Minimalism in practice: social media

I wish I could pay someone money to opt out of ads in real life.  So far, no one's made an ad blocker for that, but Black Mirror makes me think it won't be long.  In the meantime, I fight the man by blocking every Twitter and Instagram account that advertises on my feed.  Yes, it takes time and yes, it's actually made a difference as far as Twitter's concerned.  I'm sure it's not likely, but I really hope someone at Instagram HQ starts to notice and blacklists me from ever receiving ads again.  I go to these apps for what I've subscribed for, and I don't want anything else invading that space trying to sell me something I don't want.

2017 was the Year of the Podcast for me, and one of the podcasts I consumed religiously was The Minimalist Podcast.  I've always loathed clutter, and it was so affirming and validating to find a group of people who agreed with me and my frustrations!  I think it was their episode about technology (or maybe this one about creating) that started to change my perspective on social media clutter.

It showed me I was contributing to it.

I was making the internet more cluttered.  I was filling it with content I thought people would like with the goal of wanting them to like (and follow) me.   I wasn't offering anything of real substance, I was playing the game to win, not to give, and what I posted reflected that.

As much as I'd love to have the perks that come with being internet famous, I've uncovered that it's more important to me to stick to my values about value.  I know I won't always get it right, and I know there are plenty of ways to define this, but moving forward, I want my contribution to matter.  If I don't believe my content will give value to others, I won't publish it.

Going one level deeper, I do want to reflect on how this newer perspective can lead to being overly critical and even afraid to speak, share, and create.  In fact, I already have internal struggles with what my voice is and what I should be saying, but I can take the time to figure that out and build on top of this new foundation I'm setting.  Regardless of how my voice evolves, I know Value will be one of the core pillars of my online presence.

Be the change you want to see in the world, even when it's something as trivial as what's trending on Twitter.

Minimalist rustic

I realized last week that if I could find a beautiful way to marry minimalism with a rustic aesthetic, I might find my perfect happy space.  I had no idea how to blend these two very different ideals, but some inspiration came to my inbox just today!  Check out these beautiful rooms on Bloglovin that combine both of my interior design goals (plants included).

If you know of any other places where I can find similar minimalism + rustic combos, let me know!  Maybe one day I'll be able to add some of my own pictures to the internet!

P.s. Would you say rustic minimalism?  Or does minimalist rustic make sense?
You might also be interested in this collage of minimalist planter ideas or this Atlanta treehouse available on Airbnb (now up to $350/night, though!).

Living Luxuriously

I couple weeks ago, I came home in the middle of a dreary, wet, and dark June afternoon.  After having such lovely weather for so long, I wasn't feeling the gloomy atmosphere.  I was also feeling chilled and even though it was nearly summer, it sounded like a good idea to warm myself up with some rich hot chocolate I had leftover from last winter.

For some reason, I had the idea to serve myself with the Chinese tea set my BFF Millie got me for Christmas last year.  Why not, right?  Sure it may have been meant for fancy tea, but why not make the hot chocolate fancy?

Long story short, my Kroger private selection hot chocolate tasted magnificent coming from the prettiest tea cups I own.  I also decided to leave my tea set out of its box from now own.  It's so beautiful, why not display it so I can actually see and enjoy it?

I hope this encourages you to think of some ways you can add unconventional luxury to your life, too!  Are there things you do now to bring more joy and fanciness to your day?  I'd love to hear!

More thoughts on living with less

Photo by Tina D, edited by me (Creative Commons)

I started moving toward having fewer possessions last year, and I'm glad I've started the journey already, because getting to my vague goals is going to take a long time.  I started working mainly on my wardrobe, and I've been to donate clothing and books and an old comforter twice now with more trips already planned.  There's also been a lot of behind the scenes thinking and finding more and more reasons to pursue minimalism in more areas of my life.  I've mentioned before what I think to be the best reason to declutter your closet, but that doesn't really go into why I want to still have less moving forward even though I've already gotten rid of a lot of things.

Last summer, I saw my parents have their final yard sale before moving to Norway.  I sat in a hard mix of emotions for most of the day.  My dad sold off his collectible hockey cards.  My mom brought out treasured old church cookbooks for a man asking if he could buy them.  Chairs and lamps and things that never meant much to me growing up were hard to see go just because I had grown up with them.  I knew it would be sad, so I wasn't surprised, but I wasn't even the one moving or leaving home!  These weren't even my things, and I cared so much about losing them!

