13 Ways to Simplify Your Wardrobe

January 24, 2016November 6, 201819 Comments

One of the easiest places to start downsizing your stuff is with non-sentimental, everyday items like clothing. We are usually quite familiar with our favourite items and know which ones we haven’t worn in ages. Having less clothing has so many advantages, such as simplifying decisions when getting dressed, cutting down on laundry and saving money. But how do you choose what to keep?

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If you’re familiar with the KonMari method, Marie Kondo suggests you keep only the things that “spark joy.” While I think this is a useful lens through which to edit your home, it really doesn’t work well for me as the only lens for making decisions. If I used this method to decide what clothing to keep I’d be left with 5 items: 2 dresses from Ace & Jig, a dress from Nico Nico, and a skirt and dress from Thief & Bandit (these are organic, small scale, north american made clothing lines). I don’t really like anything else that I own, in fact I feel guilt since the rest of it comes from big box stores, because that’s where I can afford to shop. I haven’t bothered counting the number of items in my wardrobe, there aren’t many. I know that I have one pair of jeans and one pair of shoes for each season. The rest isn’t much, but it’s definitely enough.

Putting the “sparks joy” method aside I have a few other techniques that can help you minimize your wardrobe and keep it that way:

1) Empty your closet and dresser completely: When you do this you will likely be overwhelmed by the volume and will be highly motivated to reduce your stock of clothing. This is a good technique if you have a lot of clothing, making a big mess of it you’ll surely want to part with a lot of it when you see the massive pile.

2) Follow the “plus 1” rule: You only need enough of a daily item, like socks, to go one week plus an extra day. Otherwise you will keep going through your 42 pairs of underwear and 37 pairs of socks until there are none left and then do the laundry (and spend way too much time trying to match up pairs of socks). You need 8 pairs at most. Sure, you might have special underwear and seasonal socks, but for those that are for daily use, limit yourself to 8.

3) Hang as much of your clothing as possible: Having clothes stare you in the face is a good way to remember what you have, and realize what you don’t wear, because it isn’t at the bottom of a pile feeling under appreciated. I don’t own a dresser or clothing rack. All my clothing is hung in my single closet, my socks and underwear hang from a basket in the closet too. Limiting yourself to just closet space forces you to minimize your clothing and frees up floor space in your room (bonus!). I have done the same with the children’s clothing, no dressers, just closets.

4) At the start of each season reverse your hangers: (Reverse: meaning to hang the hanger with the opening of the hook facing out of the closet, as opposed to the conventional manner of hanging of the hook opening toward the back of the closet). At the end of the season all the hangers that are still hanging backwards have items on them that you do not need. If it can be worn in the current season and you didn’t wear it, then donate it to someone who will.

5) Eliminate back-ups: Just because you have 6 white t-shirts and 8 blacks ones doesn’t mean you should. ‘Basic’ is not a blanket exception for keeping a stash of clothing. Unless a t-shirt and jeans is your daily uniform, get rid of those extra shirts. At most you need two of each. Adopt a similar approach for other notorious back up items in your wardrobe, like extra cardigans and jeans. By the time you NEED to wear them, you will have a new back up. Get rid of them now! (But don’t throw them in the garbage, donate them, someone out there does need them.)

6) Keep only items that you love to wear or wear every week: You don’t need occasional items, they are just making it easier for moths to move into your cozy over-stuffed closet. You might not love all your clothing, like office wear, but if it’s in regular rotation and making it into the laundry most weeks then you should keep it. If not, donate it!

7) Keep things that suit your lifestyle: If you don’t wear a suit to work, you probably don’t need it. Think about how much time you spend doing things and what clothing you need. Do you need 12 pairs of yoga pants, when the last time you went to yoga was 3 months ago? Even if it was last week, you probably need 2 or 3 pairs. The more pairs you have the bigger your pile of laundry gets…

8) Keep clothing that is versatile: The more places you can wear something, the smaller your wardrobe can be. That means less time picking your outfit, cleaning, folding, ironing, and hanging clothing. More time to enjoy life!

9) Don’t focus on how much something cost: If you aren’t wearing it, it’s not adding any value to your life. Let someone else enjoy it. Donate it or find a consignment shop to sell it through.

10) Keep things that fit: Don’t save something because it will fit you when you lose or gain weight. When you reach your goal weight you will probably be excited and buy yourself something new.

11) Keep things that are your current style: We all have things in our closets that are cool, stylish, or insert another adjective: trendy, artsy, dressy, but that aren’t really our own personal style, they may be an aspirational style, but they aren’t our style. Admit to this, and then donate those items.

12) Let go of nostalgia: Take a photo of items you are saving for memory’s sake, you don’t need the actual item to re-live the memory. (Think high school sports jerseys, bridesmaid dresses, etc).

13) One in, one out: When you get something new, get rid of something old. This will keep things in check, and will make you hesitate with spontaneous purchases, because you know you will have to give something up when you get home.

There are many easy ways to get rid of your unwanted clothing without the need to put it in the garbage. I find the easiest way is posting to Kijiji, a free online classifieds service. I post ads offering “free bag of women’s size small clothing” “free bag of infant linens” “free miscellaneous kitchen items”. You can also drop bags off at local charity bins, shelters, churches and municipal offices (usually). If your clothing is still in good shape and you’d like to earn some money you can search online for local consignment shops.

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Interview with a Minimalist: Anna

January 23, 201613 Comments

A few months ago I came across a lovely new Instagram account @our_simplestory sharing the life of a minimalist family (formerly @minimalist_mindset). I was especially excited because the word ‘minimalist’ was used. Most families and people I come across who take an approach of ‘less is more’ to their life resist using the word. I suppose it may be resistance to trendy words, feelings that one isn’t minimalist enough, or just a general malaise with labels. That’s all fine. But part of my goal with these interviews is to explore all the different ways one can live through a minimal lens, just like there’s more than one way to be a woman, a mother, a teacher, a writer, there are many ways to be minimalist. In so many ways less is more.

Anna is a minimalist, design enthusiast, and homeschooling mother of three, and the woman behind @our_simplestory. I’m excited to share her perspective on and story of finding her passion for minimalism. I hope you enjoy the read, let me know what inspired you.

Anna, let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What’s your background?

