If you’ve seen the Netflix series “The Minimalists”, then the term Minimalism is something that you’ve been hearing for sometime now.
So, what is Minimalism? There’s actually no definite dictionary definition for it; aside from the minimalism as an art trend, which btw is my favorite genre. But, it’s mostly defined as intentionally living with only the essentials. Meaning, every single thing you own should have and serve its purpose.
Minimalism for me is different for each person. Some prefer to downsize by moving to a smaller home or building a simpler wardrobe capsule. Others produce the things they need from scratch. While some few, striking ones even go full-blown nomads.
I don’t think I’ll come close to their lifestyle. Instead, I like to follow what they call Minimal-ish. After months of exploring and experimenting, I took out some ideas from minimalism and incorporated them to our own lifestyle - I still wear makeup, use store-bought products, and have a permanent home address fyi.
Why, though? The pandemic surely changed me in a magnitude I never imagined. From purpose to passion, it pushed me to reassess my life and define what really matters most. I realized that I don’t really need 20 lipsticks in closely similar shades.
So now, though not perfect, sharing the principles of minimalism that I kinda follow.
Less is More
My minimal-ish journey actually dealt with not just my clutter (in fact, we still have a lot and a long way to go to finally tidy things up), but also my heart. As a makeup artist, I’m exposed to the world of beauty (and blogging) that chases after worldly success, fame, and glamour. While minimalism on the other hand, invites us to slow down, appreciate what we have, and live more. It is only when we are grateful, that we see how blessed we are.
This journey is also giving me the freedom to actually handle my time and money. If it’s something that will rob me of my joy and purpose, then it’s a BIG NO.
Slowly, but Surely
Slow and steady wins the race. Transitioning slow, and smart, is more sustainable and achievable than radical changes.
Take time to try what works for you and the people you live with. In my case, my husband is not-so minimalist, and I respect that; and my kid loves Legos and Nerf guns, and I encourage creativity out of those. Oh and not to mention, we are new FUR PARENTS.
Don’t throw things right away! They say, “no to duplicates”. I say, set limits you’re comfortable with. I still keep extras in case of emergencies. There are actually a lot of approaches on organizing and decluttering, but I think that the KonMari method helped me a lot in sorting. It suggests organizing items by category, instead of location, so you can quickly see what you have. Then, I move to sorting which ones are to use, keep, or toss.
Use the ones you intend to keep.
Keep items within a specific quantity (and stick to it).
Throw the items that are beyond repair.
Sell the items that are brand new or slightly used.
Give whatever you feel like giving away. Generosity goes a long way.
And most importantly, bring in less and less items thereafter.
“Clean” that goes beyond the aesthetics
From skin care to home care, there are lots of products that are riding on the minimalist trend – simpler packaging, lesser “bad” ingredients, adding “more” naturals, and so on. But what I want to achieve and starting to be particular with is beyond the packaging. I noticed that most of my clients who don’t wear makeup everyday, and/or are following simpler skin care routines actually have nicer skin. That goes to show that minimizing the number of products; and shifting to those with proven, kinder, lesser ingredients are worth trying. Quality over quantity is key.
There are lots of principles and articles out there. But the question is, what are you willing to practice? Whatever it is, I hope that it'll be a meaningful journey for you, as it is for us so far. I'll be posting more about minimal-ishm (hehe) soon. If you want to know more or if you have tips (yes, would love that), feel free to comment away.
Create Space for Empowerment,
