Tuesday, 28 July 2020

The Beauty of Minimalism

I was taken in by the idea of minimalism in 2018. It struck a chord with me because I come from a family of hoarders, generally speaking. The clutter was suffocating for me. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't awful like what you might see on a TV show, but my parents and many of my siblings had a bad case of 'Just In Case'. So countless things were kept 'just in case', gathering dust over the next decade.

Discovering minimalism was a breath of fresh air, and it wasn't at all how I imagined; I'd conjure up the image of a lone person sitting in a bare, white room with only a bed and a lamp. Understanding that this practice was actually about consciously and purposefully choosing what did and didn't belong in your living space was a profound realisation for me.

I began to see that it wasn't just about abandoning everything, including sentimental items with emotional resonance or practical items that weren't currently in use. An artist keeping a whole room of art materials that they actually used and added value to their life could be part of a minimalist lifestyle. Alternately, keeping a collection of books that are never read and could disappear without anybody noticing probably aren't adding value to that person's life. Even in a very clutter-free home, those books are an unnecessary addition and would probably be better off in a new and loving home.

My space has become so much lighter. I let go of so many things I hung onto needlessly, some of which I thought I'd never part with. The biggest challenge for me has been accepting that it's not a sign of failure to acknowledge that some of the things I invested time and money into no longer speak to who I've become and the place my life has arrived at. I'm not the person I used to be, so saying goodbye to those material possessions actually created the potential to engage in even better and more meaningful things.



Star .


Listening to: Warabe Uta from The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Reading: 'The Eroticism of Brutality: On Mary Trump’s Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man' Medium article by Max S. Gordon

Watching: Disenchantment, created by Matt Groenig