I’m 32 and married to my college sweetheart. After finishing my degree in journalism and working in the field four years, our first daughter was born. That’s when my days at home raising our kids began. Today we have three young daughters. Our typical day consists of homeschooling, reading good books, going on nature walks, and creating. As a family we enjoy simple adventures. Camping at the lake and strolling the farmers market are among our favorites.
What part of the world do you live in?

The Midwest [USA].

How many children do you have and what are they like?

I have three amazing little girls. I can’t even begin to explain how different they are from one another, which makes it all the more fun. My oldest is an affectionate extrovert, my middle is an artsy introvert, and my youngest has a bit of everything going on. Being with them every day has been a blessing, and one I take for granted far too often.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you?

For me, minimalism is about having less. As a family of five in a small home with a tight budget, we have to be mindful with all of our purchases and what we bring into our home. We have discovered how much happier we are with less things. So, what is your story, how did you start on a path toward a minimalist lifestyle?

I have a very strong interest in design, particularly interior design and architecture. Clean lines and clutter free spaces have always drawn me in. We bought our first home five years ago, and have been designing and renovating since the day we moved in. Because our home is small, we chose to keep it open, airy, minimal, and bright. We have a lot of negative space to keep it from looking overly crowded. For example, our tiny eat-in kitchen (which also serves as our classroom) doesn’t have any upper cabinets or storage. We only have a small pantry, six drawers and a couple of base cabinets. People are surprised when they see our lack of storage, but it suits our needs so well. Living in a small space doesn’t mean you have to create more storage. It really forces you to think about what you bring in and what you hold on to.

So, after integrating minimalist design into our home, I began to analyze each and every little thing we had, and if it was necessary or not. That is the when I realized my passion for a minimalist lifestyle.

Are there any books, websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism?

On the design side of things, Remodelista, Kinfolk, and Dwell are my go to sources. When it comes to minimizing possessions and wardrobe, The Minimalists and Un-Fancy have great ideas.
In what ways/areas do you struggle with keeping things minimal? What is your weakness?

Clothing and shoes have always been my weakness. However, I’ve recently downsized by creating a capsule wardrobe for each season. I currently have less than 40 items in my closet. I highly recommend this to everyone. You are faced with fewer decisions every time you get dressed, you only wear pieces that you love, and you put your money into high quality clothing that will last. Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

Not really. My husband is a furniture and fixtures designer, so he’s all about minimalist design. I think that helps him understand the value of minimalist living. My kids have been great with it too. We are constantly purging their things. I try to keep their selection simple and thoughtful, keeping only what draws out their imaginations, talents, and interests. For the most part, they are involved in decisions on what stays and what goes. They understand that they don’t need a lot to be happy or to keep busy. What have been some unexpected experiences (positive or negative) you’ve had with minimalism?

When you’re a minimalist, you don’t leisure shop as much. Instead of spending time and money shopping for new things, you have more time to spend with your family, and of course it’s easier on the budget. I’d say that’s a definite positive!

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

You have to start small. Don’t feel pressured to give away everything you have. Just keep what you absolutely need. Start in one area of your home. The kitchen is always a good place to begin. Stuff can accumulate like crazy in all those drawers and cabinets!

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few that you want to share?

My husband and I have been dreaming about buying land somewhere in the country and building our forever, small space home. Lord willing, that day will come. In the meantime, we’ll keep looking for inspiration.

Thank you Anna! Readers you can find Anna on Instagram @our_simplestory

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You might also like:

Confessions of a Minimalist

The Mathematics of Love

Interview with a Minimalist: Katrien

Top post: Any Occasion, Sustainable Gift Guide for Children

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glimpses into our home: at {mine}

January 11, 2016January 11, 20176 Comments

I’ve said more than a few times that I’m not inspired by interiors. But I suppose what I meant to say that I’m not inspired to photograph them. Really, all I want to photograph most days are my children’s activities and the beauty of the natural world. However, I’m very much inspired by the function and beauty of interiors and I love to look at beautiful interior spaces and design. But, am I compelled to pick up my camera and take pictures of interiors or my own space? No! And this is because I am most interested in capturing moments, more than beauty. Spaces without action don’t feel like moments to me. Interior home spaces are a retreat from action, as I see it. Our home interior is styled as a place of calm, like a sanctuary away from the busy outside world. At home I need to feel stillness, peace, and calm. As much as I love the bursting natural colour, texture, and busyness of the natural world (as depicted in the majority of the photos I share here and on Instagram) the same is not true for our home.

My ideal home interior is a predominantly white with small touches of colour manifested in:

pieces of the natural world (the world of flora: flowers, sticks, branches, pinecones, acorns, leaves, but also stones and shells);
useful items that can add colour temporarily to a space (like hanging a beautiful dress or hand spun yarn on a hook on a white wall), and;
art, handmade goods and heirlooms.

I hadn’t put much focused thought into what my interior style was until I joined at{mine}, an online social network focused on sharing real home interiors and the stories behind them. I’d always decorated the spaces I inhabited based on intuition, meaning: what made me feel comfortable in the space. But knowing that I was now putting my interior space out into the world, I wanted to sit back and reflect on what thesis our interior space put forward. With Instagram, having a large following, I am inclined to share moments and ideas that I hope will ignite thought, inspire action or create pause; having a large audience I reflect on what good could come from what I share. And so, I took this approach to my at{mine} page.

Now, our home is not entirely in sync with how I would love our home interior to feel, but that’s okay, I’d rather take a slow approach to decorating, and update things to my taste and comfort when updating is needed. Case in point: our home had been freshly painted when we moved in. Ro’s room was alternating bright orange and green walls. Yikes! (She called it her “pumpkin room”, not affectionately). However, we waited six years to repaint it, because environmentally speaking we couldn’t justify painting over perfectly good paint.

Dried flower crowns made in the summer hung as decor (post: “Mindful Picking”)

So, coming back to my interior’s thesis, I reflected on the spaces in our home that felt right to me, that aligned with my sensibility, and then asked: ‘What do these spaces evoke? What do they look like?’ Well, first, they are white. A white canvas, not to be coloured in physically, but mentally. A blank slate upon which I can daydream because I don’t feel overstimulated visually.

