Abundance from Deficit
Guest Editor | Julia Small, Brooklyn NY
Photo by Greenpoint Landing
From a place of deficit we can create abundance. As this past year has proven, being forced to live with less enacted a redefining and rededication of our priorities. In this time of renewal, after more than a year of abrupt emptiness, we see what has come from a pared-down existence and moving forward, what needs to be reinstated, edited, or left out completely. Intention and awareness brought to everyday decisions, is timely for our personal well-being and vital for the collective kind.
My approach to a sustainable, low waste lifestyle derived from deficit. The lack of time and funds in the beginning has turned into the fuel that runs my business and effects my daily routine today. I am still the kid who appreciated the smell, memory, and ease inherent in hand-me-downs. I am still that teen rummaging through bins and thrift store racks with dog walking money folded in a front jean pocket. And I am the young adult dragging eclectic finds off the street to furnish dorm rooms and first apartments. Though I am also now a jam-packed-scheduled mom and business owner with means I have no energy for or practice of shopping new or in bulk. The idea of loading up on plastic-wrapped, family-sized, big boxed goods seems an affront to my very nature - although my family would personally benefit from having some backups stored away.
We don’t often think about what we buy, because if we did we’d see what we are implicit with in order to get that thing we want in our homes or on our bodies. That intricate web of ideals ordinarily runs contradictory to how we see ourselves. Ease of acquisition, style, and cost have been the only factors taken into consideration for generations. For most, it is an inconvenience to realize how something was derived. We want to click a button and have it show up as promised. Most of us are already aware of the food industry and how to navigate the best ways to buy and what to feed our families. We know the closer we can be to the resources we rely on the better off we are. But I believe in a farmer’s market approach to retail shopping as well.
As an artist I work with materials that already had a life and reimagine it in order for it to get it to its next one. I interior RE design client’s spaces enhancing what they already have in order to keep it resembling them cutting down on waste that typical interior design promotes. In my shop, you can meet the artist who made the item, curated the space, and can tell you the story behind the work. Immediately, it makes one feel good about spending the money to treat themselves or another. It connects them to the object and although it may be more expensive than other items you could click on from afar, the inherent value is so much more.
We all can’t grow our own food but we can support the people who grow it sustainably. We all can’t make our own clothes or find vintage in our size and price point but we can buy less from the big brands that pollute and promote excess. The global poor continues to shoulder the greatest burden brought on by climate change and unsustainable practices. It is the duty of privilege to wield it for the greater good and the more of us who act with intention in our daily choices dictates what becomes more readily available for others. If we insist on more connective commerce then better practices become the norm and the prices for what began as luxuries can come down to earth. By paying a little more or putting up with a little less we will be able to reverse the trends. Success is found in these details, connections, and conversations. Keep it personal - what you eat, what you wear, what you gift, and how you get by.
some personal actions I’ve taken that add up :
My kettle went from stovetop to electric and my tube of toothpaste to a jar of toothpaste bits. Overnight, and with no detriment to me, I’ve upgraded my energy efficiency and lowered my plastic waste. A bonus, my 6-year-old can now safely ‘put the kettle on’ for me and not leave me a sticky pink mess on the sink from brushing after breakfast. Price-wise the bits are the same or less expensive due to the serving size of one bit per brush - unlike the potential squeeze blowout of a traditional tube.
Treat your booty to a bidet. Two Valentine’s Days ago I asked for a Tushy bidet that connects to one’s regular household toilet. It is great to feel fresh throughout the day, to save on toilet paper (I use washcloths to dry after spritzes) and is an amazing way to clean menstrual cups.
Switch from tampons whose applicators DO NOT compost or recycle. Don't be fooled, even the cardboard ones have a plastic lining and end up as ‘beach whistles’ — even the organic cotton no applicator ones come wrapped in plastic and clog up systems… to a menstrual cup. They provide up to 12 hours of having to not even touch it and no leakage.
Buy less meat, more localized veggies, and support smaller grocery chains.
Buy used EVERYTHING you can think of. Before visiting that popular site (you know what I mean ) check eBay. It saves you so much money and the planet from more waste and manufacturing.
USA-made clothing and support sustainable businesses (the fashion industry is getting better, reward the brands that are doing the work!) no more fast fashion (why do you want to wear what everyone else is wearing anyway?)
Compostable floss! It comes in the cutest glass vial with a built-in cutter in the metal lid.
Find used toy stores or swap with someone you know that has kids.
Make your own gifts or take people on experiences or for food instead of buying them stuff.
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES & ARTISTS