<div dir="ltr">I was taught to sew by my mom (fix up all my clothes, and i even made shoes one time out of moose skin when i was living in alaska--those were very warm and i wore them as a second layer of shoes. ) . she still offers to sew stuff for me but i don't want to trouble her. she had an old sewing machine you operated by foot and they made many clothes--she may not have it any more. she does still sew her own clothes in part. . </div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Sep 30, 2019 at 10:35 AM Ruth Kitchin Tillman <<a href="mailto:ruthtillman@gmail.com">ruthtillman@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Really appreciated this part of Ishi's email: "but that may take alot more work and supplies" -- in my opinion, one of the best things about shared repair spaces or other ways of doing repair is the availability of supplies.</div><div><br></div><div>I'll give an example -- I bought a lovely wool sweater from a thrift store. It was very cheap because it had a hole in the elbow. I'm a seamstress/crafter so I decided I would attempt to darn it. Previous attempts at darning had ... not... gone well. I'd always been using the wrong materials, etc. But this was a <i>nice</i> sweater and I actually had a well-paying job. So I went out and bought a matching skein of wool thread. I used my own yarn needle. I bought a leather patch to cover the darn and prevent further wear.</div><div><br></div><div>These weren't more expensive than a nice wool sweater would be new, but they were the right materials and they definitely cost money. After finishing it, I learned from a friend about other ways to get smaller amounts of wool yarn for darns like this. Knowing what to get was a combo of having a common problem, having the financial wherewithal to fix the thing nicely, and having years of skills built up which made the problem itself only one which required time to execute.</div><div><br></div><div>There were points in my life where I didn't have the financial wherewithal to feel that I could spend maybe $20 on repair supplies when $20 would buy a much more cheaply-made new sweater! Or I might've gotten it fixed using the supplies I had on hand, but not in a way that was aesthetically coherent enough that I felt comfortable wearing it to work (particularly with the paradoxical way in which I am more secure in my job and at a higher rank and now feel more comfortable being a bit weird/offbeat at work). <br></div><div><br></div><div>Communal supplies, shared spaces, etc., seem so important to me because it levels a playing field and allows for skill sharing in cases where we'd really like to repair, but either can't do in a way that enables reasonable use (e.g. can I wear it to work and not be embarrassed?) or don't have the particular skills but can share other skills.</div><div><br></div><div>Ruth<br></div><div><br></div><div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2019 09:36:19 -0400<br>
From: Ishi Crew <<a href="mailto:mediaentropy@gmail.com" target="_blank">mediaentropy@gmail.com</a>><br>
To: Julia Durgee <<a href="mailto:juliadurgee@gmail.com" target="_blank">juliadurgee@gmail.com</a>><br>
Cc: jeffrey durgee <<a href="mailto:jeffreydurgee@gmail.com" target="_blank">jeffreydurgee@gmail.com</a>>, Carole Turley<br>
<<a href="mailto:carole.turley@gmail.com" target="_blank">carole.turley@gmail.com</a>>, <a href="mailto:themaintainers@lists.stevens.edu" target="_blank">themaintainers@lists.stevens.edu</a><br>
Subject: Re: [Themaintainers] Consumer well-being + Refurbishment<br>
Services<br>
Message-ID:<br>
<CACQCUwch7zMOtKpjT6x=5paOMipj=<a href="mailto:9AQyh5--Rv5kkUiWMRVGw@mail.gmail.com" target="_blank">9AQyh5--Rv5kkUiWMRVGw@mail.gmail.com</a>><br>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"<br>
<br>
This is an interesting post (as are ones from last month on liberalism,<br>
coherence and peer production) but I have not been following this list<br>
recently due to information overload (and stress) (and this takes a toll on<br>
maintaining my physical environment, physical and mental health) . I<br>
wonder if I should go to that conference (since its an hour metro ride or<br>
2-3 hour walk away, or should I save the 100$ if I were to go for 1 day,<br>
or more for the entire conference since I have a budget constraint ).<br>
<br>
I'd go to see if there are study or research opportunities--I'm sort of<br>
working on a semi-mathematical project on resource and task allocation,<br>
suggested by an informal environmental/global climate change study and<br>
research group (which could be called 'citizen science' or 'participatory<br>
action research'). (There are many related approaches to this problem ,<br>
mostly using advanced calculus or computer algorithms--I'm trying to do a<br>
simple formalism.) .<br>
(I've done a bit of both academic research (in theoretical biology),<br>
and also maintenance (ie physical labor on home repair ) but am not really<br>
suited to either full time (the choices have been either get a PhD and do<br>
full time computer modeling--if you can get tenure, or else full time<br>
roofing, carpentry, plumbing , etc. Theoretical biology deals with issues<br>
like how ecosystems maintain stability---or don't---and how flora and fauna<br>