Second, these spaces have small touches of bright colours from flora or useful objects that infuse energy and liveliness. My emphasis on natural objects comes from an interest in bringing nature and natural colour into the home, reminding us of our embeddedness in nature, that we are not separate from nature, but are nature. When it comes to decorating with useful objects, this is me in my ‘minimal mode’. I do not like having things around that are not used (except for art, which serves a different use function, see below). You will not find a knick knack in my home (if the term ‘knick knack’ is not colloquial to you it means: household trinket or ornament). I know that many people are quite the opposite, my husband is one of them. He loves a space jam-packed with things, for him this visual stimulation leads to new connections of ideas, it’s stimulating in a good way. (Don’t worry, I let him clutter up the basement to his heart’s content.) But for me external clutter, clutters my mind. The bad kind of stimulation, over-stimulation.

So, back to useful objects. I like to decorate with useful objects such as clothing with beautiful textiles, hand bags, balls of yarn, copper mugs, and so on. These items add colour to a space, but serve another, more primary purpose in the home. I like this especially because the decor can change easily according to mood and season. With a white canvas background, there are infinite possibilities when you decorate with low cost, dual purpose items.

Mustard peasant skirt by Nico Nico hung on a cupboard hook, living wheatgrass grown in an appetizer dish

Finally, art marks our interior space significantly. As I’ve said before, I live in family full of professional and amateur artists. Literally, everyone but me is an artist. Because of our family fortune — that is, being born into a family of artists — we have a lot of beautiful art to hang and display, mostly paintings and illustrations. We also dedicate a good portion of our wall space to display Ro and Sen’s work. Our walls are not covered in art, because I do need white space to calm my mind (I know what you’re thinking: “Danielle, you need to meditate more!” I know, I know). But living in a space filled with art is important to us. Art is beautiful, and beauty in itself is important. But art also has a use function in terms of intellectual stimulation and inspiration. It’s always been important to Matt and me that our children are exposed to art, fine art, public art, all art, and that the children always have access to art materials. Every room in our house has a piece of art hanging, something made within our extended family, that is beautiful and inspiring. Going to a gallery is one thing, an important thing, but more important to me, is seeing the beautiful things that people we know, people we share blood with, made. In this way, the children don’t see art-making as out of reach, they see it as part of their everyday life.

One of Ro’s first weavings, from her cardboard loom, hanging from a window hook

So, all this long-winded intro is a way of saying that I’ve been thinking about our space and what I wanted to share with and inspire in others. You’ll see on my at{mine} page that I’ve shared my approach to interior spaces:

“interiors inspired by minimalism and nature, decorating with useful, beautiful, artful and organic objects.”

Pretty simple, right? But it took a while to get there. What I intend to share with this ‘philosophy’ is a sort of mindful decorating informed by our human connection with nature, our need for beauty and creativity, and conscious of environmental impact. Mindful decorating is slow, conscious, thoughtful. Slow decorating means decorating once. Not every few years to update with trends. It means knowing yourself so that you bring objects into your home that will always bring you joy. With my philosophy on decorating a little more refined now, I’m excited to be part of the at{mine} community so I can explore how others set up their spaces. As always, I’m primarily interested in what feelings are evoked by a space, more than the stuff that fills them. But for those of you you may like to know where items in others’ homes came from the photos are often tagged with the store source. I would love it if you joined the community or visited my page, it’s free and super easy. Like, easier than signing up for Instagram! And you can join without having to share images, if you are just looking for inspiration or to connect into conversations about interiors.

Visit my at{mine} page: at{danielle chassin} (to see the photos I didn’t share here)

Or, explore the at{mine} community from their homepage

If you are on at{mine} comment below and leave me your user name so that I can follow you back!

I would love to know your thoughts on interior space. How do you approach decorating your interiors?

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Interview with a Minimalist: Katrien

November 27, 2015November 25, 201610 Comments

Continuing on in my Buy Nothing Day programming, I have a second interview with a minimalist, Katrien.

Check out my first post of the day to read a bit more about Buy Nothing Day — a day of protest against consumerism.

Minimalism isn’t just or only about having and buying less stuff, as I’ve tried to explore through this series of interviews. It is more about applying the notion of ‘less is more’ to one’s life, or aspects of it.

Katrien Growing Wild Things Interview with a Minimalist

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Katrien is a Waldorf-inspired homeschooling mother to twin toddlers, she’s passionate for all things natural and handmade. She’s Belgian by birth, a traveler by nature, and living in Italy for the sake of love. I only recently started following Katrien on Instagram, probably at some point last summer or spring. I was drawn to her images of her gorgeous mountain top life and the beautiful simplicity of it. When she mentioned her interest in minimalism to me one day, I jumped at the chance to interview her for the blog. And I am so glad I did. Katrien shares insightful and inspiring stories and ideas that will interest parents raising young children, but also professionals looking for more meaning in their life and adults pining for a simpler existence.

Katrien, let’s start with you. Who are you? What’s your background?

Before I met my husband I was working my dream job as a freelance writer and researcher for a Belgium Museum. I was a workaholic (with secret dreams of finding a house on a quiet hill somewhere). I loved the high of being at the very end (or very beginning) of a project. That rush of work. The late hours, and sleepless nights, the apotheoses of a grand opening… And in between these exhausting projects I usually threw some stuff into my backpack and traveled the world to find a place where I could rest and heal the damage I had previously done to my health and my spirit… But then I met this boy from Italy. He was a traveler just like me, and when we met he was taking a break from being on the road, and working on his parents organic farm. They had sheep and horses, and made their own beer, and suddenly that secret dreams of a house on a hill came flooding into my daily life. One year later I started working part-time, and two years later I resigned from my job to move to Italy. It was about then that I realized that it is possible to have a meaningful life without the roller coaster of highs and lows. And so I chose to live with less. Less work, a lower income, but more time for life itself.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

We have two three year old identical twin boys. They were born two minutes apart, and although they are very similar in some respects, they are complete opposites in others, complementing each other perfectly. E. (who is the older twin) is a real ‘Big Brother’. Strong, independent, extrovert. He loves to help and get his hands dirty… His ‘younger brother’ A. is more sensitive, more of a thinker, a dreamer. (I often feel like his feet never really touch the ground.) He takes his time to get to know people before opening up to them, but makes really deep connections when he does. But no matter how many differences there might be between them, they have the strongest, most amazing bond I’ve ever seen between two persons. Being an actual, physical, part of each other, much of what goes on between the two of them can remain unsaid. They simply understand. Sure, they also know exactly how to get to each other as well, and we do get quite a bit of fighting at times, but in the end they always seek out each other’s company.

