Whenever the topic of minimalism comes up online, I find it often comes back to people offering their own definitions of the word. That's interesting because it shows that we all consider the word...
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Whenever the topic of minimalism comes up online, I find it often comes back to people offering their own definitions of the word. That's interesting because it shows that we all consider the word differently, and may explain why there's often so much conflict in the discussion.
I find it useful to break minimalism down into two camps: lifestyle and design. Lifestyle is about living a minimal life, and reducing where possible (be it possessions, responsibilities, relationships, whatever). Design is the minimal aesthetic, popularized as flat design and elegant curves.
Sometimes these camps are at odds with each other. A shiny new iMac might have a beautiful and clean design, but spending $2000 on a computer to check your email might not be a very minimal purchase. I think sometimes people point to this sort of example as hypocrisy, but it's conflating two different things. An Apple fan might appreciate the sense of design without being a minimalist at home, and that's completely fine.
Personally I enjoy minimalism in both the design and lifestyle senses, and I found a few useful nuggets of wisdom in Kondo's book. I don't love the idea of her name being used to drive consumerism, but at the same time I need to remember that it's not meant for me, and that's okay too.
This distinction is very important, to the point that I feel there should be two words to describe the two different approaches. Although I guess having 'minimalist' signify two different things...
This distinction is very important, to the point that I feel there should be two words to describe the two different approaches. Although I guess having 'minimalist' signify two different things is somewhat minimalist in itself.
I love elegant, designed minimalism but I've never been able to live that way - no matter how few things I try to own I simply can't keep my life that tidy (even less so now I have a toddler). The lifestyle form of minimalism is rather more achievable - especially when budget is an issue - and in many ways more satisfying as well.
I think what this author is trying to say that Minimalism was (or, for many people, still is) a way to escape the rampant consumerism that the world has devolved into due to the rise of capitalism...
I think what this author is trying to say that Minimalism was (or, for many people, still is) a way to escape the rampant consumerism that the world has devolved into due to the rise of capitalism and globalism, but now the the movement itself is becoming more commercial, various companies have begun advertising directly to minimalists with their products, often without actually being minimalist.
There is no reason for a minimalist table to cost so much, especially if it's been manufactured in a different factory down the street as opposed to the other one where all the Ikea stuff comes out. It's still mass-produced ware, just marketed to different people, and often the markup is not justified due to material cost or expertise in assembly.
If you want a real minimalist table, contact a local woodworker and have it made. Sure, it'll be more expensive, but you'll have an actual real wooden table where you had input on material and design, and you'll truly have a product for the ages.
I've always been suspicious of anything being marketed or sold as "minimalist". To me, and as the article mentions, minimalism is mostly about being happy with what you have and not accumulating a...
I've always been suspicious of anything being marketed or sold as "minimalist". To me, and as the article mentions, minimalism is mostly about being happy with what you have and not accumulating a bunch of stuff.
So maybe don't buy a table. If you do need a table, it doesn't need to be anything except what you need it to be. Maybe that's very high quality to you, or maybe it's a used table from a thrift store.
Just maybe don't buy so cheap that everything falls apart after a few years, which I think was the original point of products marketed towards minimalists.
Just maybe don't buy so cheap that everything falls apart after a few years, which I think was the original point of products marketed towards minimalists.
"Just sort through your house or listen to a podcast, and happiness, satisfaction and peace of mind could all be yours." I'm gonna have to give a big sigh to this. The author is really weird in...
"Just sort through your house or listen to a podcast, and happiness, satisfaction and peace of mind could all be yours."
I'm gonna have to give a big sigh to this. The author is really weird in that he's trying to boil down minamilism and Kondoism thought processes into a one liner. It's more than that. They say just go through your house as if that may not be a huge task within itsself. He's distorting Marie Kondos whole idealism; it's about changing the way you think about what you purchase. It's about considering what you really do and don't need and putting weight onto things and being able to consolidate and organize accordingly. I don't know why he tried to put Kondo down, considering she boils down to organizational tips.
If you truly want to consider minamilism and you think that means throwing all your shit out and replacing it with stark furniture and cool Ikea tables and all pinewood then I have bad news, you don't have to do that. Minimalism is literally just living with less. It's fine to take inspiration from how others live with less but no one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to buy pinewood tables. People are trying to define the aesthetic of minimalism and THAT seems to be the real problem and the way capitalism has started to grow within the fad.
