Re-envisioning Our Homes for Authentic Self-Expression
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At a recent show, I struck up a conversation with a woman I met there that still sticks with me. This is why.
She walked up and was looking at my art in detail. After a few questions we got into a conversation. She had mentioned how important art is to people in so many ways…and that’s when the conversation moved to a topic that grabs my attention: “manufactured art”--i.e., mass-produced home decor.
Mass-Produced Home Decor
What I am referring to is essentially any item you use to decorate your home that was mass manufactured. I am not referring to functional items, but items which are purely for the purpose of decoration or self expression.
I apologize if this feels a little like a rant; I don’t mean it to be. But it is a topic I am passionate about.
In the end, this was where our conversation went: In America, in a society full of artisans of all kinds, why are so many of our homes full of cheap, mass-produced junk and so little art? She had recently returned from Europe, and talked about how different homes were there. Most have no cheap junk sitting on shelves in their homes, or hanging on their walls. It is either photos, or items of meaning to them, including art.
Challenges to Making a Change
I am fully aware that some will tell me: “Amanda, not everybody has the money to buy original art.” And I agree with you, if you are referring to larger scale fine art pieces. However, my scope of what constitutes non-commercial art includes even lower cost pieces, such as prints from local artists, or handmade items purchased from Etsy.
Thinking Differently
My wish is that people would consider if perhaps they would be better off with a home with just a few items that truly express who they are, than a home full of cheap trinkets that they purchased off the shelf of a big box store or Amazon.
Why? Because the first option was an intentional choice to spend money on something that (I would hope) truly represents who they are and what they like, and the second was likely purchased because they kind of liked it but mostly because they could, because it was cheap.
We’ve likely all done it at some point. Let’s be honest: that cheap purchase typically does not benefit a local business, but a factory in China. And homes full of “cheap trinkets” add up to a whole lot of dollars in the end.
And we have a lot of cluttered homes in America. We are overflowing with stuff. So much stuff that some of us rent storage spaces just to hold it. And a lot of that “stuff” is junk!
I have nothing against China. In fact, buy some art from China! But please don’t buy cheap anything when it comes to self-expression. You, your home, and your wallet deserve better choices than that.
Stop and think about this for a second: when we choose cheap, reproduced items to represent ourselves via objects placed around our home, what does that say about how we feel about ourselves?
Changes for More Authentic Self-Expression
On a simple level, what I am proposing is to buy fewer things we don’t need. And when we do buy something, don’t make an impulse buy. The decision to buy something should start at home, not at the store.
- Look at your space
- Identify where you want to place something (wall, sofa, side table, etc.)
- Know what is important and has meaning to you
- Choose the type of item you want to place there
- Then shop for that item
Have you sat down before and really thought about what has value to you? If not, my free worksheet helps you identify those intentional choices in just a few minutes (I told you this was important to me!).
My hope is that with time our society will shift our values. Choose to spend our money on things of quality, that hold meaning to us.
On some level, I believe most of us want homes that truly reflect who we are. Homes where we are surrounded by beauty, peace, and authenticity.
Self-Expression Is a Journey
I have lots of ideas about this that I plan to share–about how to curate homes of beauty and authenticity. When that is our goal, we can intentionally build homes of authentic self-expression.
This is lifelong journey that I am on, and I am hoping others will join me.
Hopefully, including you.