“It seems that the more time I spend creating and being creative … the less I need to acquire things. [It] is a far better experience than the momentary gratification of a new thing. You probably find this, too – the less you buy, the less you want.” –Valeria Maltoni
A while back I read an analysis of power strategies communist governments used to assert control over their populace. Shortages resulting from the planned economy caused people to queue at shops for long periods of time, waiting for goods that were rumored to arrive, though nobody knew when (reading the article I recalled having to stand in line after school for three hours to get potatoes for dinner). Long waits numbed people, made them pliant and tired. The time spent waiting for essential supplies sharply reduced the time and energy people had for other activities, like challenging the totalitarian government, being free, thinking, creating, fulfilling their true potential.
I have long sensed that in the Western world, the acquisition of material goods has a similar effect. The time you spend shopping – searching for needless stuff to buy, researching features and alternatives, traveling to and from stores or clicking through websites, unwrapping, installing – is the time not spent being creative, connecting with people, experiencing what life has to give, fulfilling your true potential.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ranks human needs according to their priority. People tend to focus on satisfying lower level needs before moving up to fulfill needs on higher rungs of the needs pyramid. On the very top sits the need for self-actualization – motivation to realize one’s full potential and possibilities, “to become everything that one is capable of becoming”. Creativity is a self-actualization need.
Companies use identity marketing to convince people that acquiring their product will help them be who they are or who they want to be or who they want others to think they are. Rich Bruer recently commented that “materialism is how so many of us make or express meaning in our lives”. The question is, does stuff make us who we are. Does stuff help us become everything we are capable of becoming?
The more time you spend creating and being creative, the less you’ll need to acquire things. What’s more, “creativity is free”, says Andrew Winston in his new book Green Recovery (review coming soon).
The more obvious ways of being creative – writing/blogging, painting, photography, making music – may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Rather than strictly about art, creativity as a method of sustainable consumption is about self-expression. It’s also about creating meaning in your life. It’s about redefining the mundane. Cooking, gardening, home improvement/decorating, sewing, or making things are just a few examples. (Yes, you may need supplies for all these activities, but you’ll likely find you prefer to spend time doing them over shopping for them, and you’ll find alternative – creative – ways to accomplish your vision.)
In terms of sustainability, getting creative means asking questions like
- Do I really need this thing or can I do without it?
- How can I use less energy and generate less waste?
- How can I spend my time more effectively for the benefit of the human kind, not just my own immediate gratification?
Discovering answers to such questions is a creative pursuit in itself.
Let’s be everything we can be.
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In this series I explore alternative ways of satisfying the needs of the present with products/services without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs. I see each way as a sustainable marketing opportunity to optimize the triple bottom line. Please take a moment to share your views in comments.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Peter
sometimes follow ur blog, and liked this one. I am doing a course on environmental responsibility, and have just read a really good exerpt from Michael Maniates – plant a tree, buy a bike, save the world? It basically argues that Western (actually US) – but applies to the West in general) paterns of consumption prevent collective social action, increase individualism, and do further environmental damage. Is a similar line of thought to the above, and advocates for creative solutions and new ways of thinking. Glad to see that you are still quoting Maslow
would highly recommend Maniates if you havent read it already.
take care
Liz
@Liz: Thanks for the Maniates pointer, I’ll check it out. As for Maslow, the needs hierarchy is a basic and very useful marketing tool, how can you not quote it.