minimalism: the exposition

"Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom.” This quote, from the website of TheMinimalists, helps me begin to unpack this word often inaccurately affiliated with things like downsizing and being a hippy or nomad. The truth about minimalism that makes me so excited to share here is that it can be defined in so many different ways. So long as it abides by a few components, pursuing the same end goal, minimalism can truly be what you make it. 

Being a Minimalist isn’t measured by how many things you have to live with, but by how you live with the things you have.

In college, I have defined my own version of this. The purpose of my being a self-proclaimed minimalist is to clear the clutter to discover the important parts of my life and live them to the fullest. I try and reimagine what my life would be like with less and pursue that ideal. This ambition takes many forms in my life from the number of clothes and books* I have, to the way I schedule my time and commit myself. By not getting caught up in the “mess” of a busy and scattered life I'm able to more easily (while still imperfectly) live my life with the freedom that I find daily in the simple things.

***(Update– 16 August 2019: I feel the need to admit the status change in my relationship with books- I have recently "overindulged", one could say, in my ownership of books and find my collection growing to a sizable amount)***

So to recap minimalism:

• It is not cultish, boho, "hipster" or a fad
• There is no one way to define a minimalist (hence the “self proclaimed”)
• As a lifestyle, minimalism can bring about change to your home, mental, digital and work life
• And living intentionally with less _______ (insert almost anything) can enable you to live more freely