minimalism is not...
and what it can be.
Minimalism is not devoid of life although many purport it to be. Many see minimalism as stark white rooms, no furniture, or if you do, it is just a random chair in the corner or something. One cup, one plate, one pair of pants, etc… and anything else you own could probably just fit into a backpack. Minimalists are without humor and like everything to be modern: their clothing, their architecture, their music, even the authors of the books that they supposedly don’t buy.
Real fun people to be around, right? :)
That’s the thing about minimalists though, is that we are all different and there is no correct formula to adhere to. There are minimalists that live in tiny houses and some that live in a four-bedroom house. Some minimalists love the color blue, and their living room is painted that exact perfect shade of robin’s egg while others prefer an accent wall in their bedroom of the sweetest buttercup yellow. Some minimalists even own, and I hate to tell you this but, but some of them even own more than one plate. Shocking, I know.
See, the thing about minimalism is that it just gets you from point A to point B. Get rid of what doesn’t matter in your life to make room for what does. Tired of picking up all the things and spending your weekends cleaning when you could be out with friends enjoying a bike ride? Yup, I’ve been there. I like things tidy, but I also hate constantly picking up stuff. I don’t always want to be tidying when there are other things I want to do. Minimalism helps me with that. By having less clutter, less stuff, it is less for me to manage, to take care of. I can spend that time with my daughters which is much more important. Taking care of all the clutter? Not so much.
Minimalism is not a droll existence, living life to the least extent possible. I spend time with my family which I enjoy. I watch films, I read books, I try new restaurants, I go for walks. I love to bake, and I love listening to music. I love the holidays and I enjoy learning and traveling to new places. Minimalism reminds me of what I value and what I place importance on, and it is not collecting and housing things. I enjoy home decor as much as the next enthusiast, but I know when my space is decorated enough and to just let it be. I don’t need to keep up with the latest decor trends because I am content with what I have. Contentment is key with anything. If you are always looking for the next best thing, you will never be satisfied. Striving in and of itself can be quite exhausting.
Minimalism is not about aesthetics, and it is not about living someone else’s life. It is about living your life however that may be, whichever way that be, without all the extraneous stuff holding you back. Consider what is essential and what is necessary and also consider what is superfluous and nonessential and make adjustments accordingly.
Essentialism, intentionalism, minimalism. They are all branches from the same tree.
Living a life that you value.
Do you consider yourself a minimalist? A maximalist? Somewhere in between? There is no right or wrong answer :) Let me know in the comments!
I would say I’m a minimalist in the sense that I enjoy being surrounded by LESS. I like things tidy and calm... my family has other ideas. My husband is what I consider a pack rat. He cannot get rid of anything so there are empty boxes everywhere. For what? I don’t know. But it makes me anxious all of the time. I have a few areas in the house that are an oasis to me and I try to spend as much time in those spaces as I can when I’m not able to be out and about in nature.
I'm a minimalist with 'stuff' but maximalist with decor 😁 I've lived in New Zealand for 6 years and in that time furnished a house gradually, all the while having a flat's-worth of stuff in a storage unit in the UK (I didn't know if I'd stay in NZ and then covid happened so it was all I storage for way longer than I thought).
I finally got it all shipped over a couple of months ago and all of a sudden I had a small cottage full of two house's worth of stuff. No kidding, I found it very overwhelming and almost distressing. I'd loved living with less, and all of a sudden I was surrounded by more, and not only that, more that came attached with memories long forgotten. Every day was like an assault on my brain. "Remember this?" "When you last used this you..." "Your mum gave you this." It was EXHAUSTING. But necessary.
I've gradually merged, passed some things on, some sold, and it's settling down to now be a melting pot of both NZ and UK life. But I found it fascinating how almost debilitating it was - I never anticipated the memories (I have no idea why, naivety I think). 'Stuff' is not just clutter, it's a vessel for emotional baggage, and I hadn't appreciated how freeing it'd been to live without that for the few years over here.