There's nothing wrong with these ideals, of wanting to live with less and buy less. It's all about how it fits for you, on an individual level, not what some Facebook group or chic podcast recommends. I can have a boastful, floral couch and it can still be minimalist. People rely too much on others when defining anesthetics or what it "really" means to be something. I think the author came at this wrong. There are many other ways to come at minimalism and to shit on the way capitalism is ruining it or whatever. But also leave Marie Kondo alone. She's just giving organizational tips. She doesn't say anything about throwing out your good tables or your art on your wall. The two are similar but not necessarily mutual.
Whenever the topic of minimalism comes up online, I find it often comes back to people offering their own definitions of the word. That's interesting because it shows that we all consider the word differently, and may explain why there's often so much conflict in the discussion.
I find it useful to break minimalism down into two camps: lifestyle and design. Lifestyle is about living a minimal life, and reducing where possible (be it possessions, responsibilities, relationships, whatever). Design is the minimal aesthetic, popularized as flat design and elegant curves.
Sometimes these camps are at odds with each other. A shiny new iMac might have a beautiful and clean design, but spending $2000 on a computer to check your email might not be a very minimal purchase. I think sometimes people point to this sort of example as hypocrisy, but it's conflating two different things. An Apple fan might appreciate the sense of design without being a minimalist at home, and that's completely fine.
Personally I enjoy minimalism in both the design and lifestyle senses, and I found a few useful nuggets of wisdom in Kondo's book. I don't love the idea of her name being used to drive consumerism, but at the same time I need to remember that it's not meant for me, and that's okay too.
This distinction is very important, to the point that I feel there should be two words to describe the two different approaches. Although I guess having 'minimalist' signify two different things is somewhat minimalist in itself.
I love elegant, designed minimalism but I've never been able to live that way - no matter how few things I try to own I simply can't keep my life that tidy (even less so now I have a toddler). The lifestyle form of minimalism is rather more achievable - especially when budget is an issue - and in many ways more satisfying as well.
I think what this author is trying to say that Minimalism was (or, for many people, still is) a way to escape the rampant consumerism that the world has devolved into due to the rise of capitalism and globalism, but now the the movement itself is becoming more commercial, various companies have begun advertising directly to minimalists with their products, often without actually being minimalist.
There is no reason for a minimalist table to cost so much, especially if it's been manufactured in a different factory down the street as opposed to the other one where all the Ikea stuff comes out. It's still mass-produced ware, just marketed to different people, and often the markup is not justified due to material cost or expertise in assembly.
If you want a real minimalist table, contact a local woodworker and have it made. Sure, it'll be more expensive, but you'll have an actual real wooden table where you had input on material and design, and you'll truly have a product for the ages.
I've always been suspicious of anything being marketed or sold as "minimalist". To me, and as the article mentions, minimalism is mostly about being happy with what you have and not accumulating a bunch of stuff.
So maybe don't buy a table. If you do need a table, it doesn't need to be anything except what you need it to be. Maybe that's very high quality to you, or maybe it's a used table from a thrift store.
Just maybe don't buy so cheap that everything falls apart after a few years, which I think was the original point of products marketed towards minimalists.
"Just sort through your house or listen to a podcast, and happiness, satisfaction and peace of mind could all be yours."
I'm gonna have to give a big sigh to this. The author is really weird in that he's trying to boil down minamilism and Kondoism thought processes into a one liner. It's more than that. They say just go through your house as if that may not be a huge task within itsself. He's distorting Marie Kondos whole idealism; it's about changing the way you think about what you purchase. It's about considering what you really do and don't need and putting weight onto things and being able to consolidate and organize accordingly. I don't know why he tried to put Kondo down, considering she boils down to organizational tips.
If you truly want to consider minamilism and you think that means throwing all your shit out and replacing it with stark furniture and cool Ikea tables and all pinewood then I have bad news, you don't have to do that. Minimalism is literally just living with less. It's fine to take inspiration from how others live with less but no one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to buy pinewood tables. People are trying to define the aesthetic of minimalism and THAT seems to be the real problem and the way capitalism has started to grow within the fad.
There's nothing wrong with these ideals, of wanting to live with less and buy less. It's all about how it fits for you, on an individual level, not what some Facebook group or chic podcast recommends. I can have a boastful, floral couch and it can still be minimalist. People rely too much on others when defining anesthetics or what it "really" means to be something. I think the author came at this wrong. There are many other ways to come at minimalism and to shit on the way capitalism is ruining it or whatever. But also leave Marie Kondo alone. She's just giving organizational tips. She doesn't say anything about throwing out your good tables or your art on your wall. The two are similar but not necessarily mutual.