Hello!
My name is Paul Lukas. I specialize in creating surprisingly engaging stories from seemingly unlikely topics. Sometimes the stories are about me, and sometimes they’re about the world around me. Either way, the idea is always to share some sense of curiosity, obsession, unexpected revelation, connection, and delight. Big enthusiasm for small details!
Over the past 30-plus years, I’ve used this sensibility to create a bunch of creative media projects covering a broad range of subject areas (including sports uniforms, which is what this Substack used to be devoted to). I’ve decided that the next phase of my work will focus on objects, artifacts, design, and memories, all of which I intend to examine in excruciating detail. That’s what this Substack is about.
If you’re not familiar with my work, here’s a good starting point: At the very top of this page, above the photo of me, you can see Inconspicuous Consumption’s visual signature — that familiar foot-measurer thingie. It’s officially known as a Brannock Device, after its inventor, Charles Brannock, and it happens to be my very favorite object, my North Star. I’ve written lots of articles about it, and I even have a tattoo of it! Why do I like it so much? Here are some reasons:
The Brannock Device is a near-universal touchstone in our culture — almost everyone recognizes it and knows what it is. At the same time, however, almost nobody knows what it’s called. So it’s simultaneously ubiquitous and anonymous, which is a powerful and intriguing combination, at least for me.
I’m a big fan of functional specificity, and the Brannock Device is nothing if not functionally specific. It’s good for only one thing, but it’s a perfect example of that thing.
The world is full of other items that are ubiquitous, anonymous, and functionally specific — aglets, ferrules, lots of the items sold at your local hardware store. But the Brannock Device is also an unusually beautiful piece of industrial design, which makes it particularly sublime.
Most of us encounter the Brannock Device during childhood, when our feet are still growing. As a result, our memories of it tend to be somewhat primal and formative. So even if you haven’t thought of the Brannock Device in many years, there’s a decent chance that it triggers some evocative memories of long-ago shoe-shopping excursions with your parents.
Add all of this together and you have an item that’s classically, prototypically inconspicuous. If that resonates for you, I think you’ll like what I’ll be exploring here at Inconspicuous Consumption. Thanks for your readership and support! — Paul
