Im a minimalist

[Minimalist86]

Im a minimalist.
AMA.

OP I’m concerned that you haven’t mentioned lamps or low lighting of any sort. Does this mean you live your entire life… with only the big light? 😳💡

Seriously though thanks for this post, I love reading it probably because I am so the opposite. I feel calm when in my little nest of cherished objected and photos and houseplants and if I’m honest minimalist places put me on edge.

Dont understand why anyone’s giving you a hard time. You sound happy and like you really know yourself which is all we can hope for in this life!

Do you follow minimalists like Joshua Becker or The minimalists.

Does this mean you live your entire life… with only the big light? 😳💡

Asking the proper questions now 😂.

Could you please share more about how your home looks and the things in it in general, given we are all so positively fascinated? Do you feel like your home is a thing of beauty (to you) or is it purely functional?

Is your morning/evening routine concise and to the point, no leasurely pottering around, self care, fancy meals?

Do you keep your texts to family/friends concise and to the point similar to your replies on here? Do you use emojis or do you consider them superfluous?

words have power tho. not normal and not standard don't mean the same thing in reality. neither do abnormal and unusual. it doesn't matter synonyms are synonyms of what

My main light is not bright bright, i mainly use the hallway light, its plenty.

No.

My morning routine is normal, i wake put the kettle on, put some backgrown lofi on and wake up, meditate 15 mins yoga 15 min have a shower done.

Evening 20min meditate 30 min yoga shower pjs dinner depends on what i fancy, good film.

I text like everyone else but i dont hang on to messages for weeks read reply delet, i only keep them if need to, and yes i use emojis i think we all do.

Past time i google where im of to next.
My home suits me and thats all that matters.

@Minimalist86 “My home suits me and that’s all that matters.”

So true!! It doesn’t matter how other people live or what’s considered “normal.” You have chosen a way that works for you, which brings you happiness and contentment.

Why do you use a plastic pop up wardrobe when it sounds like you can afford to buy a decent one? I understand the minimalism thing and I respect it, but do you not care if you live in an ugly and unstylish environment? Do you take care to make your home attractive and stylish or are those things completely unimportant to you so long as it functions on the most basic level?

OP’s home doesn’t sound like she lives in an “ugly and unstylish” environment. She has chosen things for her home that work for her.

It sounds to me as if the OP is just oblivious to aesthetics. Which is fine, obviously -- so are lots of people, who would not describe themselves as minimalists.

People have different aesthetics depending on personal tastes and personality. There is no “right” way to live and decorate your home.

”One person's ugly is another person's beauty"

That's completely true and I understand that there is no accounting for taste or an individual's idea of style . However, I can't imagine many people would genuinely choose a plastic pop up wardrobe for aesthetic reasons, only practical or budgetary ones.

I think some people just see items as functional, and aren't concerned with the aesthetics.

Yes of course she has, but my question is genuinely to understand whether she likes the look of the stuff she chooses and whether she adorns and decorates her home to any degree at all, albeit within a minimalist aesthetic.

Or whether aesthetics are of little or no concern to her and only practicality and minimalism matter. And perhaps spending as little money as possible on things that merely serve a practical purpose, not a decorative one.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

Hopefully OP will answer this. But for me, I have things that are functional. It doesn’t mean they are “ugly” but I don’t buy things just because they’re aesthetically pleasing. I don’t want excess possessions in my home.

I agree. It's a valid way to live, especially today. Sustainability and re-using decent, solid things that already exists but might not be fashionable, rather than buying new but probably poor quality stuff that looks trendy but won't last is a very sound philosophy.

There was no judgement from me in asking the question, I was just curious about the OP's approach to aesthetics. Some minimalists are minimalists from just as much an artistic and architectural aesthetic as from any desire to not hoard stuff they rarely use.

For others I imagine it's not that they don't want or don't own stuff necessarily. Just that they don't want to see it. They may have three storage containers' worth of stuff kept off site for all we know. They just don't want it cluttering up their beautifully pared back home environment.

For me, I don’t want to hoard stuff. I like having fewer possessions.

I have a wardrobe which was from my grandmother's house and dates to about 1920. It's beautiful, solid wood with an inlaid design.

I like my environment to look uncluttered and I think I am something of a minimalist at heart, but I do struggle with not having too many possessions because of my hobbies and interests. This means I have a house full of cupboards and wardrobes. I can't leave a space in a room where a cupboard would fit, because I think of all the stuff I need to get out of sight. 😂

This thread has spurred me on to have a good clear out though. I have fallen into the trap of keeping hold of too many things just in case I'll need them or use them again, when I know deep down I simply won't. My kitchen is the worst offender. I have too many dishes/baking trays/pans/utensils that all do the same thing. And too many niche gadgets and appliances that I haven't used in years, like a spiralizer and a sous vide. And some I've NEVER used, like the time I decided I'd start making homemade chocolates to amuse myself in COVID so I ordered all these moulds and chocolate making utensils that went in a drawer and never saw the light of day since.

They are all out of view, but that's not the point. Every time I want something in a certain cupboard the whole lot has to be pulled out, then put back like a Jenga stack so it fits.

I have a caravan and DH and I both love being away in our caravan because you absolutely cannot live like that. You are forced to live simply and minimally and it's actually very liberating. One tiny TV, not four dotted all over the house in rooms we rarely sit in. Two mugs, two plates, two bowls, one frying pan. one small colander, not six in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours which is what my kitchen is like.

OP has said she has white walls except one wall painted a bold colour in the living room and bedroom (I think she said one is orange and the other lime green but I haven't checked back through her comments). She's also said she has hippy curtains and throws. Those are aesthetic choices about how she wants her home to look and feel. I don't think she's mentioned what the pop up wardrobe looks like.

Sure, but my point is that the OP isn't someone who is interested in aesthetics at all.

Read the OP’s posts. She does have aesthetics.