[Media Meandry] Shirt/CD Combo Intentionality

On my first day of being able to walk around any supermarket after surgery, I went to buy S&M2, and also soak in the excessive capitalism materialism. While passing through the apparel section, I impulsively bought a Nirvana shirt that I’ve probably spent years deciding to buy. I enjoyed wearing the shirt and love S&M2. While my days of randomly buying things are done, I think I’ve achieved a good balance between excess and satiation.

How often will I meander through this media or use this item?

I have so many shirts that I could wear a unique shirt each day for a month and still not have to do laundry. I should want to wear the shirt often enough for it to have justified its price, which is the primary arrogance of hoarding, where we own too much stuff to even be able to use. There’s the element of whether the design will help make me happy enough to where when I wear it, I feel better. It’s like I don’t see the shirts that I don’t enjoy, so for those shirts, I should donate them so they could either be worn by others or recycled for scrap cloth. If I hold onto them out of some kind of weird obligation, that weight is only in one’s mind; no one else cares.

The shirt/CD combo at concerts might be one measuring stick, then.

I have some shirts that I got along with CD combo sets from some bands that I still enjoy or enjoyed enough at the show to want to support. Let’s say it was a $10 CD or $15 CD/shirt combo. It might be easiest to give the band that money instead as a sign of appreciation, but wearing their merchandise helps promote their music, so the only way for that to be a waste of resources from the band would be if I were to buy the shirt and never wear it. I’ve tried various combinations of de-hoarding, like one-in-one-out or waiting some days or years before deciding to buy something, but I think the biggest thing is to buy with intentionality.

Do I intend to use this item, and if so, how many times and how often?

I want to wear that Nirvana shirt until it gets old, so I’ll add it to the daily rotation. When I was looking for shirts to donate a few weeks ago, I split my shirts into three sections. The daily rotation section is self-explanatory, as they are shirts I’d wear anywhere for generally any occasion. Second, weekly rotation shirts are ones that I don’t wear as often but enjoy enough to wear. Third, special occasion shirts are ones I might not even wear, but still, I enjoy enough to own. My special occasion shirts shouldn’t be as large of a collection as it is, so I took a good number of shirts and brought them into the daily or weekly rotations. I’m currently wearing a Wounded Giant that I had left in storage but never worn. Now I have two in my daily rotation and three in my special occasion collection.

Looking through our old things is a great way to use and remember how much we own.

Through my entire process, I put about a half-dozen shirts in a pile to donate. I don’t know when I’ll start donating band shirts, or whether I’ll cut out their designs to keep and use the rest as scrap cloth – because while that’s one way to “save” the designs, I could take a photo, donate the shirt, and there’s a chance that someone else could enjoy the shirt. If I stopped enjoying the shirt enough to stop wearing it, then there’s no real reason for me to keep it physically. A photo would suffice. I think we almost keep things like this as keepsakes when really, the keepsake is just looking at the object, rather than the object itself, and I can look at a photo just as well as looking at a shirt.

I’d debated which version of the CD to buy.

They only had the 2CD version, but there’s a 2CD/Bluray version that was tempting for me. I’m less tempted by the 2CD/DVD version and I have no interest in any of the vinyl versions. Although I still own less than 40 vinyl records, I have no interest in expanding out this collection at all, even for my Album of the Year and a 5-star album. I went to look around for the 2CD/Bluray version elsewhere but did not find it, so I’m happy enough to keep this one, even if later on I find the 2CD/Bluray version, or, let’s say I never find it. I’m fine with that, too, since I don’t own a video version of S&M. I borrowed a copy of it once from the library, watched it, and I’m satiated with that for now.

I don’t think materialism should exactly express one’s hobbies or interests.

If I’m feeling like I want to flex my Nirvana trivia or meet other Nirvana fans, I might wear my Nirvana shirt, but I’m just as happy to have realized that my smiley avatar seems to have been subconsciously inspired by the Nirvana smiley. When the shirt is sufficiently worn out, to where it wouldn’t feel comfortable to wear anymore, I could always put it in with my other Nirvana stuff. That box, for now, is in my storage room. As my health recovers, and as I’m able to do more than sit here, or do simple errands, I’d like to consider that I’ll be going to thrift stores more often. When I start going back, I figure I’ll try bringing donations, or at the very least, when I go, I won’t be bringing back more than I intend to use. That’s where the whole intentionality through the shirt/CD combo metaphor is helpful. Am I buying it to support the band?

Am I buying it to prevent the object from being destroyed?

Endtable
Quotes: None.
Sources: My personal experiences.
Inspirations: When I’m at a show for a band I like, I tend to have a bigger budget to spend, but if we don’t moderate those thoughts both at the show and in life, we could buy things we don’t care about because we want to support things we don’t care about. I bought a shirt at the float tank place I visit as well, but I liked the design, and, hey, I’m glad they’re still open. The pandemic had closed a few other float tank places, but not with this company.
Related: Other Downsizing Zeal and Media Meandry essays.
Photo: Shirt/CD combo
Written On: 2020 September 05 [5:42pm to 6:25pm]
Last Edited: 2020 September 05 [First draft; final draft for the Internet.]

 

My big goal is writing. My most important goal is writing "The Story." All other goals should work toward that central goal. My proudest moment is the most recent time I overcame some fear, which should have been today. I'm a better zombie than I was yesterday. I'm not better than you and you're not better than me. Let's strive to be better every day.