Do you have a favourite quote or words that inspire you?

“Our children come to us with a deep destiny that needs to be honored…A little grace is needed…for them to develop into the people they’re meant to be, especially in a world that is constantly bombarding them (and us) with the distractions of so many things, so much information, speed and urgency. These stresses distract from the focus or ‘task’ of childhood: an emerging, developing sense of self.” (Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne)

We live in a society that wants us to ‘need’, to desire, to crave. Marketing strategies speak to us of more, and more and more. But reading this book we realized that our children were craving the exact opposite. They needed less. And as we started making some changes in our parenting style, we discovered the same was true for us.

You say you’ve only just begun to pursue minimalism, what is your story?

Five years after moving to Italy, my dream of living in a house on a hill came true. A friend told us about this amazing house that was going on sale, and even before I had seen it, I just knew this was the one. A traditional stone house, perched on a hill, and surrounded by nothing but miles and miles of forest. The price was exactly what we could afford, and it looked like she didn’t need much work, and so we made the jump and started packing to move to a different region, and a whole new life.

But as I started filling box after box, I felt I wanted to go with nothing. Leave it all behind, and start afresh with only the things that could fit into the car. Me, Francesco, the boys, and some of our most precious things. But of course we didn’t. Instead we packed up as much as we could fit into a rental van and stored everything in a room we were told was ”nice and dry”.

As soon as the worst of winter was over, Francesco started working on the house. We started off with the renovation of an old, partly ruined barn that was to become our kitchen and living area, and then the rest was going to need a mere ‘freshening up’. Much to our horror though, we soon discovered there was a lot more to do than we had anticipated. We ended up having to change most of the roofs of the house we had just bought. This came as a huge shock. Especially since that meant that the budget we had calculated to rebuild the house, and to live off for a year, was now insufficient. And so we needed to adapt. In the end we could only prepare a small portion of the house for us to live in, and even there, much work remains to be done. But we didn’t give up, and were happy when we were finally (sort of) ready to move in. It was then that we noticed that most of the things we had stored, had been damaged by water leakage. Books, furniture, clothes… Gone. Ruined. And no money to replace them. But to my surprise I wasn’t sad or angry about losing so many of the things I previously thought indispensable or precious. Instead I was relieved. A weight had been lifted. We owned less. And it felt great. And so the desire grew to get rid of more Things. Things that hàd survived the winter, but that somehow didn’t feel like they had a place in our lives anymore.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you? And, in what ways are you a minimalist?

Being fuelled by the fact that we live of a very tight budget, minimalism first of all means spending less money. We only buy the strictly necessary, and try to make, produce or grow as much as we can ourselves. We grow our own organic vegetables and potatoes in the garden, as well as most of the herbs and spices we use in the kitchen and for herbal remedies, and soap. Furthermore I spend every quiet moment I can get knitting or sewing clothes for me and the boys. That way being minimalists saves us money. But that’s not all. To us minimalism also means making ethically sound choices about the things we do need to buy. Spending less is one part, but we also feel very passionately about the environment, and about not harming others through the choices we make, and so whenever we do need to buy something, we prefer to buy organically produced, ethically made or second-hand. And lastly minimalism has brought us to be (very) selective about how we spend our time. We put family time before anything. Even if that means turning down social or professional engagements. We all need to work, and we can really use the money, but we do not want to take jobs that somehow compromise the way we have chosen to live our life as a family, or go out on social occasions for the sake of going out.

Are there any books, websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism?

I haven’t read any books, or visited many websites about minimalism, but the book Simplicity Parenting has had a big impact on our parenting style, and on our lives in general. Kim John Payne advocates a (Waldorf inspired) form of minimalism when it comes to the toys, activities and information we expose our children to. He suggests we strip their lives of the ‘unnecessary’ to allow them to come to themselves to realize their full potential, their destiny, their spirit.

We haven’t got a TV in the house, and live a very quiet and simple life, so cutting down on activities and information wasn’t much of an issue. (Except for that part about not talking about adult stuff in front of your children…) But where toys were concerned, we both felt there was room for improvement. Our boys never had much toys, but since we took out some of the toys we felt did not stimulate them to engage in meaningful and creative play, we’ve seen a change in ways we didn’t expect. Long stretches of uninterrupted independent play have now become quite common, and we noticed that they tend to pull out much less toys (only to dump them two minutes later) than they used to do. Toys that are being taken out are now actually played with. And so things started to shift… we started talking about what a similar change could do for us; as parents, as a couple, and as individuals. And suddenly this idea that it actually feels really nice to live with less had a name. It was called minimalism, and we firmly believed there were very good reasons for pursuing it, and to take it a step further than we had so far.

In what ways/areas do you struggle with maintaining your minimalist goals? What is your weakness?

Yarn. I know this might seem silly, but I love beautiful yarn, and if my budget would allow for it, I would probably buy insane amounts of it. Natural, hand spun, plant dyed… No chocolate or clothes, bags or shoes could measure up to that. But unfortunately there’s only so many hours in a day, and so I struggle to use up all the yarn I buy. Hence I tend to ‘stock’ it for later projects, but then of course, meanwhile, more beautiful yarn comes my way… Time to start emptying my knitting chest before buying any more I’d say.

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

Not really. We expected it was going to be hard to eliminate some of the toys we had traveling around the house, but in the end it wasn’t. We started out by talking to the boys about ‘getting rid’ of all the things that were broken. After that, we took away some of the plastic toys we didn’t really like to begin with, and as a last step we reduced the amount of books they had in their room by putting together a seasonally inspired bookcase, and storing all the remaining books for later. In the end we were really surprised to find that our boys initially didn’t even notice some things had disappeared, and when they did, they were ok with the fact that we gave them away to charity, because we had enough anyway…

In what ways has minimalism improved your life?

