Stuff
'tis the season for acquiring
Stuff.
We’ve all got a lot of it. Probably more than we need.
This Thanksgiving weekend, as I’ve been bombarded for the past few weeks with endless Black Friday ads to buy this or that wherever I look, I’m thinking about stuff and how easy it has become to thoughtlessly acquire so much of it.
I think about stuff every day.
As a designer, it’s my job.
Seeing how hard it is to actually get something made has given me a deep appreciation for the effort that goes into creating material things.
Experiencing firsthand how much thought and consideration can go into crafting a great product makes me think about the creators behind the stuff.
Shaping and refining designs to be just so has shown me that there is a real craft to making beautiful things that distinguishes it from regular stuff. Stuff that you love has someone else’s love and care behind it. Conversely, stuff that sucks can be made so cheaply and thoughtlessly.
Understanding the marketing tactics behind getting you to buy the stuff has revealed to me the machinery that powers the modern consumer economy. It’s surprisingly easy to convince someone they need something.
Over the last decade the friction to acquire stuff has decreased to near-zero. You can leverage the power of global trade and command a complex chain of logistical actions while lying on your couch.
Stuff just shows up to your house. In days. Free shipping, of course.
You see it in the Amazon Prime trucks all over the road. The piles of packages that show up on yours and your neighbors doorsteps daily. The number of cardboard boxes stuffed into your recycling bin.
You’re presented with opportunities to buy more stuff wherever you look. It’s loud and in your face all the time.
And around this time of year, they really crank up the volume.
It works. I’ll admit, it often works on me even though I see through it.
But this Black Friday, I’m thinking about what my career has taught me about stuff. Maybe I don’t need to acquire any stuff this weekend, no matter how deep the sale is.
Maybe I’ll wait and consider my options to get the right stuff that I actually need and sparks joy, even if it ends up costing me a bit more because I missed the sale.
Most people don’t really give their stuff much thought. They see it, they buy it, they use it (hopefully for awhile), they throw it away.
As makers and curators of stuff, I think designers have a unique relationship to it. We see stuff in a way that others don’t.
Hopefully we can model a more conscious approach to acquiring, keeping, and appreciating it.
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