Choosing to pivot
Finding uninvited (and oft-waterlogged) ‘gifts’ of brokenness outside the shop has been part of life for the last several years:
The folly of trying to control what shows up on our doorstep has given me a distinct perspective on personal responsibility as it relates to the things we choose to acquire (and how we choose to divest of them).
When these types of choices are made for us, our options are immediately altered. Do I want to anger my landlord? Leave the impression that this is how we do business? Indulge a sense of annoyance? If not, I’ll be dealing with someone else’s garbage before (or instead of) doing whatever I had originally planned to accomplish.
When I opened the shop, I didn’t know a whole lot about what I was getting myself into (!), but the economy was stable. Our government was stable. And while our climate was increasingly unstable, we didn’t really know it yet.
I now know a lot more about our consumption systems than I did before I opened the shop. I understand that there is no supply chain for reuse, even as manufacturers clamor to ‘be circular’ without really understanding what it means for the processes on which their businesses are built.
I understand how the manufacture of stuff (clothes, electronics, toys, furniture, garden art, you get the picture) contributes directly to the emissions to which climate change is attributed. I’m antsy to help others understand this, as well.
I’m also clear about how we’ve been conditioned to feel helpful as we send our unwanted stuff to donation centers, without realizing the role these organizations willingly serve in helping us justify increased consumption while they cherry-pick the goods and quietly throw away a great deal of what we’re claiming as tax deductions. This, quite honestly, is fraud.
And because this is the system as it currently operates – and because that leaves many of us unclear about where we fit into the equation, some of us think we’re being helpful when we leave our broken stuff on other people’s sidewalks.
No harm, no foul, of course, but being pulled away from the impact work I choose to do – just to haul away already-broken dressers and wobbly chairs – has played a role in the decision to shift gears & focus on our long term vision.
Besides: wanting to reach a broader audience is a tug I’ve felt for quite a while now, and it’s time to make this (if disruptive) pivot.
I’m sharing some new contact info (@juliejunket on both Twitter + Instagram) because I’m ready to separate my human experiences (living and working at the intersection of stuff, climate disruption & social change) from the necessarily commerce-oriented @shopjunket. It’s tricky to balance both in the same place (especially as @shopjunket steps up a notch or four, as well!).
I look forward to engaging as a whole person: parent, professional, friend (albeit a woefully-out-of-touch-one to many). As part of that whole person approach, I’ll also be continuing (and more consistently so) to document my own efforts to adapt to unprecedented change…
In December, members of the American Meteorological Society concluded that we have created a new climate. We may be able to avoid personal adaptation in this moment- but many humans (often those with far fewer resources than those available to most of us) don’t have this luxury (think Houston, Puerto Rico), and we should be purposeful – strategic, even – in responding to new information.
Given these circumstances, I can do more good (as Julie) by modeling thoughtful adaptation/having fun doing so (no judgment!), while focusing Junket’s efforts on better supporting a broader coalition of folks who are also actively working to adapt to a changing world.
I’m *excited* about what’s coming next on both fronts, and look forward to sharing updates as more info becomes available.
Stay tuned…
-julie