This last year and a half things haven’t always been very easy. Going from having enough money to do whatever you want, whenever you want, to having none at all can be terribly daunting. And yet the most difficult times weren’t the ones when we struggled to buy the things we needed. The most difficult ones were the moments where I wànted something. Just for the sake of having it. A dress. A pair of girly shoes. A pizza night out. Something to give to the boys as a present… To not be able to hàve those things made me feel ‘poor’, and frustrated. But now I find those moments just don’t happen so very often anymore. I guess I’m just happy with what I do have now… even if paradoxically, that is much less than at those times when I felt I needed more. Sure, sometimes I do see a nice dress, or that Perfect Bag that would match every single thing in my closet, but then I remind myself I don’t really need it. (Especially when it comes to ‘fast fashion’ items.) And for some reason that feels great. To be able to say no. To have only what I need. To not spend ages in front of my wardrobe, trying to decide what might possibly look nice on me. (And to know that I won’t be bringing that dress or that Perfect Bag to the charity bin next time I feel like the contents of my closet are coming at me like an avalanche of resentment and guilt.)

What have been some unexpected experiences you’ve had with minimalism?

When I started getting rid of things I felt were just ‘too much’, it was all about making space in rooms and cupboards. I strived to create a visually pleasant and calming living environment. I wanted to have a minimal home. But as we’ve come further in this journey, I have been amazed to see that minimalism has brought us so much more than that. I guess somewhere down the line the meaning of this transformation we are currently undergoing shifted from ‘having’ to ‘being’… it wasn’t so much about things anymore. It was about us. About who we could be. And how we could live.

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

Start small. And start with things that you feel you aren’t going to miss. You don’t have to start by throwing away your baby’s first pair of shoes. (In fact, maybe that is one of the few things you might want to keep.) But as you start reflecting about all the things you surround yourself with, I’m sure you’ll find that a lot of things aren’t quite that important to you. Or better even. That you might be better off without some of them. Every object you own has a life, a story, a message. And not all of them are nice messages, so why not get rid of those things first? They are an easy place to start. Think of that ugly thing you got as a gift (but can barely stand to look at), those clothes you bought because someone told you you looked fabulous in them, but that always get taken off just before you leave the house. And then think of keepsakes that somehow remind you of painful experiences. (Yes… those letters from your ex-boyfriend for example (my case), or souvenirs from a holiday that was actually the Worst. Ever.) And then take a break. Just see how it feels.You’ll know what to do next.

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few that you want to share?

Oh yes! Next year, we’re clearing out the basement and the store room. The basement is still full of things that belonged to the previous owner. Things like old windows and half rotten furniture, so that can go. Furthermore we have decided that everything that hasn’t been taken out of the boxes in the store room since we have moved into the house can either go to charity, or will be thrown away. If we haven’t ‘needed’ it the last 18 months, I guess we won’t really need it in the future either.

Thank you, Katrien, for such a lucid interview, so much to think about! Readers you can find Katrien on Instagram @growingwildthings

Check out these other great interviews in this series:

Interview with a Minimalist: Kellie (artist, children’s book lover and mother of 4 boys living in a small space)

Interview with a Minimalist: The Devine Family (off the grid family with 4 children living in a tree house down under, completely garbage free)

Interview with a Minimalist: Amanda (mother of 2 girls with a third on the way, minimalism in the home to unleash her children’s creativity)

Interview with a Minimalist: Carina (artist living in the small space capital of Canada with her 2 children and partner, maximizing life through the great outdoors)

Interview with a Minimalist: Alison (mother of one, the small space living queen of Canada)

Interview with a Minimalist: Brian of Less Means More (travelling around the US with his partner and unschooling their boy)

Interview with a Minimalist: Kylah (organic farmer and vegan chef raising 2 girls off the grid with her partner)

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Interview with a Minimalist: Tiffany

November 27, 2015November 25, 20161 Comment

In honour of Black Friday, which I know (conversely) as Buy Nothing Day, I am posting two interviews about minimalism.

Buy Nothing Day started right here in Canada over 20 years ago. I had a fun and activist school teacher at the time, who introduced me to Buy Nothing Day at a ripe, young age (planting the seeds of minimalism!). I have observed the day of anti-consumerism ever since.

Buying less is the single most effective thing we can do to help protect our natural environment and the earth’s resources — because we are not creating demand for resources. And…having less and doing more is probably the most effective thing we can do to find greater happiness and contentment in our lives. I’d call that win-win.

all photos by Tiffany Cecchini

The first interview I’m sharing today is with Tiffany, and while she doesn’t use the word ‘minimalism’, everything she says and lives resonates as minimalism to me. I’ve followed Tiffany on Instagram for a long time, probably two years, which is a life time in social media terms. After a series of life events, some of which she talks about below, she had an epiphany that shaped how she has lived everyday since. While my path to living with less has been different, I share a similar experience with Tiffany.

In late September 2015, while Matt and I were camping with the children in Gloucester, Massachusetts, I had this heavy feeling, but a happy heavy feeling. I never wanted to leave. It wasn’t because I was on “vacation” (I do call camping a vacation, but our style of camping isn’t exactly leisure or glamorous, so it’s only vacation in the sense that we are away from home). I had been on vacations before, even really nice ones, and never had the feeling that I wanted to stay forever, that I had found my perfect place and space in life. When our family camps we bring and do the bare minimum, very little gear and equipment, very simple food. And I love it. The barest form of simplicity (for us). There are no extras. We bring nothing we don’t use. There is no schedule to observe except the natural rhythms of hunger and sleep. I feel complete peace. This simplicity feels like the greatest abundance. This ‘less’ is ‘more’.

I’ll let you read on to hear about Tiffany’s experience, but first a little more about her as way of introduction: Tiffany works as an x-ray tech and is a self-described plant hoarder. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two boys.

I hope you enjoy her perspective on life and the stuff that fills it. I know I do.

Tiffany, let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What’s your background?

I’m a 35 year old girl! And by ‘girl’ I mean I have very few adult tendencies. I was one of four children growing up in an extremely small town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We were surrounded by corn fields and cows and even though I wouldn’t change a thing about my childhood, I prefer the suburbs.

What are you passionate about? How do you like to spend your time?

Absolutely passionate about my relationships. Not just my kids, but my husband and myself as well. I think that your relationship with your spouse is just as important as the one you have with your children. When I’m not spending time with them, I’m spending it by myself! I’m a bit of an introvert, so this is something I crave often. And when I get those moments of solitude I usually find myself taking pictures, gardening, or crafting of some sort.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

I have two boys, Cooper and Elio. Cooper, my oldest, is my calm. The sweetest soul, that boy. He’s hypersensitive, introverted, and full of wonder. Elio is my wild. The dreamer, the charmer, and wanderer. He’s super affectionate and already has the wittiest sense of humor. It’s amazing. You love your children equally, yet for so many different reasons.

