Ted Audio Collective.

Audio Collective.

This is Design Matters with Debbie Millman from Design Obser.

This is Design Matters with Debbie Millman from Design Observer.com.

On this program, Debbie Millman talks with graphic designer Kate Bingaman Bert about documenting consumption

and debt and about a work habit that actually works.

Looking at a blank page of paper is pretty scary, but if you've got this repeatable project set out, you know what you're supposed to do.

And I feel like it's a nice gateway into my work day.

Here's Debbie Millman.

Kate Bingham and Bert is obsessed with consumption. In 2002, this Portland-based designer began documenting her daily purchases. For 28 months every item she

bought was photographed, every receipt archived. The idea was to make consumption

more personal to give consumerism some character, to listen to what our stuff is trying to tell us.

By 2006 Kate had started drawing her purchases, one a day, and she has no plans to stop.

It has become what Kate calls obsessive consumption, an ongoing project that is now a brand of

its own, with a website and even a zine.

When she's not working on consumption, Kate teaches graphic design at Portland State University

and draws for the likes of Target, Made Well, Newsweek, and Handmade Nation.

Kate, welcome to Design Matters.

Hello, thank you so much for having me.

Oh, it's great, great, great to have you here. So your new book

Obsessive consumption what did you buy today details the items you

purchased on a daily basis.

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