The Business of Being Thoughtful
I’m no hippy. I am not a tree hugger or campaigner. I don’t believe that money is the root of all evil, or that consumption causes all the world’s ills. I like to be rewarded for hard work. I like having nice things, traveling and eating well. But I’m not thoughtless. I know the things I make, buy and do have an impact on the world around me.
For years, I struggled with this puzzle: How to enjoy the lifestyle I want without feeling guilty about the consequences? Yes, things like carbon footprints and supply-chain labour standards must be taken seriously — it’s silly that we’ve allowed so much waste and injustice. But personally, I tend to feel a little disempowered by the usual rhetoric around big global crises like climate change and poverty.
The thing is, we as individuals — both consumers and creators — are the biggest force for change. Every day we make dozens of decisions that affect our world. Drive or take the bus? Upgrade to the latest new gadget or keep the one that works just fine? Do things the way they’ve always been done, or try to change them for the better?
We might know which is ‘the right thing to do,’ but being nagged about it is, frankly, a bit of a bore. What if, instead of being told we’re part of the problem, we felt motivated to become part of the solution? What would the world look like if everything we made and bought did more good than harm?
As soon as I realised I’d hit on the questions I wanted to spend the rest of my life’s work solving, I realised the real question wasn’t ‘What if?’ but ‘How?’ And to figure that out, I first needed to ask ‘Why?’ Why did I find it hard to reconcile living well in a material sense and living well in a virtuous sense?
I came up with two reasons. First, I respond better to pleasure than guilt. I find it easier to make the right choice when there’s something in it for me, rather than when I’m lectured to by the holier-than-thou. After all, nobody’s perfect. Second, I’m impatient — I find it hard to make the right choice today when I might not see the benefit for a long while.
Having spent nearly twenty years working in government, non-profits, small companies and big corporates trying to change the world, it finally struck me what was missing: where was the inspiring vision of a world we all want to live in, a world we can all buy into now — today?
Soon after I asked the question, I started seeing the answers all around me. Chefs making outstanding meals using produce that was destined for landfill. Designers upcycling everything from fashion to furniture into stuff that’s even better than the original. Entrepreneurs giving disadvantaged people a chance through fulfilling and fairly paid work.
More and more, I noticed, human creativity and generosity — what I call thoughtfulness — were making it possible, desirable even, to live and work in a way that makes a real difference in the world and in people’s lives. At the same time, social media was making it harder for companies to hide their dirty laundry, and increasing our expectations for them to act with integrity. And the internet was making it easier to start a new business, test new ideas, reach new audiences, and build whole new markets. The power that digital technology has put in the hands of users and makers is in no small part responsible for the rise of social enterprise — a growing movement of businesses that unashamedly make money by doing good.
At their best, these businesses reflect their social mission across everything: people, product and process. They focus on creating something of meaningful value for which there’s a market and an opportunity for growth, and in return they get our loyalty as employees, partners and customers. They make me feel good about the things I buy, knowing where they came from, who made them and that they were made with care. They make things that are made to last, and that over time, as my own story gets woven into them, I become less willing to chuck away and more willing to repair. They replace ‘stuff’ entirely with service and experience and allow me to make smarter use of the things I do have.
They’re companies like Upper One Games, the Inuit tech company that’s using video games to preserve cultural heritage. Or Patchwork Present, a website where people can crowdfund the gift they really want and avoid time, money, and unwanted presents being wasted. Or Olio, an app that connects people with excess food they don’t want to people who do want it.
They’re neither bleeding heart charities nor cynical opportunists. They are passionate pragmatists, like me, and they are the businesses I want to see succeed. So I made it my mission to spread their stories in order to make more people aware of them, inspire more shoppers to buy from them, and challenge more companies to act like them.
What started as a handful of stories on a self-built website has become Thoughtful — an online magazine, studio and creative community championing lifestyle, design and culture that makes a positive impact. And what began as an experiment to see if there were other people out there like me — people who want to make better things, and buy better things — has turned into a global movement of thousands of curious, forward-thinking, compassionate creators. Together, we’re showing how easy and rewarding it can be to live well, every day and in every way.
Being thoughtful about how you live, buy and work doesn’t have to be hard. It shouldn’t be a sacrifice. But it is a choice.
Will you make things the way that’s cheapest and fastest, or will you choose to make them better? Will you buy, use, and dispose of things thoughtlessly, or will you choose to do better? Will you live in the dark about the impact you have on this planet, or will you choose to live better?
Let’s make with a mission. Let’s do smart design. Let’s live in a way that leaves the world in better shape than we found it. Let’s feel good, not guilty. Let’s use our power as creators and consumers to change the world — not in the empty and tired way the phrase is used by every other tech startup, but for real.
Daianna Karaian is the founder of Thoughtful Works and editor of Thoughtful, bringing together commercial creatives and mission-led startups to make things that make a real difference.
This article first appeared in the August 2016 issue of Offscreen Magazine.
