Does consumer culture overpower individual creativity? Last night I went to the Enso Artspace to listen to a talk from artists of the current exhibit Five Corners. The body of work of the artist Ben Browne, entitled Found Color Index, focuses on this specific question. Ben takes the name of a popular house paint color, in this case “Twilight Mist”, finds complementing colors according to the Benjamin Moore Paint Chart, and then Google image searches each paint name and chooses the first image to be the subject matter of his art. The first image to show up is very telling of what is the focus of pop culture.

Canvas prototype

Twilight Mist, Adobe Dust, Ivory Porcelain by Ben Browne
Plaster casted from prototype

Twilight Mist by Ben Browne

Ben Browne’s work spurred me to think about the consumer culture and how it affects creativity and individual fashion. A vast majority of  Americans work 40+ hours a week. At the end of a day of work, people are mentally spent. They have less energy to make decisions about what to consume and are likely to choose whatever is the first thing to come to mind. When one goes into a grocery store there are frozen dinners. In furniture stores there are fully designed living rooms to go. In clothing stores whole wardrobes are displayed on manikins. With time being precious after people work most of their days, it makes sense to buy what is put before them and save time and energy. I myself used to eat out a lot and shop at Urban Outfitters because I could find something I wanted quickly. To be able to afford all the conveniences, people have to work more hours. It is an interesting life cycle.

Getting into thrift store shopping was difficult for me at first. Shopping in stores with the latest trends made it easy to select a few items to wear and feel confident they would look good together. In thrift stores not much is on display which makes the selection process a bit overwhelming. And in the beginning, I scanned over the racks looking for anything that looked like something I’d seen on TV shows or in magazines. In thrift stores, looking for the latest fashions sets up an expectation and eliminates a lot of possibilities.

Here are a few tips I go by to make thrift store shopping a successful experience.

Touch EVERYTHING on the rack and grab items for any or these reasons:

1. unusual colors and also colors you like (a color pallet of an outfit makes a statement)
2. quality fabrics (silk, wool, rayon, suede, leather)
3. interesting patterns
4. collect belts that fit your waist line (these help to finish outfits off and fit sizes that would normally be too large)
– for men the equivalent might be belts but also vests and/or jackets
5. silhouettes that cling, drape, or exaggerate parts of the body (dare I say shoulder pads)

After time, thrifting gets easier and quicker.

Bronze, high-waisted, rayon/acetate, XL shorts: Workables by Francine Browner, thrift store $3.50

Leather plum-colored ankle boots: Carole Little, thrift store $5.00
Crazy patterned socks: gift

Leather woven belt: thrift store, $1.50
Draping, cream-colored, XL blouse: hand-made? ,thrift store, $2.00
Afghani Allah necklace: Armor Bijoux, $150

You’ll probably notice that I own the ethnic jewelry shop Armor Bijoux. I have found it difficult to find quality jewelry for an affordable price. I feel in love with ethnic jewelry because over the past 12 years, it has never gone out of fashion for me and adds interest to any outfit. Ethnic jewelry are statement pieces and worth investing in for their timelessness, design, cultural history, and quality.

Vintage leather camera bag: thrift store, $5

Photographer: Kelly Lynae Robinson

Since thrift store shopping, I have spent less money on clothes but have the best wardrobe I have ever owned. A week’s worth of clothes can cost less than $30 dollars. Besides saving money, I am also happier. Even after putting together outfits in the thrift shops, I experiment more when I get home and do not get as board with what I bought. I believe true happiness comes from experimentation and creating. Why pay more money to be less creative?