allocate resources in an ecosystem--basically same kind of issue studied by<br>
economists for society. )<br>
<br>
Doing full time work at either of those things I found had limited 'hedonic<br>
and eudaimonic value' for me (the model was either become a professor and<br>
hire people to do maintenance while you do research, or else work in<br>
maintenance for a professor. Many people in environment I grew up in did a<br>
mix of academic and maintenance work. ).<br>
<br>
Some of us just 'fall through the cracks' --some say this is because we<br>
are clumsy, incompetent, or undisciplined; others say this is because<br>
society is poorly maintained---has alot of cracks in the infrastructure<br>
(and 'superstructure' as Marx might have called it --the set of ideas or<br>
values that 'hold society together'). (In area I live they are<br>
continually repairing roads, sidewalks, electricity infrastructure, and<br>
more --and people fall on streets around here at times due to cracks in the<br>
road. I used to take guitar lessons across from Gaullaudet at CU---and i<br>
broke a guitar i recently bought due to some uneven ground --and spent some<br>
time trying to repair it, but that may take alot more work and supplies<br>
than I did , so I bought another one--save that for another time if I get<br>
around to it). Persona with disabilities (or special abilities) often fall<br>
through the cracks.<br>
(There's a classic song called 'things done changed', with the line 'i<br>
can't maintain' --some local youth made a mural with that lyric in a<br>
local park---when it was refurbished. That park used to be loaded with<br>
trash and could be a dangerous place to walk through--now its sort of fixed<br>
up , though the demographic has sort of changed.)<br>
<br>
On Mon, Sep 30, 2019 at 5:13 AM Julia Durgee <<a href="mailto:juliadurgee@gmail.com" target="_blank">juliadurgee@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
> *Hello, Maintainers,*<br>
><br>
> Professor Jeffrey Durgee<br>
> <<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=WlwBCTkAAAAJ&hl=en" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=WlwBCTkAAAAJ&hl=en</a>>, published<br>
> this 2018, qualitative research paper on *emotional benefits* of *refurbishing<br>
> one's possessions:*<br>
><br>
> 1) Enhances sense of self and well-being<br>
> 2) Strengthens connections to family members and fellow fans/consumers<br>
> 3) Increases appreciation for Refurbisher/Service Provider<br>
><br>
> This article will provide warm fuzzies.<br>
> I hope you enjoy the upcoming Maintainers 3 conference.<br>
><br>
> Thank you,<br>
> ~Julia Durgee (proud daughter)<br>
><br>
> [image: image.png]<br>
> Abstract<br>
> Purpose<br>
><br>
> The purpose of this paper is to explore how services might impact a<br>
> general consumer sense of everyday well-being or life satisfaction.<br>
> Design/methodology/approach<br>
><br>
> It was decided to focus on the existential benefits of refurbishing<br>
> services and see how they might impact owner sense of self and overall life<br>
> satisfaction. A qualitative study was fielded which consisted of analyses<br>
> of website testimonials of customers of refurbishing services for products<br>
> such as pianos, watches, boats, bicycles and other durables. Also analyzed<br>
> were results from one-on-one qualitative interviews of customers of<br>
> refurbishing services and selected refurbishers of similar products.<br>
> Findings<br>
><br>
> The study suggests that refurbish services provide a mix of hedonic and<br>
> eudaimonic benefits. They provide an enhanced sense of self and general<br>
> well-being insofar, as the newly restored item connects owners to loved<br>
> ones, to other collectors or fans and to their own personal life histories.<br>
> It also connects them to the refurbishers and their ?magic?. Insofar as<br>
> refurbishers invite customer involvement in the process, they co-create how<br>
> the process will proceed, so customers feel a special involvement and gain<br>
> an understanding of the workings of the item and how to best use it.<br>
> Practical implications<br>
><br>
> Refurbishing services might offer, like all the new internet-mediated<br>
> sharing services, a more sustainable alternative to the buy-and-dispose<br>
> consumption behaviors found in most world economies.<br>
> Originality value<br>
><br>
> This paper provides insights into the lives of products after purchase and<br>
> the roles of relevant service providers. It also provides examples of how<br>
> service providers in general might deepen and facilitate customers?<br>
> feelings about themselves and their daily lives. It shows how service<br>
> providers can enhance customer hedonic and eudaimonic appreciation of<br>
> provider knowledge, skills and efforts.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> (Thanks to Professor Carole Turley<br>
> <<a href="https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/person/carole-voulgaris/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/person/carole-voulgaris/</a>> for telling me<br>
> about the Maintainers' cool mission.)<br>
><br>
><br>
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