#080 ✰ "LE NEW CONSUMER" manifesto

The door to a new era.

Cheers to us all, new consumers🥂 Here’s to a new chapter for Objet, and the door to this new world is this manifesto.

Why sign?
Max, Kev and I are building a joyful system that will enhance and reward new consumers’ behaviours and actions, online and offline. This mission is thrilling. And huge. We won’t do this alone.

If you intend to be a part of this, join us now.
If you find this awkward, we like you anyway. Not everyone wants to be early.

Without further ado,

“LE NEW CONSUMER” manifesto

1. First and foremost, le new consumer is an optimist.
   “Over long time frames, the pessimist becomes an unobservant man, and the optimist creates the world” wrote Simon Sarris. We are aware that the way we buy creates the world. And we are happy to spend money in a way that makes the world more like how we want it.
   Pause for a moment and look around you. We made all of this. Breathe deeply. Get excited. Let’s keep making the world together. Let’s make it better. Let’s share it. We make the world. Given time, nothing is impossible.

2. Le new consumer believes in empowerment.

   We gather to give each other, collectively, more power. We don’t want to be manipulated. Many forces are at play in this rampant consumerism. We are breaking free. We exercise agency. We spot what’s wrong, manifest resourcefulness to build a better alternative, are not afraid to start from zero, and embody a growth mindset.

3. Le new consumer thrives for balance.

   We all face paradoxes. We all want one thing and its counterpart: home and adventure. Every system — including our own mind and body — flourishes between stability and change. New consumers accept this in themselves, and in others. We constantly look to reconcile: who we think we are, who we truly are, and who we aspire to become. This is how we feel at peace.

4. Le new consumer values intellectual honesty above all.

   We don’t lie to ourselves. We know it’s hard. We are actually the easiest person to fool. But we avoid this at all cost. Not lying to yourself is the cornerstone of a more intentional life.

5. Le new consumer nurtures relationships.

   We reject the myth of ‘the more I buy the happier I’ll become’. We buy less and we buy better. We buy intentionally. Venkatesh Rao guided us: “You have to put more thinking into every act of ownership. (…) It isn’t the quantity of stuff in your life that matters. What matters is how smart the stuff is and whether it is smart in service of your needs.” We discard this old paradigm of ‘take, dispose and repeat’. We care instead. We are in a relationship with the objects in our life. “The quality of life is determined by the quality of our relationships” says Esther Perel.

6. Le new consumer constantly questions the intentions at play.

   Which is why we worship that space between the inception and the action. New consumers know that their decision-making skill is exercising right in this space. We don’t rush it. We don’t drag it out either. We dance. We wonder. We imagine. Exactly in that space lies an erotic tension. We believe meaningful things are worth waiting for. New consumers don’t half-buy. 100% is what creates strong connections. Soulful connections give rise to enchantment.

7. Le new consumer curates.

   We know why we did what we did. We say something with what we own. We celebrate connoisseurship. We are driven by infinite curiosity. We value craftsmanship. We believe in the beauty of the hand-crafted, home-made, community-inspired knowledge. We are also in awe with the level of ingenuity and perfection some big industries operate. Never before have humans perfected techniques and invented machines to be used at such a global scale. This demonstrates how impactful we can collectively be.

8. Le new consumer embraces friction and boundaries.

   We treat objects like tattoos. You can’t get tattooed beyond your available skin. And this natural boundary is what makes tattoos feel special. New consumers joyfully adopt the same mindset with their consumption. It forces us to make choices. And those choices define us. And that’s what’s beautiful about it. We’re not afraid by the word ‘enough’.

9. Le new consumer produces meaning.

   Humans live and learn by stories. Objects are evidence of human existence. We are aware of the eternal. We imbue our objects with the sublime. “If you died tomorrow, what room full of stuff with your name on it would you like to leave behind?” asks Thom Bettridge. New consumers apply this to their home and surroundings.

10. Finally, le new consumer seeks other new consumers.

    That’s what made Sapiens singular in the first place. We only truly become someone when in relationship with others. We don’t lock meaningful objects inside vaults, we share them and celebrate them together. We believe in collective intelligence. We believe our rationales — why have we decided to nurture this specific possessions — can serve the public. We believe the stories and meaning of our objects should have a net positive effect on society.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
— Mary Oliver

This piece was -first and foremost- inspired by “The New Technologist”. Also inspired by A New Creative Era, The 10 Principles of Burning Man, and a bunch of other manifestos we can’t really recall but surely influenced us over time and that you can find in this amazing archive.

Thank you Kristen, Dave and Om for reviewing first drafts. More recently, we also appreciate what Rob is doing with The Manifesto Club.

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Wait, who are you again?

If you’re new here, welcome 👋 We are Max, Kev and Mat. We’re building Objet, your “NEW CONSUMER” profile.

Objet is the french word for 'object' and should be pronounced 'ob-jeh‘. In this journal, we explore the intersection of desire, taste, joy, meaning and culture. If you’d like to embark on a journey with us, sign the manifesto 🚀

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Always hit reply to send us a word, I love, we love reading you.

Good vibes et bisous.

Mathilde