Do you have a favourite quote or words that inspire you?

JUST. WING. IT

Seriously, it makes life way easier.

What is your story? What drew you to minimalism?

The term “minimalism” was never actually used. We kind of fell into it. Every year I take my boys camping and we pack for pure function. I finally realized why I couldn’t wait to go camping every year. It was for the simplicity of it. You pack what you need. And on those weekends when we were sleeping in a tent, hanging out outside all day, eating food off a fire I was completely relaxed and present with my boys. I love that. That’s what every mother wants and struggles with.

Watching their smiles and their little hands grace the rocks as they hunt for pebbles to skip on the lake. I wanted that every day, but it’s so hard to do at home with a million distractions and a million things to clean up. By the end of the week after our first trip this season I was overwhelmed by everything at home and struggling with dividing my time between everyone and everything. And that was it. I looked at my husband and said: “I want to camp at home”

I wanted just what we needed. And I knew if I erased a lot of the clutter, unused items, and toys I’d have less to think about and less to clean up after. And it’s so true. It really does work out that way. We have two small appliances, a toaster and a hand mixer. We now only have six plates, six bowls, and six cups. Even clearing out what was behind the closed doors helped clear my mind.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you?

It just means simplifying life. If you simplify your surroundings there’s more time to explore and really concentrate on your relationships with others. To love and to feel. To actually have the time to enjoy those little hobbies that you otherwise wouldn’t have time for. I don’t think it means your home has to be bare, my home is decorated. Even though I like the look of somewhat bare room, it’s just not me. We just don’t have anything ‘extra’. And now, when I’m at the store I really question my purchases.

In what areas do you struggle with maintaining your minimalist goals? What is your weakness?

Ah! My closet! I’m a girl. I still have a drawer full of jeans. To be fair, they make so many options for us. Skinny jeans, flare jeans, straight leg, dress jeans. It’s my biggest weakness, but also what I wear the most of. I have cut out a lot of other clothing though. I’ll be real, I don’t have time for dresses. I’ve kept a few for special occasions. I work full time so I’m mostly in scrubs and when I’m not I’m usually in some form of dirt with the boys so there’s no point in wearing nice clothes. I always fall back on the same pieces anyway, so it was kind of pointless for me to keep the others. I’m not as bad about shoes as most women, but I’ve always been the type to buy quality shoes that I know I’ll wear and will be timeless. And I kind of wear my Chuck Taylor’s with everything (even my wedding dress).

I love that Tiffany doesn’t struggle with the number of plants in her life

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

My husband is all for it and my oldest son actually seems to understand. when we went through toys to donate, he knew the toys he didn’t play with were going to another kid that didn’t have as much. He’s also my logical thinker and it just made sense to him.

In what ways has minimalism improved your life?

I can’t begin to tell you. As a full time working mother, the struggle (and guilt) is really there when you’re trying to divide yourself between everything. I’ve always been the mom to take time out in my day to at least do something little with them. But still, before this, my mind wasn’t there. And I always felt guilty for that. And not only am I able to have more time for them, I have more time for myself. And who doesn’t want that?

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

Just do it. You’ll be amazed at the difference in the quality of life your living. But, take it slow. You don’t have to do it all at once. We didn’t. We started one weekend and a few weeks later did more. In those few weeks you start looking more at what you can do without. And guys, you’ll be amazed at the amount of money you save. You really do start to question your purchases. Somewhere along the line, life became a contest to see who had better things. THINGS. I was buying things I didn’t NEED just to “keep up.” I don’t want to compete. I don’t even want to be in the race.

What are your dreams for the next year?

I really don’t think that far ahead. I just take it day by day. Life is better that way. For me, anyway.

***

Thank you very much Tiffany for sharing your story. Readers: You can find Tiffany on Instagram here

Let’s be friends! Please come find me in other places:

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Interview with a Minimalist: Amanda

October 8, 2015October 7, 201610 Comments

When a baby is on the way, there’s often an intense need to nest and prepare for their arrival. Cleaning, arranging, and accumulating. Making sure the stuff baby needs to survive and thrive are at the ready. When I learned that my friend, Amanda, was expecting her third, I was curious to know how she was approaching nesting this time around, after all nesting is most often an instinct and not an intellectual decision. Other people I know have no less prepared and accumulated stuff for their third than for their first. But, Amanda is a minimalist. I wondered curiously whether her minimalism was affecting how she felt about preparing for baby this time around. We chatted, and I learned a lot more than just about her baby prep, I learned that Amanda’s story of coming to minimalism was a lot like my own. For me, there is no lofty intellectual or artistic story to tell. I didn’t aspire to a particular home decor aesthetic. It was a completely practical decision. Faced with never ending tidying, exhaustion from work and mothering, I made the decision that our home needed to have way, way less stuff if I was going to save my sanity. Some people are comfortable in clutter and disarray, I’m not one of them.

Amanda is a stay-at-home mother and a photographer. I asked her to share her story of finding minimalism and how it is now part of her everyday life. I think you will find her answers refreshing and engaging. She speaks in a very honest and practical way, with beautiful snippets of revelation here and there. I absolutely love how Amanda so clearly sees that minimalism doesn’t stop with your living space, it permeates how you live and how you make decisions. Minimalism changes how you think about your schedule, your grocery shopping, your texting, everything.

I hope you are inspired by Amanda’s story.

Let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What’s your background?

I’m 28 years old. I’m the oldest of four preacher’s kids. Born, bred and breeding in the desert of Southern California. I was 20 when I married my best friend, who turned me from a preacher’s kid to a preacher’s wife. Together we have two daughters and one on the way!

What are you passionate about? How do you like to spend your time?

Although I would not describe my transition to motherhood as smooth, I am passionate about my little ones and relishing in the beautiful and short years that they will be with me. My photography business has the ability to keep me busy, but I love being able to set my own schedule and create more space if that’s what I need. It’s also been a wonderful creative outlet for me during the chaos that accompanies these years with young ones all around.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

My firstborn, Jaryn Rose, is 5 going on 15. She’s articulate and sassy, with a sensitive side that craves down time and quiet. Raynen, my soon-to-be middle child, is a little ball of fire and attitude. She is stubborn and hilarious and fearlessly daring. She has speech apraxia and sensory processing disorder which plunged us into the world of therapy and special needs, but everyday she makes me more the mama I want to be.

