It is no mystery that in an age of intense injustice, consumption levels are on a steady rise. More rampant than ever before, the willingness to consume and the opportunity to do so is ever present, all around us.

As a resident of L.A. I often feel the never-ending pressure to consume. It exists as it attracts and what it attracts fuels the vision of consumption. I often wonder how long it would take even the richest of persons to exhaust their funds in a city like this. A city where previously, empty spaces are now being utilized to advertise, convince and monetize upon consumption. Everywhere you look is a conversation, or better a shout, to look in its direction, take interest in its presence and partake in its scheme.

Not so ironically, the city itself has become a beacon of light drawing forth hordes of metaphorical moths all attracted towards consuming art and producing it. Hand in hand, the push to create provides a symbiotic relationship to those desiring to consume. To the left of consumption is realization of art and to the right of consumption lays narcissism. Los Angeles breeds a culture obsessed with the practice of utilizing materialism as a means of covering up deep lack.

The lack discussed above is the lack of intimate and emotional connection individuals face in their own lives. This results in behavior rooted in greed that then fuels thoughtless consumption.

Just as the over consumption of food has a negative impact on the body’s health, over consumption of materials has a toxic impact on the mind, spirit and energy. If we are continually processing (metaphorically eating), but do not experience fulfillment our energy quickly becomes depleted. Consumption without sustenance only leaves the body processing what does not aid us and results in an unhealthy attachment to things that do not fully serve the mind, body or spirit. In the presence of meaningless consumption, a feeling of emptiness, loneliness and angst will seize the heart; a call from your spirit asking the body to stop. This environment breeds a feeling of helplessness that then promotes and proliferates a lifestyle revolving around abuse, abuse of material objects, drugs, sexual relations, energy, etc.

The fashion industry, an area of profound creation and expression, creates a catalyst for community. A space for individuals who wish to express themselves and create new and exotic avenues for other individuals to travel down. Its qualities, at best, prove to build a more forgiving, embracing and connected community.

Like any good thing, following it is a wave of opportunism to monetize and leverage upon the goodness of its existence. It is no surprise that the fuel to create in accordance to seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) produces a mindset of constant circulation and waste. In true essence, the creation of clothes to match the turn of the seasons, beyond utility, is a way for humans to express connectedness to Earth and its elements. The change of seasons in fashion and its relatedness to the evolution of not just the physical, but the energetical is profound. However, without this good intention the fashion industry can be utilized to feed consumerism, fuel greed and create a society so depleted in true satisfaction that all may become lost. How can our souls rest in the wake of constant want and forever lack?

Asking the hard-hitting questions threatens to destroy the illusions we now rely upon to build our egos, self-esteem and facade of character. If acknowledgement of wrongdoing occurs there is an ethical obligation to move towards change. If we live with the aim of consuming only what we need, our wants become less. In this state of furthered consciousness individuals will merge the spirit with the soul of the Earth and cosmic thought will flow through a state of groundedness.

What attaches us to this world?