Consuming Less by Unleashing Your Creativity
Thinking about embarking on a ‘no buy’ challenge, consider embracing your creative side to help
If you’re someone who frequently pops into shops or browses online in search of the next best thing, you’re not alone. I used to do this often and, unsurprisingly, ended up with a lot of things I didn’t really need.
Recently, I’ve come to admire the trend of “No Buy” months that I see people embracing on social media this past year and into the new year. These personal ‘no buy’ challenges are not only commendable for their financial mindfulness but also for encouraging us to buy and accumulate less.
For anyone looking to change their relationship with buying, I want to share one big idea that might help make embarking on this challenge easier- and that’s the idea of replacing your habit of consuming things with expressing yourself creatively.
Yes, becoming less wasteful and finding ways to repurpose and use what you have is a form of creativity. But I’m mostly referring to self-expression related to the humanities or arts.
My Own Habits Challenge
I incidentally came upon this idea when stretching myself with other habits that I wanted to focus on. There was a period of three months were I was doing an experiment to see how much focusing on only two of my goals/habits could make a difference. It turns out, a lot.
At the time my chosen habits were writing every day and following a schedule of physical activity. During this period, I had little spare time to engage in my normal activities. For example, my shopping was only relegated to groceries and a day of Christmas shopping because it was during the time of year when I get that task done.
One of the things I used to love to do was pop into my favorite thrift store to look for books and anything that might be useful. I might have done that once in the three months that I was on this schedule. Partly because I didn’t have a lot of spare time, but also because I didn’t need that ‘fix’ necessarily. I found that the writing was sustaining me in ways that I might have looked to other activities like window shopping to do.
In those three months I deprioritized by need to shop for things and it gave me a lot of insights into my own purchasing habits. It led me to more deeply question my own behaviours and reconsider my relationship to consumption.
Shopping as Self-Soothing
In reflecting on my past shopping habits, I’ve realized that browsing and buying were often forms of self-soothing. Searching for the “perfect” item gave me a sense of purpose, however fleeting. It was as if finding and acquiring that elusive thing provided a small accomplishment. But looking back, most of these purchases were forgettable. The cycle of “search, buy, and move on” was a habit that brought little lasting satisfaction.
As I’ve dedicated more time to writing and physical health, I’ve noticed a happy byproduct: I no longer have time or interest in casual shopping. During the recent holiday season, I stayed focused on my goals and avoided the temptations of extras. This shift has been liberating.
Finding Purpose in Creation
Having a creative outlet has given me the sense of purpose I used to seek through shopping. Writing provides a healthy “fix” when I feel the urge to do something meaningful. Thankfully, it’s an inexpensive pursuit. With just my computer and my thoughts, I can write for my blog and share ideas that may help someone — even if that someone is just future me.
Living in a capitalist society, it’s no surprise that so many of our activities revolve around consumption. For many of us, shopping has even become a hobby. While it’s heartening to see a cultural shift away from this to some extent, the absence of shopping as a pastime can leave a void. If you’ve used shopping as a form of self-soothing, you might find yourself facing emotions you previously avoided. That’s why finding a creative replacement can be so helpful.
Exploring Creative Outlets
You don’t have to think of yourself as a “creative” person to benefit from a creative outlet. Creativity isn’t limited to painting or writing; it can take many forms, such as:
Drawing
Learning an instrument
Making collages
Organizing old photos
Baking
Trying new recipes
Gardening
Rearranging your living space
Exploring phone photography
The key is to engage in activities that bring you joy rather than focusing solely on productivity. Yes, you could spend your time learning marketing strategies or reading self-improvement books, but there’s immense value in tapping into your emotional and expressive side. Many of us overlook how much we crave this form of self-expression.
I would also suggest keeping things simple. Use the supplies that you already have on hand for the moment. In the future you might decide to invest in more if it is something you really want to stick with.
The Emotional Weight of “Stuff”
I’ve long suspected that the things we collect often act as substitutes for unmet emotional needs or desires. When we focus on creating rather than consuming, we’re more likely to address those deeper yearnings directly. Creativity allows us to express and explore emotions in ways that consumption never can.
A New Perspective
If you’re looking to consume less, consider what creative outlet might resonate with you. It’s not just about saving money or accumulating fewer things; it’s about shifting your focus to activities that genuinely enrich your life. By creating more, you might just find yourself consuming less — and feeling all the better for it.