Minimalism…what is it?

 

 

Are you a minimalist? How does being a minimalist differ from other lifestyles?

I have been hearing a lot more about minimalism over the past couple of years.  I don’t really know too much about it, or how it differs from other lifestyles.  I do know that it obviously has a lot to do with living a life with “minimal” items, as the name suggests.  It seems intriguing enough that it peeked my interest and curiosity, and I wanted to learn more.

 

A little back story…

So when my daughters were very young, we moved to a smaller city from a larger metropolitan area.  We had lived in the Los Angeles, California area for awhile, and decided to move about 60 miles away inland where the house were less expensive.  The city we moved too is not small, but it’s not Los Angeles either.  Many people here have lived here all their lives, and their parents have also lived here all their lives.  They now have families, and their children are now growing up in town.  You get the point…

We slowly adjusted to going from a very busy, very loud city to a quiet, slower way of living.  The way of living here is definitely not the same as the Los Angeles area, but we like it and enjoy being in the Inland Empire.  Fast forward to when my oldest daughter started high school…she was never a typical teenager where she had to have the latest trends in clothes and shoes, she pretty much always had her own style and look.  I never really thought too much about it, since I too have a very distinct style of my own.  I rarely like to buy trendy items that everyone is wearing, I like having unique clothing pieces that make a statement and are very different than main stream.  She would never be caught DEAD in crazy patterns on her pants or shirts, that’s for sure!  Me on the other hand; well I’m a different story!

 

 

I quickly began to realize that Taylor was very comfortable and herself with very simple items of clothing.  She was never one to get any pieces that had distinct patterns, colors or were overly flashy.  I knew that once she went away to college, she would begin to experiment with other styles and open up her way of thinking being in a different environment.  I know that my sometimes bold fashion choices match my quirky personality, but Taylor’s personality is different than mine.

 

How it all started…

Taylor decided to go away to college a mere six hundred plus miles away from home! Not far at all, right?!  I know now that that was not a coincidence.  She wanted to spread her wings and experience living in an area that would allow her to figure out who she was, and who she wanted to be.  Was I worried and scared at first?  You betcha!  But I believe that by going so far away from home, she has had the opportunity to become the adult she was destined to be.  It was one of the best decisions she has made, and it led her to choosing to become a minimalist.

Minimalism and minimalist has become quite popular.  I know very little about this lifestyle, so I decided to ask my daughter Taylor to share a little about why she chose to become a minimalist and live a sustainable lifestyle, to shed a little light on the subjects.

 

 

So, what made her decide to become a minimalist?

Here’s her take on how she made a choice in her life to change her lifestyle…

Growing up in today’s society, there are many lifestyle choices to choose from and it is sometimes hard to find the right one.  Growing and finding myself in my early twenties was very hard to establish what kind of lifestyle I wanted to live…so I took to the internet to find out my options.  Minimalism is the one that stuck out to me the most.

Minimalism is a lifestyle choice that enables you to live with fewer possessions.  The term minimalism started off as a term used only to describe a style of paining back in the 1950’s (thank you AP Art History).  However, now it has become a lifestyle choice where most people believe you need to get rid of everything you own, not have electronic devices, or not enjoy some of the luxuries of life.  At first, I thought this was true.  But after reading into the lifestyle, I realized I was already half way there.

 

 

 

Making the lifestyle change to minimalism allowed me to let go of all of the unnecessary pieces of my life that I didn’t know I was holding on to.  I started by getting rid of all of the clothing I don’t need or use and I established a color palette that I like to wear.  Currently, that consists of jean, black, white, brown/tan, and gray.  This helped me the most in realizing that I don’t need to have a lot of clothes to be happy, especially when I was wearing the same ten outfits every week.  Next was to get rid of all the stuff I have kept over the years, that no longer served a purpose in my life.  This was one of the hardest parts because sometimes you have to get rid of sentimental pieces or part with items you have had but no longer need. There are more ways I can minimize my life and it takes time, but this start gave me a new perspective on life and how I wanted my life to be.

The minimalist lifestyle is one that brings freedom to your life.  The ability to not have to worry about what you are going to wear, having duplicates of the same items, and relief from the clutter that can surround our lives.  We all have that junk drawer in the kitchen that hides all of the items we don’t have a place for or can’t seem to get rid of.  Trying the minimalist lifestyle helps to establish a place for everything in your life.  So, give it a try, and see all the new possibilities that open up in your life.

 

 

So, there you have it.  I applaud my daughter for making a very adult decision that ultimately makes her happy.  We do our best as parents to raise our children to be independent thinkers and decision makers.  It is quite an eye opening experience and a proud mommy moment when you get to see how your child blossoms into an amazing adult.  Guys, proud mommy over here, just saying!

 

She has definitely taught me a thing or two about finding the good in things, even if the day isn’t going so well!

 

Have you made a lifestyle change? Tell me all about it in the comments!

 

Anitra J.