Something(s) to Believe In - Hugh Mcleod & Buttons of Hope

"the market for something to believe in is infinite" ~ Hugh MacLeod

The image above was originally drawn on he back of a business card. I am pretty sure Hugh Macleod does not think of himself as an artist per se. His work is funny, provocative, sometimes petulant and always remarkable - he is collaborating with his good friend Seth Godin to offer limited edition prints of his "back of the business card art" -- very cool check it out here & here. 

So why am I writing about this in Behind the Button? Because "something to believe in is [indeed] infinite" and I'll add [increasingly rare] and as Hugh says...

"...the idea that products were not just functional things to be mass produced and foisted upon consumers, really began to take on meaning for me. We human beings are here to find meaning, not just to consume stuff - and that has informed my philosophy ever since." Mine too!

Helping people find meaning, making a product that is so much more than a combo of paper, metal and plastic is what Buttons of Hope is all about. Just yesterday I was telling a friend about a post I did on behalf of Michele Kwok and her Dad. He said "she must have been a big customer" - no not really she ordered one button (and I made another for free) - see for me it's not all about the money, it's about the project, it's about making a really, really big change in the way people view causes, raise money and in how they view themselves. My friend Will said "(I) was much more about making a difference than a profit" ~ I like that he said that!

I think for most of my customers their buttons are simply a tangible expression of "something to believe in and hope for"