Friendship

I enjoy the awesome people that I know. The memories that me and my friends share are what I remember most fondly beyond fabric and screen-printing paint. Some may be crass enough to claim that this is just a cliche, but those people probably do not have any friends because if they did then they would know the truth of which I write.

The vast majority of dossiers on this site are possible only because of the generosity of my friends. I can only hope that my celebration can get across my gratitude.

In order to protect the privacy of my friends, I do not go into detail that is not needed or has not been cleared. Those friends that want to make themselves know a little more are provided with added exposure. Those that contribute directly to the site's functioning are listed on the Acknowledgements page. Furthermore, the original type of site that the Free Shirt Archive is a satire of were all written by self-centered authors.

Thrift

In general, it is true that I am a kind of cheapskate. Not miserly, instead I insist on the best I can get for the least money that I can get. I also try to spend as little so that I do not have as much stuff occupying too much of my mind. I do allow myself to indulge in shirts, though, because

Lowering my expenses allows me to squeeze as much value out of what money I do make. To not have to worry about how I am going to have to find my next shirt is a wonderful side effect of being willing to wear shirts that other people decide are not for them.

Self-Indulgence

Let me tell you about my shirts, my experiences, and me, me, me! I am so glad that readers like you are so interested in what I have to write about me.

This site started out as a satire of sites that were, among other things, self-indulgent. I suppose that some may think my attempt at satire only arrives to the level of parody. Still, my attempt at constructing an indirect ego temple in a mostly abandoned style is something that I enjoy creating.

Reuse

I feel that reusing the materials that one has is ethical. Creating needless waste is simply creating problems for others in addition to oneself. Additionally, depending on the material in question there are learning opportunities to greater understand the world; I concede that maybe with shirts the opportunities are slim.

I also prefer to see clothing continue to be used in their intended ways rather than be recontextualized when possible. I have nothing against creating new clothing from old, especially when not done for profit. I just have a preference to not modify clothing.