushing.
We drive older vehicles with no monthly payments and lower insurance, we don't purchase anything on time unless it is absolutely necessary for our daily survival. For instance, we shop Goodwill, Salvation Army, Craigs List; we keep older appliances going with replacement parts, rent equipment rather than own it and have the payments and maintenance to deal with...
I can say, that even though our income is reduced because of choices we made (now are self employed working together as custom woodworkers working from our home) our lives are so much simpler and the stress levels greatly reduced. Having less income has made life choices so much easier and clearer to see. It is much easier to discern what it is we want verses what we really need.
C. Dallas
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I would like to hear some of the guests address the relationship between materialism/consumerism and age. My impression from the world is that many people who believe strongly in minimalism discard that belief as they grow older -- because the "provider" instinct takes over or for some other reason.
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I think you may be right in that there are cycles of consumerism: I think we get and keep more stuff when we are rearing children. Then I have found that most of my friends are de-cluttering as they get older, for many reasons: we want to move to smaller, more easily maintained homes; we don't want to put their children through the pain of having to make decisions on what goes or doesn't go; we want to remember and cherish mementoes (sp?) of ages and stages of our lives and pass things on to others who may also cherish those items. I have certainly found that de-cluttering has made my life much easier and has given me the blessing of having others enjoy the stuff that was previously a burden and a source of guilt for me.
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Thanks for bringing up this subject!!! Prompted to muse on my _motives_, I find that most of my not-so-necessary acquisitions serve my desire to express and/or attract friendship or support.
I acquire:
1) practical things, as a hedge against helplessness in case of personal disasters;
2) resources that I might be able to offer to other people -- not only to help them but also to make myself more desirable in their eyes;
3) things that are amusing, partly to entertain my solitary self and partly as a lure, a toy to attract playmates;
4) things that are clever, partly to honor their creators -- that is, create a sort of relationship with them, by expressing "I like you" won't you like me back?"
5) things that are unique or "lost", to befriend and rescue them from obscurity...
... and probably several other such reasons.
Ironically, of course the more things I acquire, the more un-attracting my personal environment becomes, and the more I _obscure_ who I really am, even from myself...
Eve in Beaverton.
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I love today's program! I love hearing these words from a younger group of people. I'm thinking many of us have way too much stuff. Everything you are talking about regarding "wants and needs" are things my mother said to me while I was college age back in the 1970s. At 52 I find myself joyously clearing things out, giving things away, sharing with others, and turning things into garden art...and not buying nearly as much. Good show to take into this season of giving and sharing!
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I was up at Portland Rose Cutlery buying some small cooking spatulas and paring knives when a little pair of sewing scissors caught my eye. The handle was in the shape of a swan and was gold plated. I couldn't believe how much I wanted to own that beautiful little art piece of the seamstresses art. I didn't buy them but I have thought of them ever since.
My mom was a heck of a seamstress as part of being a homemaker so that might have contributed but other than that I don't know why I had such an intense desire for that little pair of artful scissors.
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Sandy may want to craigslist her amazing collection.
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I'm one of those people who is in the "pushing-stuff-out" phase of life. I 'm the last one alive and the stuff afrom my dead relatives sosmetimes drips with obligation. Sometimes it clears. It's such an interesting process full of interesting connotations--many of which have been touched on by your guests and other callers. Sometimes as I push stuff out there's backwash and I accept this. (Stuff drifts back in tfrom the give-away pile or I pick up a new item at a thrift store. ) The stuff weighs on me. The consumer society weighs on me. I've written about it http://miriamfeder.com/category/stuff/ and it figures into my new play: http://miriamfeder.com
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I suspect that a lot of buying is because religion teaches that there is some "God" outside of a person and so the person looks for fulfillment outside of themself instead of looking within.
But all emotions happen within and so real fullfillment comes sfrom within.
I think that is why the Thomas Gospel says that Jesus taught that God is within and also why the Thomas Gospel is left out of the Bible.
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To the lady with all the bras. I think Goodwill takes such clothes. And maybe "dress for success"
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I make art at Portland Saturday Market and sell what I make to people that want to have a relationship with their stuff. I recently gave away alot of stuff and have only kept things that I know who made them or I have a good story about them. I make a high quality item and people buy it, people know quality.
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For the caller with the bras- Contact the American Cancer Society and they have a loan closet at their cancer resource centers. The loan closets are for cancer patients and the bras can be made into mastecomey bras.
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I think stuff doesn't say much about you at all. In a way we say: stuff is not important, don't have it. But if stuff isn't important, then why should having it cause any alarm?
