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Writer's pictureMatt Reed

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a good pair of shoes.




I am retreading my shoes. Using a blownout tired found on the side of the highway for rubber and some construction adhesive to stick it on. It requires that I do some serious cutting and paring down, some light sanding and - as you can see - a lot of clamps.

Maybe you would ask yourself ("Well... how did I get here?") - sorry Talking Heads reference): "Why would a guy like Matt retread his shoes. That seems like a big waste of time. Surely he has more important things to do like make that flying car he keeps talking about or solve the global food shortage crises. Retread shoes? Come on man."

Well despite your patronizing tone I have a very good reason.

Everything made has obsolescence built into it. It might have started with the light bulb, or maybe it goes back farther. There is definitely a point in light bulb production where the discovered filaments that would last decades or maybe forever. But if everyone has light bulbs that last forever who's going to be buying new light bulbs? So they (Thomas Edison) make light bulbs that have a couple of years lifespan.


Same with cars these days, same with shoes, same with electronics although some companies are greedier than others on pushing obsolescence (same with wheelbarrows, same with kids toys, same with asphalt roofs, on and on). The point is, the goal of anyone who makes things is to make money not to make good things.

So what? Well as long as it is the predominant idea to make money over making good things the primary sufferer will be the consumer. You will pay for something only to have to rebuy it again. You would have hoped that there is a market where you can spend more money on something to buy something that lasts but... this isn't usually the case.

Yes you can buy wooden shoes, I have been tempted to do this, and yes by the nature of being shoes with lots of squishy softy bits inside it will wear out sometime. I would rather my shoes lasted longer than a year. Honestly I wish making things was about pride instead of profit. Doing the best bangon job of making something, not just to make money - although it is handy - but to do it.

I keep coming back to Maslow's hierarchy of needs because I have felt this pyramid. If you aren't familiar look it up yourself I don't feel like risking copyright to put in on this webpage. Creating and self-actualization is on top of the pyramid. If you're a believer God would agree. He loves making stuff. If you're a recovering codependent being creative is one of the ways that you know that you're not obsessively thinking about something.

It's you. Putting the more intangible parts of you into the real world. It's an experience, it's a process, it's healing.

Anyone who says they aren't artistic is lying. Art isn't a skill it's an expression of you, bizarre, beautiful, inspiring you. The point isn't to make it and have everyone say "wow that looks incredible" the point is to make it.

If you're lucky enough, and confident in yourself, and determined to express yourself as best as you can, sometimes other people like your art and you can get paid to do it.


Your inner dialogue: "Ok sure. That seemed like the longest road to getting to retreading shoes but whatever man."

The point is, these shoes are fine except the tread is gone. Putting effort into improving something or making something isn't time lost, it's self-actualization. It just so happens that it is also going against giant money machine of oppression that we live under these days.

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