"My Mind is Playing Tricks On Me" or is it
Are you sensing or possibly feeling that your mind is playing tricks on you day after day, week after week, month after month, so forth and so on? And it may literally have you questioning yourself about all sorts of relationships, your egoic spending habits, and the wonder of what life is truly about. Such curiosity that can potentially kill the cat when you get into thinking; "Mmm, Do I necessarily NEED that or do I just WANT it?"
In most cases when a question like that pops into our head if any at all, our reactions are usually: "Weeell it only cost such & such amount of money and/or time", ooor "it would really go nicely with such & such for the moment", ooor "I'll be mad later on if I don't act on it now". The entire trickery of the "YOLO" effect that we all put onto ourselves causes us to do some wild and crazy things which also includes us shopping without thinking intelligently. Trust and believe I've been something like a wild one, whom some may consider a clothing junkie that grew up valuing most material things to make me feel like I just had to have it because of someone else's idea of what successful people supposed to look like.
As a visual merchandiser I'll honestly say that I am guilty for luring the everyday lusty consumer into stores simply with attractive window displays that are eye catching on purpose. Most window shoppers are easily distracted by the bright colors, its amazing aesthetics and in most cases some form of reward that can catch you off guard with marketing and advertisements. However as a creator, I've also learned how to transform this lust into a passionate love form that actually best suits my needs for the long haul; such as thrifting and upcycling. In fact before visual merchandising became apart of my learning process, I was studying textiles and all of its vintage qualifications when my grandmothers gave me permission to shop their own personal closets that held all kinds of stuff. Products that were made of genuine leathers, and furs, and velvets, original denims, official wools and pearl buttons and gems, you name it; they had it.
Each garment that had the utmost amount of time to show off and be worn over and over again for multiple occasions yet in many different styles and still kept fresh for the next special occasion. For someone who doesn't acknowledge the depth behind textiles they would probably think, "why are they holding on to such old outdated product?" but for someone who has done their studies, those very same old products has been returning back in style every 15-20 years for a quick refresh of how the ol' G's used to get fly. And if not, then these same old outdated pieces has turned out to be a great source of materials to reuse and create other products; at least in my book.
Now I know that was a bit personal, however this saying goes for anything your deciding to spend your time and money on. Once your intentions are involved with consuming based on your specific needs and overall planning, it will require some consideration to not only its utility but to its quality aspect and overall budget. Take these top questions for instance as we are mindful while roaming shopping centers, malls and even the internet. What is my cause for shopping anyway and how will I utilize the things that I've purchased? According to reviews (which is highly important these days), What lifespan am I projecting throughout the use of this particular item? And let's be real, is it a priority to my budget at this current time? Like is it actually circulating into something bigger or am I just frivolously spending? Now if your answers are logical and you have no reason to question, then shop to you drop and have fun with doing it, as long as you consider recycling once you're done and have had enough of it. However if we're being irrational and emotional driven, it often leads to spontaneous purchases and possibly overspending that are usually provoked from our desires and current moods causing our minds to play tricks on us. Just imagine for a hot second if our material things were an actual person; I'll let that sink in.
With great intentions to prioritize your shopping, it relieves the distraction of everyday trends that tells you "you need it" and truthfully allows you to invest wisely for longevity. So I'll make the suggestion to be mindful of your frivolous spending throughout the monthly Holidays and make sure its for a great cause; Besides it'll help us all on our sustainable journeys.
Here's a link to stay tuned into how I save by living a frugal lifestyle and not allowing my career in fashion to stir me into being a clothing junkie once again.
And Until Next Time 🤞🏽🖤
Ms. Blaque
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