http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/ Story and Experience Design Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:36:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-476 Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:56:10 +0000 http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-476 [...] 11:56 Categories: Design, Sustainable Living, Technology and Culture, Thinking About Design Permanent Link « « Back when we used to care about the form of computers… Hugh Graham has anexcellent essay on design and aspirational consumer culture. I think he’s on to something and that his idea of artisanal design — convincing people to buy ugly, flavorful heirloom tomatoes instead of perfect, bland grocery store tomatoes — is going to be quite important in the future. Well, if we want to survive as a species and all that. If we just want to consume ourselves to death, we’re already on the right track for that. [...] […] 11:56 Categories: Design, Sustainable Living, Technology and Culture, Thinking About Design Permanent Link « « Back when we used to care about the form of computers… Hugh Graham has anexcellent essay on design and aspirational consumer culture. I think he’s on to something and that his idea of artisanal design — convincing people to buy ugly, flavorful heirloom tomatoes instead of perfect, bland grocery store tomatoes — is going to be quite important in the future. Well, if we want to survive as a species and all that. If we just want to consume ourselves to death, we’re already on the right track for that. […]

]]> http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-467 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:17:58 +0000 http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-467 I am a second year PhD student at IDC, IIT Bombay, India. The objective of my research is indirectly associated with fulfilling the intrinsic aspirational goals of the human being. Ok, Observe that every human being is simultaneously consuming and producing something.(Even if one is not working, one produces manure for the fertility of soil:) Human's ability to consciously produce is manifested in once profession. The first point of fulfilling intrinsic aspiration is that one be doing a job that completes a human. Most of the humans hate their work. They do it so they earn a living and they can survive. The idea of why a person works needs to be cleared in the minds of people first. How can this be possible? The way is through storytelling. Imagine an educational curriculum in which children are exposed from the beginning to " special kind of aspirational stories" The objective of the stories will be to touch move and inspire the child to a particular professional, who is the central character in the story. The life story of such a professional shows that he works for no other reason than for the love of his/her craft and is committed to it. Story can show that the lead character after having faced dissatisfaction in perusing extrinsic aspiration ends up creating chaos in his mental and also material world and that the real satisfaction he gets when his intrinsic goals are satisfied. Imagine a series of stories that have doctors, engineer, carpenters, farmers as lead characters who have found the way of life that completes a human in all respect both spiritual and moderately material. These stories should be large in number. They have to go into the society like an army of transformational communication. There are many design issues in such stories. As these stories are part fantasy and part fiction. They are taken from real life biographical instances from the lives of professionals who work for intrinsic satisfaction. And once we have the structure of such stories than any kind of fictitious plot can be created. Story of a knife who found his ultimate satisfaction in the act of skillful cutting. Story of a screw driver who found his ultimate satisfaction in the act of screwing. Possibilities are infinite. I am creating guidelines for such inspirational stories for initiating a student into the world of creative work. whats your opinion about it will it work? I am a second year PhD student at IDC, IIT Bombay, India. The objective of my research is indirectly associated with fulfilling the intrinsic aspirational goals of the human being.
Ok, Observe that every human being is simultaneously consuming and producing something.(Even if one is not working, one produces manure for the fertility of soil:)
Human’s ability to consciously produce is manifested in once profession.
The first point of fulfilling intrinsic aspiration is that one be doing a job that completes a human. Most of the humans hate their work. They do it so they earn a living and they can survive. The idea of why a person works needs to be cleared in the minds of people first.
How can this be possible?
The way is through storytelling.
Imagine an educational curriculum in which children are exposed from the beginning to ” special kind of aspirational stories”
The objective of the stories will be to touch move and inspire the child to a particular professional, who is the central character in the story.
The life story of such a professional shows that he works for no other reason than for the love of his/her craft and is committed to it. Story can show that the lead character after having faced dissatisfaction in perusing extrinsic aspiration ends up creating chaos in his mental and also material world and that the real satisfaction he gets when his intrinsic goals are satisfied.
Imagine a series of stories that have doctors, engineer, carpenters, farmers as lead characters who have found the way of life that completes a human in all respect both spiritual and moderately material. These stories should be large in number. They have to go into the society like an army of transformational communication. There are many design issues in such stories. As these stories are part fantasy and part fiction. They are taken from real life biographical instances from the lives of professionals who work for intrinsic satisfaction.
And once we have the structure of such stories than any kind of fictitious plot can be created.
Story of a knife who found his ultimate satisfaction in the act of skillful cutting.
Story of a screw driver who found his ultimate satisfaction in the act of screwing.
Possibilities are infinite.
I am creating guidelines for such inspirational stories for initiating a student into the world of creative work.
whats your opinion about it
will it work?

]]> http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-463 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:49:37 +0000 http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-463 [...] Read full story [...] […] Read full story […]

]]> http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-410 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:20:02 +0000 http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-410 [...] Hugh Graham tackles the designer’s place in our consumer culture, noting the volume of toothpaste and related products in the store aisles: [...] […] Hugh Graham tackles the designer’s place in our consumer culture, noting the volume of toothpaste and related products in the store aisles: […]

]]> http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-401 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:18:30 +0000 http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-401 I couldn't agree more Rich, and thanks for the note. I look forward to hearing more about the creative conversation you envision, whether between designers, marketers and business. It's going to take everyone to make it happen. I couldn’t agree more Rich, and thanks for the note. I look forward to hearing more about the creative conversation you envision, whether between designers, marketers and business. It’s going to take everyone to make it happen.

]]> http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-400 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:30:01 +0000 http://hughgrahamcreative.com/2008/01/30/toward-a-moral-equivalent-of-consumerism/#comment-400 Excellent post, Hugh. You are grappling with exactly the questions I am in my role as a marketer. My dream is to instigate a conversation among marketers of all stripes to acknowledge the elephant in the room. That what we do as marketers in stimulating consumer demand is part and parcel of an unsustainable economy. The Earth's resources are finite. And yet the world's consumer economies rest on unbridled consumer materialism, which, of course, is fueled by marketing. At some point the Earth will have nothing left to give. Which is why I entirely agree with your last comment about working toward the end of aspirational consumer culture: Indeed, we have no other choice. At present, we have no realistic alternative to consumerism. But that's where marketers come in. Aren't we the creative element? Can't we put our minds and storytelling abilities to use in imagining and creating a different, more sustainable future? Now that would be worth aspiring to. Excellent post, Hugh. You are grappling with exactly the questions I am in my role as a marketer. My dream is to instigate a conversation among marketers of all stripes to acknowledge the elephant in the room. That what we do as marketers in stimulating consumer demand is part and parcel of an unsustainable economy. The Earth’s resources are finite. And yet the world’s consumer economies rest on unbridled consumer materialism, which, of course, is fueled by marketing. At some point the Earth will have nothing left to give. Which is why I entirely agree with your last comment about working toward the end of aspirational consumer culture: Indeed, we have no other choice. At present, we have no realistic alternative to consumerism. But that’s where marketers come in. Aren’t we the creative element? Can’t we put our minds and storytelling abilities to use in imagining and creating a different, more sustainable future? Now that would be worth aspiring to.

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