Tools not trophies
This will be a part of an on-going series that serves as an arena for me to actively develop an ethos for conscious consumerism.
Halfway through the Ruth Asawa exhibit I saw a favorite word of mine in a new form: patinated. As in, patinated bronze wire. Not only had the retrospective shattered my own definition of work ethic, but it enlightened me to the evolution of one of my favorite words.
Patina, for those of you that don’t spend your time scanning thesauruses, is the (ideally attractive) aesthetic of something when it is aged and used.
Motorcycles, bicycles, and fine optics have a propensity for being fancy for fancy’s sake. They are collected in garages or showrooms or glass cases as objects of desire or prestige or achievement. Yes, there are fine works of engineering or art that must be respected and preserved for documentary purposes, but they are meant to be loved through use, not protection and preservation.
They are tools, not trophies.
Engineers and artists and designers pour their hearts and souls into making and engine sound so good that your heart skips a beat when you fire it up. They stay up late obsessing over the optical formulas to capture moments that only you will see. They decide how much resonance a tube has so when you’re ripping through canyons all you feel is the hair stand up on the back of your neck when you lean into a corner, and not the vibration of the road.
Their intention and dedication needs to be met with one thing: the responsibility to use their tools well. Over and over again. These tools are meant to work as well on day one as they are on day 5,000. They are meant to age beautifully and show it.
When the option presents itself, either through access or opportunity, invest time and attention in things that reward use with enduring functionality, and an evolution in aesthetic that would make their makers proud.
Here’s to the exposed brass plating on an old camera, and the feeling of your ten year old leather jacket and shoes, and to your adventure mobile that will outlive you and your kids. Fill your life with things that last and it will be more beautiful as a result.
They are tools, not trophies.