I was minimal for a while, at home and in person. Shaved head, eyebrows, minimal clothes, sort of alien. Concrete floor, white walls, white sheets, mattress on the floor, no pillow. Then I was like hum, I think I am perhaps minimal for the aesthetic value rather then some way of life. I guess I wonder what the difference is really?
Stuff is different for everyone. There is no all-sized recipe on how much stuff is recommended. It depends. On the person. On the desire. On the means. On the necessity. On the practicality.
Making recycled artwork or crafts in an attempt to reuse stuff, for some moral purpose, is ridiculous stuff. The most conscientious decision would be to do without completely.
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I recently moved into an apartment and need to pare down my stuff. Many of the boxes are from 10 years ago and have just been stored in a garage. It's overwhelming trying to get through it all and decide what to do with it all. I've actually taken a week of vacation time to go through all this and make those decisions. By going through this exercise - I am certainly changing how I think about shopping and things. My goal is for the next time I take a vacation week - I'll have the freedom from my stuff and go on a real vacation.
Thank you for this very timely show - helps me re-think some of those decisions as I go through the boxes!
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need vs want- decide what is necessary on a monthly basis, ie household goods, food, insurance, etc.
then think about yearly variable purchases like clothing, maintenance for vehicle, home repairs, etc.
after, make a budget based on these expenditures, be sure to include a monthly savings component and a portion for "fun" expenditures- can't be too strict.
you will then know where your money is going and make informed decisions based on this knowledge.
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For Sandy with the bras: get yourself hooked up with a professional undergarment fitter. In Eugene, that would be Ruth's Foundations. They can help you find the correct bra and, in some cases, can alter a bra to fit you better. The search for the perfect bra is difficult so we need help along the way. Good luck and thanks to the other person who posted for the American Cancer Society. Great idea!
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I just heard the last part of the story on accumulation of too much stuff. I don't have a psychological solution for the woman with hundreds of unused bras, but I do have a practical one. I work for a non-profit organization called Dress for Success Oregon. We provide resources, including professional attire, to disadvantaged women who are trying to enter the workforce. We can't take used undergarments, but all the new bras (with tags attached) can be donated to Dress for Success and she can take a tax deduction for her donation. She can go to our website: www.dressforsuccess.org/oregon to get more information. Thanks for this show. Lots of people have too much stuff and conversely, lots of people have too little. Let's get these people together! Stephanie
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I am so sorry I tuned in too late!
I was one of the lucky few artists in 2008 Junk to Funk show and it was an awesome experience. I had crocheted a dress out of cassette tapes that are rendered obsolete in our era of MP3s.
I am also a retailer and sell Stuff for a living (namely, yarn and chocolate). It is a very interesting discussion for me, because I do nothing but try to match the right person to the right Stuff to sell them all day long, and I can tell you - people just want to buy things because that's what makes them happy. They are at the beach (I am in Manzanita), they have already hiked and stared at the waves and had lunch. Now there's nothing left for entertainment but browsing the stores.
I'd like to think that mine does not sell any useless stuff. Actually in Manzanita nobody does. We don't have knickknack souvenir shops and are proud of it :)
So some things, in my opinion, are just necessities: books, yarn, food, clothes. In that order exactly :) But I don't get why we need new cell phones when the old ones still work fine (I just got my first new phone in 6 years, and it's one of the "smart" ones and I LOVE it), or why every time it's back to school time, we're supposed to get the kid new backpack and lunchbox. Not everybody does, but some of my mom-friends do.
I guess my perspective comes from having grown up in USSR, and there shopping was more about "getting it" - you had to find where something you need was sold and pretty much did not have a choice of color or model and had to get it before it's gone. I love telling my friends that in first grade we all had the exact same kind of pen because that was the only kind that was sold. Period. So I had one pen, and when the ink would run out we'd get a refill (because why buy a whole new pen - you just need a refill). My son who is 6 has probably as many pens I had owned in my whole life now :) I may be compensating a bit.
I could go on and on. Fun topic.
Olga Tonjes
T-SPOT Yarn, Teas and Chocolates
Manzanita,OR
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It is a difficult territory between advocating less consumption and the types of consumption we endorse. It can't all be about consumption---can it? How efficient or practical are handmade and/or local made goods? Isn't the assembly line, the factory, the most efficient method? If well run, wouldn't mass production cause the least impact? But what kind of world would that be? I don't know where the balance is.
