Am I the only person who sees something like this,...

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Your daily source of inspiration for creative reuse and mindful consumption.

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[Background on, & press coverage of, Unconsumption can be found here and here.]

Consumption is a word used to describe acts of acquisition – generally, the acquisition of things, in exchange for money.

Unconsumption is a word used to describe everything that happens after an act of acquisition.

Unconsumption is an invisible badge.

Unconsumption means the accomplishment of properly recycling your old cellphone, rather than the guilt of letting it sit in a drawer.

Unconsumption means the thrill of finding a new use for something that you were about to throw away.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a service like Freecycle (or Craigslist, Goodwill, or Salvation Army) to find a new home for the functioning DVD player you just replaced, rather than throwing it in the garbage.

Unconsumption means enjoying the things you own to the fullest – not just at the moment of acquisition.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a pair of sneakers until they are truly worn out – as opposed to the nagging feeling of defeat when they simply go out of style.

Unconsumption means feeling good about the simple act of turning off the lights when you leave the room.

Unconsumption is not about the rejection of things, or the demonization of things. It’s not a bunch of rules.

Unconsumption is an idea, a set of behaviors, a way of thinking about consumption itself from a new perspective.

Unconsumption is free.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Founder & Editor: Rob Walker, journalist, Savannah, GA

Editorial & Community Manager: Molly Block, marketing and business development geek, Houston, TX

Brian W. Jones, designer & writer, Göteborg, Sweden

Kashvi Kumar, Environmental Studies and Economics major at New York University

Deirdre Nelson, ever threading artist, Glasgow, Scotland

Shanna Trenholm, writer. catalyst. force of nature. San Diego, CA

* * *

Alumnus & Unconsumption logo creator: Clifton Burt, graphic designer, Portland, OR

Further information about Unconsumption can be found here.

4:14 pm - Thu, Mar 1, 2012: 136 notes

High-Res

Am I the only person who sees something like this, and thinks: “Who actually has that many paint chips — and why do they have so many?” (Well, with the exception of, say, some owners of house-painting companies or stores that sell paint, and architectural and/or interior design firms.)

I mean, I can see owning a handful of samples. In advance of my house-painting projects, I’ve visited hardware and paint stores and taken home sample cards of similar paint shades, to help me decide which tint I actually wanted to use. But I didn’t help myself to dozens of swatches.

Do you suppose that people collect paint sample cards with the intent of using them in home decorating/craft projects?

Wasteful, maybe?

What do you think?

Via Crafting With Paint Chips. DIY & Art Galore :: COLOURlovers, which features many other paint chip projects. (Spotted on Twitter here, via @DesignMilk.)

Related: Previous Unconsumption mentions of paint chip uses here, and on Pinterest here.