Minimalism and collections: a (humanly) possible compromise
A survival guide for the minimalist inside of you that wants to show you how to do it.
You probably heard about minimalism from the recent Netflix show “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” or from the word of mouth of a friend struggling with too much stuff to handle. I would define minimalism to be one’s conscious choice of living with fewer essential possessions, but also to intentionally determine what and who can really make a difference in your life, among the multiple possibilities.
In other words, a “less is more” philosophy, and, pushing it further, even a “state of mind”. When you embrace minimalism you see things around you in a different light, and I’m not only talking about “physical” objects. For example, you can surely start noticing how you are influenced by the ads to “keep up with the Joneses” and get the latest gadget without giving it too much thought. Sometimes it’s a habit and you don’t realize you often just want something, without actually needing it. In other cases, your buying instinct is moved by the same psychological reasons that trigger food cravings, like boredom or stress.
How did I get started in minimalism?
I can’t remember the exact moment I read about minimalism or when I decided to move toward with it a few years ago but I know I was trying to find myself, somehow. What do I mean? On one side, at that point for the first time I was going to share my double bedroom with my then boyfriend and I needed to make space for him; on the other, I was excited but, more importantly, I knew I was entering a new stage of my life and I wasn’t sure about some things. Was I going to be ok? Was I going to declutter so much in and out of me that I would have lost some parts of me along the way? I might have wanted to find something that was truly and only mine. It could have been either a new belief (there you go, minimalism) or even some possessions that would have had my name invisibly stamped all over. For me, my bulky collection of records would easily jump on top of my list of examples on this regard.
Can a minimalist be a collector?
Of course, we’re (mostly) humans after all. Simply put: as long as you have a genuine passion for what you’re lovingly accumulating, there should be no feeling of guilt of any sort.
Being the musical geek I’ve always been, I probably started collecting vinyl as a response to the increasing disappearance of the physical sources to play music that made way to the “untouchable” streaming and MP3s. Yes, I could have chosen other now “vintage” supports like tapes or CDs but, ironically, I went for the biggest option available: their analog grandfather LP. So much for that space I needed to free up! I looked at the hundreds of records and felt I couldn’t part with any of them. They were (are) my “children” after all. I went through the whole decluttering process, minimizing everything from my wardrobe to every conceivable cupboard or drawer I could get my hands on. But still, there they were, in their beautiful artworks and guarding all that great music. What could I do?
As the minimalist I was becoming, I treasured one of the lessons I learnt from Miss Kondo and I tackled each and every vinyl and finally asked myself the infamous question “Does this bring me joy?” and, to no surprise, found out that unfortunately (or luckily for me) the 99% of them did. After selling the very few pieces I could live without, I came to another solution: what about reducing all the rest of the stuff I had instead? And my motivation rose again: in order to save my “treasure”, I had to kick something else out. More bags of a variety of items, from beauty products to small knick-knacks, went out the door to be promptly donated. My mission was accomplished and my journey through self knowledge continued.
For the collections I would advise to apply the same basic rule of minimalism that would be applied to anything else: keep only whatever you consider essential and makes you happy. So, if you’d rather have 500 books or action figures than 50 T shirts, go for it! Let them be part of your ideal place, because that’s what you want to create in the end.
Life is made of choices, and only you can decide what to make of it. So it’s minimalism: it’s personal and no one should judge you or interfere with you for the way you feel about it. Make it yours, even if it doesn’t “look” like the aseptic white rooms you often see associated with the term “minimal”. As far as the collections are concerned too, it goes down to what matters to you, not to impress people, so pick up the best of the best.
Now turn some music on and let your minimalist spirit come out and dance.