Be more with less
Hello everyone! How is quarantine treating you so far? Did you put on your productive suit and checked off one of the items from your to-do list? Yes? Okay, you are a saint. And to the rest, I'd request to hop on the party of procrastination with me. Let me ask you a question first. What do you think about minimalism? I have a bittersweet relationship with this term. The idea fascinates me, but when it comes to practice I'm quite the procrastinator. It takes a certain level of intention to unplug, to peel away from our screens, to pause the busyness of our day to day and devote ourselves to the slow and simple things.
When we see a piece of clothing, the urge to own it in our collection sets the bar. We buy clothes relentlessly. Trends come and go, we end up with a pile of clothes. As I'm saying this I raise my hand as one of the culprits. Minimalism has never crossed our minds. Belongings are useless unless we can make a good source out of it. In this age, we talk about living sustainably, reusing and recycling goods. However, our old clothes end up being a rag at mum's kitchen or in one of our cousin's closet. There is no point of stacking clothes and eliminating the space if we're not going to make proper use out of it. Materials, extreme spaces are nothing but compiled junk that wind up being useless with time.
Especially being a girl, we need clothes right? We got to stay on trend. The new it top we must have to own it. and of course, it has to be in the right shade for our imaginary occasions that we are absolutely going to rock the fit. We gotta own it in various colors to match the right pants. And shoes? Oh yes, different occasions demand variety. Some model on Instagram is wearing those earrings, 'looks great on her.. ought to look great on me'. Your favorite YouTuber just got you a coupon code, use it and get it on the best steal. What a bargain! And ohh, you just got a new notification that your wish-listed top on myntra is on sale '70%'. How can you not get sucked into this rabbit hole? And this vicious cycle continues. Somehow, one day you get tired of wearing these, they get worn out, or everyone is wearing it, perhaps there's something new on trend. This way your most adored piece of clothing ends up on the 'never remembered' shelf. Sad isn't it?
Minimalism isn't a new concept to me. It was not introduced to me yesterday. I'm raised in a middle class Assamese family. My family has one motto "if you're not making use of it every consecutive day, there's not much demand for it". Ever since we were kids, we learned the idea of essentialism. The middle class mindset never allowed us to own materials that have no function in our household. What about decors you may ask? Well, there were traditional items to fulfill that department in our house. The art and aesthetic weren't the grip for my parents, the functionality had held the zen. But as we grew up, teenage rebels grew nonchalantly along with the demand to own endless trends and fast fashion clothing items. Doesn't matter where the material is from, or how it is sourced. If it is good enough for my eyes, good enough for my closet. And this obsession only grew with time. Until I saw videos of van-life on YouTube, which made much sense to me. Happiness is not only confined with materialistic procession. The way people live in such compact spaces not needing to rely on huge mansions wasting the use of space. Few years ago I found this channel on YouTube called never too small. And as one does, I binge watched the entirety of the channel. It is astonishing to watch their lifestyle and habits that aren't built up on some social construct. they exist on the formula of functionality. Materials, extreme spaces, unessential decorative pieces, clothes that don't have purpose are just capitalism at its finest. As I kept diving into this age-old concept, I wanted to readopt this lifestyle.
Recently, my mum did her yearly closet clean up ritual which once again left me fascinated. She has not one, but three whole cupboards filled with clothes that she has collected over her good run of service-termed life. All these years, she taught us to not make any unnecessary purchases but here she is with endless pieces of clothes. Ironic, isn't it? Each clothing had a memory of its own. As she held it, she recollected one of her memories associated with it. Also, it's captivating how all of her garments have aged so well, like brand new. The silk, muga, eri pat garments age well if well maintained. Talking about sustainability, I've learned quite well that we should lean towards sustainable clothing rather than fast fashion. As I laid one of her oldest possessions upon my shoulder, I realized such pieces are classic, never going out of fashion. Infact, it adds twice more edge to it.
If you want to know more about indigenous sustainable clothing, check out Hrdoyh that promotes the heritage of Assamese clothing and procures in an artisanal technique.
Digital Minimalism
Today most of us are glued to computer and mobile screens. We spend the most amount of time using the internet. But do you think you need all the apps laying on your screens? Technology was invented to save time. Yes, certainly it has made our lives most convenient and efficient. There is this movie called Before Sunrise where Ethan Hawke says,”It's all these people talking about how great technology is, and how it saves all this time. But, what good is saved time, if nobody uses it? If it just turns into more busy work. You never hear somebody say, 'With the time I've saved by using my word processor, I'm gonna go to a Zen monastery and hang out.'’ This is something that has made me rethink the activities of our lives.
Technology has consumed us in a way, successfully intertwined us with slavery. If those apps or CDs or software or even, you follow a bunch of people on Instagram that doesn't inspire you to aspire, which instead deteriorate your mental health ,erase them. “Out of the sight, out of the mind” you will have a clearer sight to your work rather than just clouding your mind. You’d be surprised with the results. It will help you to declutter your mind and adjust concentration to what you really desire.
Simplify your life, declutter your mind.
Create space to notice your life and how to enjoy what matters most to you too.
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