Growing up in a Christian home, I learned about storing up my treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).  There are many other philosophies and religions that also teach detachment from the material world.  I never really acted on these teachings that much, in fact, growing up, I was afraid to go to heaven because I knew I couldn't take my stuffed dog and blanket with me!  Now that I've grown up a bit, though, and I've seen how attachment distracts us from what matters, I think my perspective is changing.  It sounds callous, but after seeing the sadness that comes from losing things I cared about, I'm much more receptive to simply caring less and about fewer things.

I don't want to end up in a position where I care so much about the things I've collected that it hurts to let go of them.  Nothing lasts in this world.  Things get stolen, broken, burned, and eventually get left behind when we die and get distributed to new owners.  Holding things with an open hand seems like a much, much wiser way to go about life than holding things tight.  That's what I want to be like, holding things with an open hand.

What about you?  How do you feel about the things you own?  What new goals do you have for the new year?

One Fundamental Rule for a Minimalist Wardrobe

Back when I was teaching my Korean students about how to take care of the planet and about The Three R's, we often went of the best way to stop the trash cycle: REDUCE.  Basically, if you use less to begin with, then you're wasting less, throwing away less, spending less, and worrying about less.  All of this translates perfectly to what I understand of the minimal lifestyle and minimal wardrobe, as well.

Photo by Chelsea Francis, via Unsplash

Waste Not, Want Not: Wardrobe Edition

While browsing through Pinterest last night, I came across this Waste Less in April challenge.  Check out the task for this weekend: "Donate what you don't want | Reduce waste!"

image by Jeff Sheldon via Unsplash

It hit me like a bucket of water.

Holding onto clothes I don't wear anymore or don't need, it doesn't just keep clutter in my house (which I care about).  It keeps others from having something they might need (which I should care about).

If we were to keep only what we really use, then even pare those possessions down to what we really need, donating the rest offers others a chance to have what they really need.

Three Totally Legitimate Struggles in Creating a Minimalist Wardrobe

I've mentioned it once before, but now I can say that I've actually started taking action toward creating a minimalist wardrobe.  Toward building a closet of certain clothing that fits me well and flatters me.  Toward collecting specific pieces that suit my style and that mix and match well.  And toward purging what doesn't belong.

Guys.

Getting rid of clothes.

Is hard.

Let me start off by saying I tend to be a very well organized, planned out person.  I hate clutter, and I throw away and give away and sell more than the average clothes wearer.  There's just something about this, though, about paring down my wearable possessions, that's difficult, and there are actually real reasons why.

Photo by Chelsea Francis via Unsplash

#1 Less is More Doesn't Always Make Sense.

If we're honest, it's a counterintuitive idea that getting rid of clothes gives you more freedom in what you wear.  It's true that I would 100% rather have a small closet of pieces that I love than a walk in closet of things I don't love.  However, getting rid of this one wishy washy blouse I might want to wear one day but very much dislike now makes me feel like I'm removing options rather than gaining them.  And in a way, it's true.  More pieces does mean more options, but especially when using a purge to define your style, you gotta separate yourself from what doesn't better yourself.

#2 Sentimental Value is Real.

The blue suede heels I wore at my wedding.  My first college t-shirt.  The blouse my BFF traded with me years ago.  My krump shoes!  If I get rid of these things, I will never get them back again.  Finding something that fits better doesn't really matter when the value of these special pieces doesn't come from their fit, shape, color, or condition.  This struggle is an especially hard one, because we know deep down that memories are special.  What harm does it do to keep these ratty shoes, anyway?  I still haven't gotten rid of them, and I really don't think I will for a very, very long time.

#3 Does This Mean I Wasted My Money?

I spent my modest paycheck on these things, and now I'm supposed to get rid of them?  My answer to this struggle is connected to my answer to #1, but more so to the idea that money is our most valuable resource.  It's not.  Possessions aren't, either.  And while I do believe we all need to be spending our money wisely for a multitude of reasons, the end all be all of something's value is not how much money was spent on it.  The value of something comes down to how far someone is willing to go for it, not how much money it costs.  So for some, a minimalist wardrobe is more valuable than the money spent on x, y, and z.  For me, seeing that shining beacon of a clean closet holding only clothes I feel comfortable and happy in is worth getting rid of the dead weight.

For more on these real struggles and others, I recommend checking out this post from The Wardrobe Architect, especially the section on overcoming these hurdles.

P.s.  Korean couple clothing (which I would totally wear but Caleb wouldn't be caught dead in)