A minimalist, I mean.
When I started blogging three years ago, my intent had been to talk about minimalism and living with less stuff. Hence the name “Uncomplicated Spaces”.
I had already been working toward a more minimalist lifestyle for about 2 years prior and I was really interested in sharing my voice.
I really wanted to show other people that minimalism isn’t just a tiny home or a 500 square foot apartment. Both of which I think are great. Both of which I am envious of at times.
That’s the thing about a minimalist lifestyle…it looks different for everyone.
It’s not something that should be ruled out for you just because your life doesn’t look like the definition of “minimalism”.
To me, minimalism isn’t living with the bare minimum of stuff. It’s not only owning what can fit in your backpack.
I define it more as living with the minimal amount of stuff for you! Living with only the stuff you find to be useful or beautiful.
There’s a quote by William Morris that I read a really long time ago that has stuck with me over the years and has helped to shape my definition of minimalism…
Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.
William Morris
It’s not about the amount if stuff you own.
It’s about only owing the things you use or love.
You might also like:
The 7 things that minimalism has taught me.
A Simple Question to Help Declutter Your Home
Where am I in my journey now?
I took a step back from minimizing household possessions the past few years. And for a short amount of time, I got a little caught up in home decor again, the very thing that started my minimalist journey back in 2015. But once I realized that it was the result of what I was seeing on social media (remember when rattan was everywhere for a while?), and not something that was actually adding value to my life, I was able to reign it in and pare back down.
Stepping back in some areas of my life was the result of being very focused on having a more intentional wardrobe. And that’s okay. Priorities shift with different phases of life.
Clothing is where I have always struggled in terms of excess. Capsule wardrobing and shopping bans have been essential to me in getting over my shopping addiction. The amount of time that I have spent becoming a conscious consumer and curating a wardrobe that I love, one where I don’t feel like I always need to go and buy something, will never be time lost.
But now that I’m in the fourth month of a clothes shopping ban, and spending less time thinking about clothes, I’ve been spending more time thinking about other areas of my life.
I have been feeling overwhelmed by the stuff that we currently own. Not unlike the feeling that I had when I started this journey towards living with less back in 2015. And while it doesn’t feel overly excessive, I think some purging needs to happen.
You can read more about my journey towards living with less here.
Spending so much time in my home this year has really brought some things to the forefront. I know what items are essential to my family and then the ones that aren’t. It is these useless items that I wish to discard.
I also think my need to feel in control of something is pushing me to reexamine the things that we own.
Here are a few articles that I’ve read lately that have been helpful in refocusing me. I thought that I might share them with you:
Is minimalism for you? // Green Crunchy Mother
Minimalists play more. // Running on Minimalism
My problem with minimalism. // 43 square meters
So, where does that leave me? Am I still a minimalist?
I don’t think I could ever go back to living with a ton of stuff. Stuff that I don’t consider to be useful or beautiful. And I get easily overwhelmed and agitated by clutter nowadays.
And while I do still consider myself to be a minimalist, I’m definitely not a minimalist in the extreme sense. Some people would probably say that I am definitely not a minimalist. I live in a big house. I have stuff, more than a lot of minimalists. Much less than the average person.
Maybe a “minimalist lite” is a better description.
Always remember that the amount of stuff you own is dictated by you. Not society.
But the goal is to have the right amount of stuff. And to not kid ourselves about that. To examine everything that we own and determine if it really is something that we need in our lives.
With all of that being said, “minimalist” is not something that I use as a descriptor for myself. And I don’t judge anyone for the amount of stuff that they have. I don’t actually think that the amount of stuff that we currently own is the problem.
The real problem is continuing to add to the stuff. Overconsumption is the problem. Constantly buying new things solely for the entertainment purpose of shopping is the problem.
I only hope that people can see others living a full life with less stuff and try it for themselves.
How about you? Do you consider yourself a minimalist. Is it your goal to live with less?
Until next time,
This entry really resonated with me.
I find that the more stuff I have, the more cluttered my brain feels (lol). For me, part of the appeal of having less is to eliminate that ‘brain fog’ and that feeling of indecisiveness.
I’m glad that you highlighted that minimalism would look different for everyone, and there isn’t any shame if you have more stuff than the next person. I felt that because I couldn’t minimize enough, I had failed at minimalism entirely and that maybe it wasn’t for me? After reading this, I’m reminded that my approach to living a more intentioned life may look different from others, and that’s okay too.
p.s the quote you shared by William Morris is definitely one that I’m adding to my list of favorite quotes.
So many interesting insights for someone like me who is still new to the concept! I think the way we’ve been introduced to minimalism comes a lot from the idea of documentaries like The Minimalists and other shows like Marie Kondo’s and while these types of things can be very inspiring, they can also send the message that we need to live our lives exactly like these “minimalism gurus” do. This idea in itself can be damaging I believe because we then run the risk of putting too much pressure on ourselves which in the end will probably lead to exhaustion and that we feel sick of caring about it. I know that some people (myself included) will sometimes get overwhelmed and stop taking responsibility for the environment because it can be simply too much at times. A little goes a long way and I think you put it perfectly when saying that minimalism looks different for everyone. Great post! 🙂
Thanks Jo! You’re describing my experience with minimalism perfectly! When I started, I was very inspired by the minimalists, Colin Wright and Joshua Becker. My life revolved around getting rid of stuff. If I was visiting a friend I’d eventually start cataloguing the things that looked like unnecessary clutter (in my head…never out loud 🤣). I felt like it became an obsession and then I burned out and just stopped caring for a little while. But I also think it’s important to know be aware of our possessions and to not have more than we need.
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