Labels are necessary
minimalism.com
“When you’re free from pleasing all the people, you’re free from needing all the things.” – The Minimalists
Labels are necessary
“I don’t label myself a ________, but…”
We hear prefaces like this all the time. There seems to be this strange misnomer promulgated throughout the Internet—and throughout our daily lives—that labels are a bad thing.
We posit to you, however, that labels aren’t necessarily a bad thing: labels are a necessary part of our lives. If you use a language, then you are, by definition, labeling things.
Label: I am sitting in a chair. Label: I am typing on a computer. Several labels: I am a thirty year old heterosexual white male.
So why are we bothered by labels? The rub seems to be when we give too much meaning to our labels. You see, you’re not only a black woman, or a tall man, or an agoraphobic person: you are so much more. You are thousands of labels at once, and that is okay. Labeling is just the start in the process of better understanding someone or something.
Labels are like material possessions: they are necessary, but we don’t need to give them as much meaning as we often do.
Words by The Minimalists
01 – Journal
Read entries from the archive of the Minimalism Life® community journal
What do you really want? A simple question that leads to a better life (by Andrew Rocha)
The cycle: A brief musing on the cycle of buying stuff (by Ore Oluwole)
Share your story
Do you have an interesting story you would like to share on minimalism.com? We want to read about it. You have the opportunity write about your experience of how minimalism has impacted your life and get your words published in our community journal.
02 – Minimal art
From our curated gallery
03 – Minimal design
Explore our list of curated design resources
The life & architecture of Laurie Baker (video/architecture)
099 minimal mockups (tool/software)
Typehut blogging platform (tool/software)
04 – Minimal lifestyle
Explore our list of curated lifestyle resources for simple living
Wabi sabi in the workplace (article)
Vita lenta (magazine/video)
Stuffocation – Living more with less by James Wallman (book)
05 - mymind
We would like to share with you one of our favorite digital tools: mymind. A private place for all your bookmarks, inspiration, notes, articles, and images. AI organizes it for you in a beautiful, visual way. No ads, no tracking, no distractions.
Try it on mymind.com
06 – Shop
Discover our hand-picked minimalist products in the Minimalism Life® shop
07 – Brands anchored by simplicity and sustainability
Minimalism can be about frugality and owning less, but it can also be about supporting ethical brands with sustainability at their core. Here’s several that you might be interested learning more about:
Cubo: Simple adaptive bags
Mismo: Bags and accessories from natural materials
Meller: Minimal shades
Stiksen: Premium caps from Sweden
CLAE: Minimalist footwear from LA
Crown Northampton: High quality minimal footwear
The Resort Co: Eco-conscious and artisan vacation wear
Nordic Knots: Rugs inspired by the beauty of the Nordic light
CDLP: Luxury essentials
Dalgado: Timeless accessories made to last
North-89: Shoemakers designing for Scandinavian weather conditions
JAK: Portuguese leather sneakers
Void Watches: Simple Swedish timepieces
Selfmade: Handmade eyewear
Steele & Borough: Vegan, lightweight and water repellant bags
Void Watches: Simple Swedish timepieces
ASKET: ending fast fashion by making covetable everyday essentials
Floyd: Unique and distinctive travel cases
Wahts: Minimal monochromatic menswear
Discover more minimal brands on minimalism.com