Minimalism. It’s a common word lately. It’s a lifestyle theory of living with less, to be able to actually live more. Valuing experiences and people more than the items you own. Between Marie Kondo’s “Tidying Up” and all the extreme Scandinavian designs that are so popular on social media, it’s become a crave worthy ideal: less baggage.
The problem for me is that I am a collector. I have lived much of my life being terrified of having a negative impact on the environment, so throwing things away and not using them to their absolute fullest has lead me to have a closet full of pieces, from things I’ve been wearing since middle school to items still with tags on them.
It’s embarrassing… especially considering most of the time I wear the same 10 items that are in front.
So like everyone did during this quarantine time: I cleaned out my closet.
I cleaned out my closet only to find that I needed to clean it out again. Doing my research, I fell down a minimalist rabbit hole. Wanting to say “I’m a terrible person for having so much, donate it all and paint everything light gray and white!”, Jess talked me off the ledge while giving me a much needed direction for my upcoming journey.
“You can’t reach for anything new if your hands are still full with yesterday’s junk.”- Louise Smith
It’s not about throwing everything away, it’s about only keeping what you use, need, and love. Obsessing on a number of items is unrealistic for a girl who loves dresses, rings, and camera gear. But I have a lot that I don’t LOVE.
I purchase most of my stuff primarily through second hand or responsibly sourced brands, abandoning fast fashion some years ago. My style was never available through fast fashion channels anyways. A capsule wardrobe has always sounded so enticing, but is just such an overwhelming process. Right now I’m just focusing on the “decluttering and detaching my self worth from my things” phase… TOTALLY EASY…
I haven’t set a number of items, I’m not creating limits on how much. I’m just trying to live with more intention and purpose, making sure that all the items I have and bring into my space serve my current life. A bold goal of creating a space that I can create in. Being an at home artist is tough. It is full of distractions so trying to move towards eco-minimalism is also a key to leaving more room for my creativity to breathe and flourish.
The quest to find the proper way to recycle everything has begun! If you have gone through this journey yourself, I would love to hear from you. In my journey to minimalism, I will be selling many of my pieces. If you think any of my pieces would bring you joy or serve you, follow me on Poshmark and pick up anything that peaks your fancy!
Always,
Ayla