Jeweler and artist Vilija Šabunkaitė was used to buying a lot of stuff and dressing up. But her lifestyle changed drastically after she fell in love with Saugirdas, “a weirdo, an enlightened and very intelligent person”. The woman no longer buys new things, while the couple built their house using only second-hand materials.
Šabunkaitė was a frequent party-goer in the past, while her extravagant appearance often attracted people’s attention. According to the artist, she used to lead a typical life of luxury and consumption. Currently, she only “reconsumes” things she finds in second-hand shops.
“Western civilisation breeds consumption that is not easy to escape. To me, this came gradually when I started to realise how polluted the world was,” Šabunkaitė told LRT TV.
Her attitude towards consumption, the environment, and life in general has changed since she met her third husband, Saugirdas Petrulis.
At the time, the artist's life underwent many revolutions. Having only lived in the city, she moved to the countryside and adapted to a very simple way of life.
“My husband made all the furniture himself, he also made the stove out of old tiles, while the gas cooker is second-had,” Šabunkaitė said.
Recently, the artist invited her friends and fans to her latest exhibition. According to her, the creative work has not been hindered by the fact that she had to paint in somewhat extreme conditions in a sauna building.
Her new workshop is still being built – the construction process takes longer because Šabunkaitė and her husband try not to buy new materials.
“My husband is a very thoughtful man. We found a lot of things, such as boards, in the trash, and we bought a lot of second-hand materials as well,” the woman said.
Having moved closer to nature, Šabunkaitė found peace and realised that happiness had nothing to do with buying new things.
“If a person feels psychologically insecure, he or she tries to compensate for that insecurity and restlessness by buying, consuming, while others use alcohol and drugs. When you live in nature, the soul calms down, and there is less need for things,” she said.
According to the artist, her third husband is “a weirdo, an enlightened and very intelligent person”. It was him who taught Šabunkaitė to enjoy what she has, cherish moments rather than things, and think not about comfort, but harmony with nature.
In Šabunkaitė’s words, the modest construction budget was also a factor in the shift towards sustainable consumption. So she and her husband decided to build their home with what other people donated or what they could find in waste dumps.
“I will definitely use whatever can be used. Why should I buy something if I can pull old nails out of a board and use them again?” said Šabunkaitė’s husband Saugirdas.
The couple has never been ashamed of bringing home items found by the bins. Their main task was not to buy but to use what others no longer needed. They also grow and make most of their food.
“My husband keeps chickens, we have our own eggs, he grows a lot of vegetables, preserves them, cooks them. He needs that process,” the artists said.
According to the couple, they are rarely in a hurry and never concerned that others have more than they do. And when they feel weak, they rush not to a pharmacy, but to nature.
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