Minimalism; More than just less
When I ‘became’ a minimalist, I burst onto the simple living scene loudly and proudly, telling all of my friends and family “I’m a minimalist”. Unfortunately, I did a much better job of announcing my new-found status than I did of actually explaining what ‘being a minimalist’ meant.
It was January 2016 and I had just read Marie Kondo’s book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I could not WAIT to get rid of STUFF. I was armed with a trash bag and ready to spark some serious joy. Over the next few years my favourite hobby became decluttering and naturally I soon came across The Minimalists (not too hard to find) which then led me to spend most of my 2017 overdosing on their documentary, podcasts and books.
I’ve always been a lover of organisation and everything having a proper place, so initially jettisoning my clutter was a breeze, fun even. Most of my discards went to charity, but there was a lot that went to landfill. I started getting eco-anxiety (apparently it’s a real thing). Whilst I still found it easy to ‘let go’, I became reluctant to do so as it meant I had to consider where it would go. The trash was no longer an option. It was through this that I discovered the Zero Waste movement which was largely responsible for me becoming an accidental environmentalist.
Once I was on the the environmental bandwagon, I was a woman on a mission. I wanted out of the consumerism hamster wheel. Minimalism resonated with me more than ever. I didn’t want the rest of my life to be an endless cycle of things coming in, decluttering and repeat. Most of all, I didn’t want to be part of the overconsumption that is ravaging the planet. The only way to break the cycle was to address the root cause.
Curbing my own purchasing habits was simple enough (most of the time), but what about gifts? That’s where the public announcement came in. I declared to everyone in my circle (really anyone who would listen) that I was now a minimalist. I didn’t want things anymore so when pushed for gift ideas I encouraged experiences or vouchers. When my Mum demonstrated that she had found a loophole in the ‘no things’ policy by only giving me small gifts, I realised I had done a particularly poor job of explaining what being a minimalist meant.
So what is minimalism?
If you Google ‘minimalism’, you’ll get a lot of images of stark, bare walls and open, blank spaces. And sure, that represents what Minimalism means to some people, but there seems to be a lot of confusion distinguishing between a concept or movement versus a prescribed way of living.
In a broad sense, Minimalism is like physical fitness. A lot of people exercise, but there are infinite ways to do it. Motivations vary and not everyone who exercises is on the same wavelength or even close. All that they have in common is that they subscribe to the same philosophy. The same can be said for Minimalism. It is a philosophy that is interpreted and applied very differently. There is also no end goal with minimalism. Just like you don’t become exercised (in the fitness sense) and stop, you also don’t become minimalised and rest on your laurels. It’s a mindset of making choices everyday that align with your values.
What minimalism means to me, is that I’m no longer about accumulating things. Once the knick knack and trinket queen, I’ve done a full 180. I’m being deliberate in choosing what I have in my life and what is being brought into it. If I need to buy something, I put a lot more consideration into the purchasing; Do I need it? Can I borrow it? Can I get it second hand?. If I do need to purchase it, I’m questioning what resources are needed to create it, it’s supply chain, the quality and ethicality of the retailers selling it. More recently, I’m questioning where it will end up once I’m done with it.
To some people, minimalism can seem radical. I have certainly seen what I consider to be some extreme examples, but to me, it is a practical lifestyle choice. I don’t have a certain number of items I need to get down to, nor do I aspire to have my living space transform into a shiny white, sterile box. I’m just a lot more conscious of the physical objects in my life and what purpose they serve. My load is lighter, and I have a lot more time for the things that really matter to me. Whether it be the Kardashian’s or the Jones’, I’m keeping up with neither.
Far from perfect, I still occasionally fall victim to clever advertising. But these occurrences are becoming more and more rare. With limited space and less exposure to mainstream media, travelling certainly makes the minimalism ride easier. Additionally, seeing countless people with almost nothing, yet still so happy is a sobering reminder of how little I really need.
In the words of Tyler Durden, “The things you own end up owning you”.
