“Collect moments, not things.”
—The Minimalists
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Pretty Simple
Redefining minimalism to reflect your personal style
By Alicia Woodward
I have always been highly affected by my physical environment and drawn to tidy, organized spaces. When I first heard about minimalism, I studied the subject like it was my job. For a variety of reasons, I began to equate minimalism with a modern aesthetic featuring a neutral color palette. With this in mind, I examined my every possession and tossed, donated, sold and replaced almost everything I owned.
At first, I loved my sleek minimalist space. I could breathe more deeply and think more clearly. Eventually, though, I felt like a stranger in my own home. I longed to see a bouquet of flowers spilling out of a pretty blue pitcher, a stack of my favorite poetry books and my beloved collection of heart-shaped rocks.
After what seemed like an epic fail at minimalism, I regrouped and asked myself how I could embrace simplicity while staying true to my personal style. My answer turned out to be pretty simple.
Pretty—as in fairly or mostly and as in beautiful or lovely.
Simple—as in pared down to only those possessions necessary for my well-being and comfort.
A quote written by William Morris in the 1800s has inspired many minimalists. “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or beautiful.” It’s a lovely sentiment, but because useful and beautiful are subjective, it requires us to make some personal decisions about what minimalism looks like for us.
To make minimalism work for me, I had to make a major shift in my thinking.
A minimalist’s closet could hold five identical black T-shirts, but mine could just as easily have five beautiful blouses hanging on silk padded hangers.
A minimalist’s set of dishes may be plain white, but I could use a small set of floral china.
A bold, abstract piece of art might hang in a minimalist’s living room, but I could choose a sweet watercolor of a robin.
We can embrace the philosophy of minimalism regardless of our personal style. I like pretty things. Maybe your style is more glamourous, bohemian, sporty, contemporary, or vintage. Our possessions should make us happy. Decide what you really need, and let each thing reflect your own style.
Ironically, I made the mistake of complicating minimalism. I wasn’t seeking an avant-garde lifestyle. I was seeking simplicity. I just needed to make sure my home neatly contained only my favorite things I use and love.
For me, minimalism is pretty simple.
A Rose and Its Thorns
Embracing the painful parts of letting go
By Deborah Deacon
A year ago, I was sitting with a friend in the back corner of our favorite coffee shop, when she asked me what my “rose and thorns” were. I hadn’t heard this question before but the idea was to reflect on something good in your life (the rose), and something challenging or difficult (the thorns). I don’t remember what I answered then but I do remember feeling grateful that I couldn’t immediately choose just one rose and that I struggled to think of a thorn.
Recently, I found myself surrounded by six large boxes filled with all of my family’s photos and mementos. I have a reputation within my family as a ‘ruthless minimalist’ who can easily get rid of things no matter the sentimental weight they carry. And so, when my parents decided to separate earlier this year, I put myself in charge of a task that I knew neither my parents nor my three siblings would want to do. Truth be told, I thought it would be easy for me to sort, divide, and minimize these sentimental things. But it wasn’t.
It took me 20 hours over two days to reduce six boxes down to two. I sorted through 35 years of memories: polaroid photos of my parents dating and later dancing at their wedding, baby books with hospital bracelets and locks of hair, and at least two thousand photos filled with camping trips, snow days, birthday cakes, back-to-school outfits, and graduation gowns. The ones where someone’s thumb was covering the lens were the few easy photos to get rid of.
Letting go of sentimental items—particularly during a time of loss or change—is an incredibly difficult and personal process and it looks different for everyone. There truly is no right way to do it. For some people, saying goodbye to some or any of these things might not even be the right answer, and that’s okay too. For my family, however, these six overflowing boxes were a burden we needed to minimize and organize so that they could remind us of what we were grateful for, and not what we were losing.
As a minimalist, I believe the things we own should bring us happiness. But this doesn’t mean I threw out anything that made me sad. Photo by photo, I carefully pared down our collection and by the end of those two days, I had piles of pictures for each of my family members that I knew would make them (mostly) happy to look through. I realized there was still value in the photos that were too hard to look at right now, so I kept a separate box for those and marked it like a time capsule for us to open in the future. From beginning to end, I trusted my instincts and accepted that I would make mistakes. I reminded myself that getting rid of a photo did not mean letting go of the people in it or the memories it carried. And most importantly, I embraced the fact that letting go was going to be painful this time.
When I talk about minimalism, I usually emphasize how amazing it feels to let go of things. I’ll tell people that getting rid of some or several of their possessions would allow them to focus more on the good things or the “roses” in their lives. And while I still believe this, I know that it’s not always this simple or easy. Letting go has thorns and they are painful, but they are just as important and deserving of our attention.
A Little More of Less
A few other articles we think you might enjoy…
Dealing with the Immense Uncertainty of the World by Leo Babauta
9 Things I Refuse To Make Time for Anymore by Courtney Carver
The Flame of Creativity: Are you the Water or the Wind? by Brittany Olson
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Ah.. we talk about memories as if they are lingering slivers of some sentimental aspect of our past lives. Unfortunately, our brains don’t have the capacity to save all the details of that sensory experience, so that it gradually loses its substance. Would it not be better, then, to let go of that emotional clutter and find delight in every moment of our present being? In other words, I think minimalism can be realized in the physical and the spiritual realm.