One year after Riverside’s largest fire, part one of this two-part series looks at what happened—and how the city is working to prevent it from happening again.
Greetings, misty musers and condensation connoisseurs! Last week, we transformed fleeting condensation into a canvas for creative exploration. What did you find while finding a worthy water source for this creative course? Did you leave a secret message on a steamy mirror? Maybe you devised a line of poetry to promote your new line of condensation based perfume? Even if all you did was record the sound of one A/C unit dripping, I hope you managed to find several minutes of creative distraction to quench your parched artistic palate.
This week, we're diving into a very tangible, often overlooked artifact of our consumer culture: the expired coupon. In a world increasingly dominated by online shopping carts and digital discounts, those physical slips of paper can feel like relics from another era. For me, with most of my grocery shopping now happening online, I often find myself with a growing stack of "useless" coupons, forgotten even before they expired.
Marketers create coupons for a powerful reason: they tap into our inherent desire for a good deal, a sense of smart shopping, or perhaps even the thrill of getting something for nothing. I know I’m gullible enough to believe that I can save money by spending money too! We perceive them as valuable because they promise savings; a tangible reward for something we already want to do.
There’s a whole creative activity inherent in being a dedicated coupon clipper – the hunt for the best deals, the strategic planning of a shopping trip, the satisfaction of a maximized discount. It’s a game of sorts, a puzzle to solve. And a race against time. But just because their transactional value has evaporated doesn't mean their creative potential has.
Let's challenge that perception. I’m inviting you to embrace the expired coupon not as a missed opportunity, but as a fresh prompt for creative play. These little advertisements, with their bold promises, fine print, and flashy math, hold a surprising amount of potential for imaginative transformation.
The following nudges have no expiration date:
Find a Penny (Visual & Literary): Gather several expired physical coupons. Read through the headlines, product descriptions, terms, and conditions. Select individual words or short phrases that intrigue you. Arrange these chosen snippets to create a short "found poem." Pay attention to rhythm, unexpected juxtapositions, and the new meanings that emerge from these recontextualized marketing phrases.
Coupon Collage (Touch & Sight): Explore the tactile qualities of different coupons. Notice the paper weight, the texture (glossy, matte, perforated edges), or embossed details. Consider the colors and fonts. Now, create a small collage or a mixed-media piece, focusing on how their varied textures and visual elements interact to form a new "map" or abstract design.
Echovaluation (Sound & Conceptual): Imagine the sounds associated with a coupon's journey: the crispness as it's clipped or the satisfying "beep" when it’s scanned. Now, imagine the sound of its expiration – a silent, anti-climactic fade perhaps? Create a short descriptive paragraph or a series of evocative words that capture the "sound" of a coupon's lifecycle, from promise to mere paper.
Expired to Inspired (Visual & Transformative): Take one or more expired coupons and, using pens, markers, paint, or scissors, transform them into a completely new piece of art. Obscure the original text and images, or incorporate them into a new design. The goal is to completely detach the coupon from its original function and elevate it into a purely aesthetic object.
Value Proposition (Personal & Creative): Design your own "Personal Value Coupon." This coupon shouldn't offer a discount on a product, but rather provide real, meaningful value based on behaviors or actions you genuinely value. For example: "Good for one hour of undisturbed listening," "Redeem for genuine encouragement on a challenging task," or "Valid for a home-cooked meal of your choice." Make it visually appealing, with your own legally binding terms and conditions that reflect the spirit of your offer.
So, go ahead and dig through that forgotten drawer of expired coupons! This week is all nudging ourselves to find unexpected joy and creative fuel in readily available materials. It’s a powerful affirmation that you don't need fancy art supplies or vast blocks of time to introduce moments of vibrant artistry into your life.
Whether you're crafting a quirky poem or designing a heartfelt moment for someone you care about, remember that every small act of creativity makes a difference. Let these little slips of paper serve as permission slips to play, to transform, and to add a little value into your world.
