Who to emulate?
minimalism.com
“Form is extremely important. I think it exists to express the thought and it must be structured with geometry.” – A G Fronzoni
Who to emulate?
A lifetime ago, when I was nineteen and starting to work my way up the corporate ladder, my boss gave me some valuable advice as I was reaching for the next rung far overhead: “Don’t ask a man who earns $20,000 a year how to make $100,000.”
I agreed at the time—and still agree now—but I have better advice: Don’t ask an unhappy man how to become happy.
Too often we emulate someone without realizing we don’t actually want to be like them. We look up to the person with the high-paying job, the prestigious career, or the material possessions for which we yearn, and we believe we want what they have—all the while not realizing how unhappy many of those people actually are.
Instead of emulating someone because of their accomplishments, then, it seems more prudent to emulate them for who they are: to learn from the person, not their facade of so-called achievements. There’s nothing wrong with earning a shedload of money—it’s just that the money doesn’t matter if you’re not happy with who you’ve become in the process.
Words by JFM
00 – Wallpapers
9 beautifully crafted and minimal technical drawings of objects for your phone’s wallpaper. The collection is heavily inspired by music. Pay what you want and enjoy a simpler digital experience.
01 – Journal
Read entries from the archive of the Minimalism Life® community journal
American divorce cleaning: How minimalism prepares you for the unthinkable (by Katherine Davis)
Everything else is extra: What matters? And what doesn’t? (by Andrew Rocha)
Hit the restart button: Two simple tips that helped me created more room in my life (by Jean Ong)
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
Korean moon jars (article)
Unrelenting simplicity by James Wong (article)
04 – Minimal lifestyle
Explore our list of curated lifestyle resources for simple living
05 – Shop
Discover our hand-picked minimalist products in the Minimalism Life® shop
06 – 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
Luca Faloni: Luxury Italian men's clothing
CLAE: Minimalist footwear from LA
Stiksen: Premium caps from Sweden
Crown Northampton: High quality minimal footwear
ASKET: ending fast fashion by making covetable everyday essentials
Selfmade: Handmade eyewear
Oliver Cabell: Minimalist Italian footwear and accessories
Steele & Borough: Vegan, lightweight and water repellant bags
Void Watches: Simple Swedish timepieces
Nordic Knots: Rugs inspired by the beauty of the Nordic light
Floyd: Unique and distinctive travel cases
CDLP: Luxury essentials
Dalgado: Timeless accessories made to last
JAK: Portuguese leather sneakers
Wahts: Minimal monochromatic menswear
North-89: Shoemakers designing for Scandinavian weather conditions
Discover more minimal brands on minimalism.com