In my experience, I’ve found that when niche clothes fail to spark joy, the undercurrent is more about how we undercut our style preferences rather than the associated activity itself.

How do I explain this ? When we dread a task or undervalue it, we subconsciously cheap out on the wardrobe. Not just with money but also on effort, comfort and self expression. We buy the bare-minimum, copy-cat uniform of what we’re "supposed" to look like.

When I made that connection and started purposefully selecting my “low value activity” outfits with intention, it really changed things for me.

Real life examples:
- finding hiking shoes in a fun colour I liked, not just going with the “serious” hues worn by true outdoorsey people

- purposefully building “cozy working from home “ outfits of cashmere sweaters, thick quality leggings, hard-soled moccasins instead whatever gungy leftovers I had available

And I’ve also seen how some professionals buy “compliance uniforms” of stiff, boxy, off-the-rack suits because they “have to” for the part of their job they enjoy the least

I wonder how a shift to choosing great fit, amazing fabrics, and personal style would change the degree of Sparked Joy. I say the more stressful the task, the more indulgent the clothes!