A random thought and realization when trolling the Lamborghini preowned website:
No aesthetic, no matter how good is forever.
For example, if you take a look at all these sweet Lamborghinis, eventually all the owners either got bored of it (or deep in debt)— and get rid of it. And this goes with all material things, equipment, cars, watches, cameras, clothes, shoes, etc — eventually we will bore and tire of it all.
So the question:
Given the fact that we will eventually bore and tire of all of our possessions, things and aesthetics … what should we do?
Some thoughts:
- Embrace black: Black is good because it is the most robust to boredom. Black is always in style. Even Henry Ford said black was the best color, and “You could have any color Model T… as long as it is black”.
- Don’t seek any satisfaction or joy in material things or tools. Just strive to procure things you *don’t hate*— rather than things you “love”.
- Stick to the classics. A classic thing, design, or aesthetic is less likely to go bad in the long run. In other words, seek inspiration from the past.
- Buy things cheap, used, refurbished. It seems we will eventually bore of all fashion, so perhaps in this way, buying ‘fast fashion’ is good. Or buy second-hand clothes from the thrift store, and when you’re bored of it, just trade it in again for something else. In Berlin they call it ‘up-cycling’. And knowing that the newest x, y, z is often overrated — just opt for a generation or so older (buy it used or refurbished). For example with Apple products, I always buy the best (one year old) laptop on the Apple refurbished site, or even the best iPhone (refurbished). Also in praise of buying cars, camera, and almost anything on Craigslist.
- Allow your personal tastes in aesthetics to evolve. Certainly you don’t want to follow the same fashion trends you did when you were a teenager. As adults, let the same happen!
- Avoid buying: When you buy stuff, you get trapped. Goes with possessions, cars, homes, etc. Better to rent, lease, or borrow or share. More optionality and freedom!
The Philosophy of Aesthetics
Black is Boring
DARKER IS BETTER.
- We Tire of The Beautiful, but Not of the Ugly?
- Minimalism as an Aesthetic and Ethos
- The Zen of Monochrome
- SIMPLICITY IS THE SUMMIT.
- AESTHETICS OVER FUNCTION
- The Desire to Banish Ugliness from Our Eyes
- Aesthetics Above All
- Simple is Sexy
- Towards a Philosophy of Aesthetics in Photography
- The Philosophy of Aesthetics
- ALL KILLER, NO FILLER.
- The Most Compact and High-Quality
- The Beauty of Imperfection
- TASTE.
- The More Obscure and Unclear, the Better.
- Cultivate Your Own Taste
- Image Quality and Great Photos
- Imperfect Photos are More Beautiful
- Do you photograph the world better, the same, or worse than reality? #aesthetics
- Aesthetics are Ethics
- Beauty over Truth #philosophy #aesthetics
- Philosophy of Aesthetics and Beauty in Photography
- Aesthetics in Photography
- Aesthetics Strengthen, Simplify, and Focus
- Not better image quality; more beautiful aesthetics!
- Why Aesthetics?