Do you have a favourite quote or words that inspire you?

“If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn’t cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn’t tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you’d seen. The truth is, you wouldn’t remember that movie a week later, except you’d feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo. But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to be meaningful. The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won’t make a story meaningful, it won’t make a life meaningful either” – Donald Miller: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

“We never fully realize how strong the grip of consumerism is on our lives until we try to remove it.” – Joshua Becker

This could not have been more true for me. I thought I was naturally minimalistic. I don’t hold onto every scrap of paper my kids scribble on and I regularly clean out my closet and donate old clothing. But saying no to new and unnecessary things required another kind of determination. Saying no to the patterns of first world consumerism meant taking a hard look at what I owned, what brought me joy, and what story I wanted to write.

What is your story? What drew you to minimalism or what motivated you to become a minimalist?

I used to joke that laziness is what made me become a minimalist but in reality it was exhaustion. Pure exhaustion. All day: cleaning up and putting away and organizing and stepping on toys. Constantly telling my kids to pick up after themselves. And still, it seemed, at the end of every day my husband would get home from work and the house would be a disaster. A trail of tutus and blocks and coloring pages and books, down the hallway and invading every room. All day: trying to keep the kids entertained. Coming up with new activities and reminding them of all the stuff they had to play with, just to be told how “bored” they were. It was maddening. How could they have so much and be so discontent? How could they have bins and closets and drawers of toys that “encourage imaginative play” and never use their imagination? At first, I thought maybe they weren’t old enough or maybe imagination was something that had to be taught. But as I slowly removed the excess, I realized imagination isn’t learned and has no age requirement, but it is easily smothered. Their imaginations were buried beneath a layer of unnecessary excess.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you?

When I started this journey, I believed minimalism was purely about the usefulness of what I kept in my home. If I used it on a regular basis, it could stay but I needed to stop storing things that I didn’t use all the time. I also wanted to be intentional and thoughtful about the quantity of each thing I was keeping. Now, I’ve learned to part with things that, yes, I could use, but not often enough to keep in my house. I’ve also found items that have more than one purpose so I can eliminate the need for multiples. I found this useful with kitchen items. Yes. I purged my kitchen. Who needs 15 mixing bowls anyways?

One of the things I didn’t expect was how it would change my view of “bargain shopping”. I used to love to find a deal. Get something cheap. Find it for a low price and buy 4. Now I have less qualms about buying something quality that will last longer, accomplish more, and allow me to have just 1. I’ve applied this to my clothes shopping as well. I’m not my kids, I don’t need new sizes every 6 months. And I know what I like. I found that I wore the same outfits often and kept lots of clothing that never made it out the door with me because I would go back to my favorite pieces. One rule I put in place for a while to help me purge my closet was that if I put it on while getting ready and took it off to change into something else, I would purge that piece of clothing. If I wasn’t going to wear it in the moment it actually made it off the hanger and onto my body, I was never going to wear it. Bye, bye.

Minimalism also means living out from under the weight of obligation. There was so much I kept because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. This mainly applied to gifts. If it isn’t useful or beautiful to me, I had to let it go. And just because I loved something once, doesn’t mean I have to keep it forever.

Lastly, minimalism has affected my time and how I fill my schedule. The same way I’ve learned to say no to overfilling my home, I’ve learned to say no to overfilling my schedule. The same way I’ve created empty spaces in every room and drawer and closet, I’ve created empty spaces in my days and weeks and months. And the same way owning less has given me the freedom to enjoy more, doing less has given me the freedom to say yes to the ones that matter most to me.

Minimalism is not just a one time event. A yearly purge. Or the same as spring cleaning. Minimalism is intentionally choosing to live with less. To live with room. To live for experiences instead of things. To have time and space for events and items that bring me joy.

“Minimalism isn’t deprivation, it’s liberation.” – Joshua Becker

Are there any books, websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism?

www.becomingminimalist.com is an amazing website that got me started. The founder, Joshua Becker, also wrote a book called Clutterfree with Kids and it really helped me take things to the next level. It doesn’t just explain the “how” behind decluttering and the minimalist lifestyle, but includes the “why”, which I think is so important for maintenance and any long term change.

In what ways/areas do you struggle with maintaining your minimalist goals/values? What is your weakness?

My greatest struggle is clothing. As someone who has struggled with weight issues for years, I battle the desire to keep old sizes and buy new sizes and then save the sizes I’m no longer wearing. I also think I purchased clothes because I believed if I had something new it would make me feel better about my body but that never turned out to be true. In fact, I always ended up wearing my tried and true favorites from brands I really loved and in that way, minimalism has been a perfect fit for my wardrobe. But it’s still been hard to say no when I see something I like or think would be flattering. The part that’s made it easier is thinking about the amount of clothes I’ve donated since starting this journey. I remember specifically a few items that still had the tags on them! If that doesn’t make you pause long and hard before a purchase I don’t know what will!

You have a third child on the way. Has minimalism influenced how you are preparing for your newest addition?

Almost two years of intentionally pursuing this lifestyle, preparing for another wee one has shown me what a huge change has really been made. Obviously with the first baby, it’s hard to know what you’ll actually need. You have to just go with what everyone is telling you. And giving you. So of course, I have experience on my side this time around. But even so, there’s plenty of “things” that I could use or buy or hope for. I could buy lots of clothes and register for multiples of everything. Instead, I narrowed down my wish list to actual needs (a place to sleep, something to wear, and blanket to keep warm) and then I choose to only bring a certain number of these items into my home. I don’t need 30 newborn outfits. Or 12 swaddling blankets. I bring in smaller amounts of the necessities and say no to the rest. It’s so freeing not to feel a pull toward all the things. I don’t feel weighed down and burdened while waiting to bring a new life into the world. Instead I can focus on the beauty of what my body is doing- the rest that I need to stay healthy- and remind myself I already have everything I need to welcome another little one earthside.

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

For the most part my husband has been totally on board. I know this isn’t the case for lots of couples, so I’m grateful. I think his biggest concern early on, watching trunk loads of home goods being donated, was that I was giving it all away to eventually replace it. It took time, but eventually I was able to prove that was not the case. He learned my motives and my determination and has been fully supportive ever since.