Sometimes what ties us to an object is its aesthetic value or quality, over its impact. Le Corbusier and his big noble ideas, didn't work so well, but his aesthetic certainly endured. At this point in time doesn't someone also pay the price for handmade local 'stuff'? Almost as much as they pay the price for Walmart? At one time everything was handmade---the industrial revolution certainly changed much of the world. There is a certain irony in making local fashion (clothes) on a charming and expensive sewing machine from Switzerland plugged into an electrical outlet. I often think many of these movements or alleged changes in consumption are not substantive and are really more about aesthetics then they are about environmental efficiency, but perhaps that is exactly how it should be. Who knows... ???
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Switzerland, they have Wal-Mart too, it's called IKEA.
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Not exactly sure what you mean. I thought IKEA was Swedish, but they certainly have IKEA in Switzerland, if that is all you meant.
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I think we both know what I meant. If not I am sorry you didn't get the cultural referance, You may be a little too old to be privvy.
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uncommonsense,
I didn't get it. I mentioned Switzerland because they happen to make one of the better sewing machines in the world. I understand that IKEA can be compared to Walmart for its size alone. I guess I just didn't understand how it related to my post. Or maybe you didn't intend on it relating to my post. You just heard Switzerland and thought you'd mention how IKEA is their Walmart, because I mentioned Walmart. I wasn't speaking about Switzerland except in reference to the distance the sewing machine travels to get here, in order to make local items. I wasn't aware you knew my age.
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Understood, You didn't get it.
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So instead of explaining what this 'alleged' reference is, that I 'allegedly' didn't get, you are backpedaling---because, the reference was gotten, it was just off-kilter.
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Wondering how to part with some of that "stuff" you have acquired? How about bringing your lightly used clothing to Garnish as we are embarking on a Clothing and Fund Drive benefitting Hope Dolls, a local non-profit that provides programs to at-risk youth. (Garnish is a small boutique on NE Alberta Street featuring clothing and jewelry which is designed in the shop and made here in Portland). Here are the details of the Drive...
Please join us for the Holiday Clothing and Fund Drive Kick-off Party
Thursday, November 18th 6:30 - 8:30
Garnish 1524 NE Alberta St. Portland, OR 97211
We will serve up live music, food, drinks and a fun time! Also, the evening of the party we will offer 20% off your purchase when you donate and additionally Hope Dolls will receive 10% of the purchase amount.
The drive will continue through December 10th, during which you will receive 10% off with your donation and Hope Dolls will receive 10% of the purchase amount.
Please feel free to donate women's, men's, or children's clothing. If you have questions please call: 503.282.3200.
Thanks for your support! Cheers, Erica
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PS. Scott, how did you know my machines were made in Switzerland:)?
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The older I get the less I need - I love to look tho and the Goodwill Bins are the bomb!! I also Freecycle - I've gotten great stuff and given better including a complete Thanksgiving dinner (pie and all) just google Freecycle and see what I mean.
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I LOOOOOOVE BEAUTIFUL stuff, but stuff that lasts. Although I'm a chiropractic physician, in my 'prior life' I was an artist and musician. So that aspect of surrounding myself with 'still lifes', arranging things that I love and that have meaning for me, both aesthetically and emotionally, is deeply satisfying. Even music I purchase for my iPod Touch is "arranged".
My mother recently said, "I so love your home. Everywhere I turn, there is a beautiful juxtaposition of lovely things. It's like walking through an art museum." (Thanks, Mom, for reinforcing my compulsion...)
That said, as I approach my 60th year, I have a sense of urgency to purge, to create restful stillness, to create open space for breathing and thinking and dreaming and BEING. All my BEAUTIFUL stuff seems to suck the oxygen out of my surroundings--a dilemma that is sorting itself out as I sell, give away and throw away my WONDERUL STUFF. :>)
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On emotional connection to things... I'm a Native American jewelry artist using stones from left over mining projects and salvaged beads. My work sends a message of connection to the earth and our responsibility to her. There are so many wonderful businesses that have this same concept and it provides balance for people trying to do their part to be green. Buying something new from something old has meaning and the story behind it offers timeless value. Having emotional connection to things makes you think before you buy. Buying recycled when you can, also helps ease the guilt when you just have to have that brand new pair of boots! For me, it's all about balance and awareness. www.getyourrockon.com to recycle your old beads, stones and shells.
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I don't consider myself a hoarder, however I do keep information because of my varied interests. My problem is that I don't know where to put all the information, so my work space is cluttered. After a while, I can't stand it and begin to toss files and loose papers. Wouldn't you know, as soon as the trash truck leaves the house with all my discarded paperwork, I need something in that truck.
What is a person to do?