✷ Emmy Brown Illustration ✷

happy beltane & may day! 🌿

I’ve met the loveliest horse today

happy official start of spring! ☂️

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Thrifting, learning how to repair things, sharing resources, and being aware about what you actually have already are good habits to pick up for anyone, but becomes even more important if you're trying to disentangle yourself from excessive consumerism. Don't feel like you need to take on everything at once though - start small. Little actions matter and build up to bigger ones. Maybe start looking for a replacement plate for your broken one at antique malls. Learn to reinforce a seam that's fraying on your favorite hoodie. Ask your sibling if you can borrow their nice blender for the weekend. Spend an hour going through the box of knickknacks you pushed to the back of your closet after your last move and find old treasures you can put back out to appreciate again. Have a crafting party where everyone shares their excess supplies. Use your local library! Exercise these habits like a muscle and eventually you'll start to get a feel for when a purchase is unnecessary and impulsive, and shopping won't give you the same strong dopamine hit. (You'll also develop a stronger appreciation for the items you already have.) Finally, try to be proactive about your needs. Think about what things might be coming up - projects you need supplies for, events you want to get gifts for, expiration dates on your smoke alarms, weather you need protective clothes for, etc - and make plans for how you're going to get what you need ahead of time. The most frustrating part of leaving behind the convenience is that every once in a while you can't find what you need in person, and you might need to order it from a specialty store and wait a week for it to come in. Pulling back from the here and now and learning to anticipate your needs is a skill that takes time to learn, but it's worth it. (You'll also get more clever about finding solutions when you absolutely need something!) Breaking away from using Amazon is one of the best ways to make a tangible difference as an individual trying to push back against the horrors of late-stage capitalism, but from my experience, it also completely shifts the way you relate to consumerism. It makes you a more patient, organized, community-minded, grateful person. It is a bit intimidating, it sucks a bit in the moment, but it's completely workable and worthwhile in a lot of ways.

On top of that, as a few have mentioned, we all survived the last couple of thousand years while maintaining jobs and kids without Amazon and survived. If we don’t all think about boycotting Amazon en masse then Bezos will just get richer. Amazon has already expanded to health care, they will not stop growing as a company if we keep supporting them. Don’t we see the problem here? Amazon anime streaming, Amazon grocery store, Amazon bookstore (so insulting), Amazon music. They are taking over because it has become normal to buy your entire wardrobe, your entire home furniture, all of your birthday party favors, all holiday presents, your favorite influencer’s hair care routine, your halloween costume, every fucking thing, on Amazon

ewe make my heart sing 🏹

get some wallpapers here 💌 they’re free <3

Leonora Carrington, from The Milk of Dreams

Thrifting, learning how to repair things, sharing resources, and being aware about what you actually have already are good habits to pick up for anyone, but becomes even more important if you're trying to disentangle yourself from excessive consumerism. Don't feel like you need to take on everything at once though - start small. Little actions matter and build up to bigger ones. Maybe start looking for a replacement plate for your broken one at antique malls. Learn to reinforce a seam that's fraying on your favorite hoodie. Ask your sibling if you can borrow their nice blender for the weekend. Spend an hour going through the box of knickknacks you pushed to the back of your closet after your last move and find old treasures you can put back out to appreciate again. Have a crafting party where everyone shares their excess supplies. Use your local library! Exercise these habits like a muscle and eventually you'll start to get a feel for when a purchase is unnecessary and impulsive, and shopping won't give you the same strong dopamine hit. (You'll also develop a stronger appreciation for the items you already have.) Finally, try to be proactive about your needs. Think about what things might be coming up - projects you need supplies for, events you want to get gifts for, expiration dates on your smoke alarms, weather you need protective clothes for, etc - and make plans for how you're going to get what you need ahead of time. The most frustrating part of leaving behind the convenience is that every once in a while you can't find what you need in person, and you might need to order it from a specialty store and wait a week for it to come in. Pulling back from the here and now and learning to anticipate your needs is a skill that takes time to learn, but it's worth it. (You'll also get more clever about finding solutions when you absolutely need something!) Breaking away from using Amazon is one of the best ways to make a tangible difference as an individual trying to push back against the horrors of late-stage capitalism, but from my experience, it also completely shifts the way you relate to consumerism. It makes you a more patient, organized, community-minded, grateful person. It is a bit intimidating, it sucks a bit in the moment, but it's completely workable and worthwhile in a lot of ways.