My older daughter also showed some resistance when we first began. Suddenly, toys she hadn’t played with in months were her greatest treasures. But when I showed her the pile of clothes I was giving away and decorations and jewelry, she warmed up to the idea knowing I wasn’t only purging her things. Since then, it’s just constant conversation about why we live this way. Making sure they understand the “why” behind the lifestyle and inviting them to be a part of it.

Have you had any positive or negative experiences with friends or family related to minimalism?

Both sets of grandparents currently live within a 15 mile radius of us, and there are so many reasons this makes us lucky. But it was also part of the reason our girls had an overabundance of… well… everything. And in the beginning their responses varied from disappointed confusion, to totally ignoring what we asked and buying lots of gifts anyways.

One of the things that helped was making suggestions of what to give the girls as gifts instead. I appreciate their generosity and their desire to spoil their grandbabies, so I didn’t want to rob them of that entirely. Encouraging ice cream dates, and train rides, and Disneyland tickets and taking them to ride the carousel — making them realize there’s still ways to give them something special without it being wrapped in a bag and bow, helped them get on board. I think it also got easier for them when they saw the reactions to the “experience” type gifts versus the toy aisle type gifts. Not only were the girls more excited and engaged, they remembered it and talked about it at every family get together for months afterwards. It wasn’t just another doll collecting dust under the bed.

In what ways has minimalism improved your life?

I don’t spend as much money. I don’t spend as much time cleaning. And cleaning. And cleaning. I have more free time. More: yes time. More: play time. I don’t see bigger houses and feel envy and desire. In fact, sometimes I feel downright grateful that I found minimalism before I slaved my way into a home that would really serve as a giant storage unit. A place to put all the things that I’ve accumulated and have no use for. It’s improved my life because I’m lighter, freer, more content, and more available. That’s the kind of wife and mother and friend I want to be.

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

Start somewhere. Anywhere. Start small.

Don’t tackle the sentimental stuff first. Don’t let your first project be the entire garage. Start with the countertops. Start with a drawer. Start with the easy stuff. Clothes with holes and stains. Toys that are broken. Then go another layer deeper.

Go through your entire closet. Donate the shoes you don’t wear. How many winter jackets do you need? What’s shoved on those shelves that you can’t even reach? Is it time to let it go?

Watch yourself feel lighter. The decisions will get easier. Repeat the process as many times as necessary.

Lastly, find a resource. Bloggers that inspire you. Books that give direction. There are so many resources available. And there are so many ways to pursue minimalism.

You can find Amanda on Instagram @mytinytribe or her photography website www.amandarose.photography. Thank you, Amanda, for sharing your story and tips.

Readers: if you are a minimalist or know someone who is that may be great for an interview on my blog, please be in touch with me by email at hippieindisguise1@gmail.com or via direct message on Instagram.

***

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Danielle Chassin Hippie in Disguise in flower garden

In the news: Talking Minimalism on Hey Mama

October 6, 2015July 10, 201614 Comments

A few months ago I wrote about Hey Mama and interviewed the founders Katya Libin and Amri Kibbler just before they launched an online community for creative and entrepreneurial mothers. In the intervening months, they’ve launched a successful site HeyMama.co and garnered quite a following on social media. Each week they post new content covering interviews with successful entrepreneurial moms, styling and brand spotlights, tips for aspiring bloggers and social media influencers, and all sorts of fun lifestyle posts from a range of contributors. Their site is pretty slick and doesn’t have that earthy vibe (that I give off!!), so I was a little surprised when they asked me to contribute a post about minimalism.

After sharing my first draft, Katya and Amri wrote back saying they liked it, but pushed me to speak more about my own experience with minimalism and raising children. Again, I was surprised. I didn’t think that was the box they wanted me to fit into. After another draft or two, the piece sounded a lot more like me (and what I thought was a lot less like Hey Mama). And yet, they loved it. It took me a day or two to realize that Katya and Amri really, honestly do celebrate difference, and want to represent a range of mothers and paths to success through Hey Mama. So, I guess my post does sound like me and like Hey Mama, because Hey Mama isn’t just one voice, it’s many. I encourage you to visit their site and to say hi over on their Instagram account. They have open minds and lots of ideas to share.

For my piece, which you can find here, I share 11 Ways to Get the Most out of Life with Minimal Living. I had a longer list than 11… because you know I can go on and on about minimalism (I’m not very minimal when it comes to that!), so I thought I’d share what didn’t make the cut and you can visit Hey Mama to read the rest.

So, here are some of my tips for getting started with minimalism, by first focusing on minimizing the stuff in your living space (in my Hey Mama post you’ll hear more about how to bring your kids on board with minimalism):

Accumulation happens because we keep things around, but also because we keep adding to our stash of stuff. To get closer to that relaxing minimal space, you need to minimize the amount of new things you bring into your home, and purge any unused, unnecessary, duplicate items from your home. Do you have 5 wooden mixing spoons? You can safely get rid of 3 of them, probably 4. Do you have high school notes? You definitely don’t need them!
Don’t window shop or browse. Limit your chances of impulse buying things by only shopping when you know what you need ahead of time and stick to that list. Better yet, wait a few days or a week to buy something, you might discover you don’t need it that badly or at all.
When purging your home of excess stuff, break up the work. Divide your living space into zones, so you can focus on one at a time, and feel a sense of accomplishment when it’s done. It will motivate you to keep going. A zone might be your pantry, an entire room or just a drawer, depending on how much time you have to put into it. It’s great to start with your bedroom or the room you spend the most time in, because the positive feedback of having this room done will encourage you to keep going.
Build on the positive feelings of purging stuff from your home to motivate you to keep eliminating stuff. Once you start purging things, it becomes somewhat addictive, the positive feedback of having less to tidy and more space to enjoy will provide ample motivation to keep going. You will also likely notice a change in your housemates sense of calm; my children have thrived on having less stuff in the house and playing outdoors without toys.
Talk to others who have minimized their living space. You will hear from everyone that you talk to that they have only had positive experiences with eliminating stuff from their life. They have never regretted donating or giving something away. The fear of regret is what often holds people back, but the reality is, we don’t miss our stuff.

After visiting Hey Mama, please come back and let me know what your favourite tip was. And why not leave a comment on Hey Mama too!? xo

If you are interested you can view my Hey Mama profile here.

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Brian Hester Less Means More Project with Townes Father Minimalist

Interview with a Minimalist: Brian

September 9, 2015September 10, 20166 Comments

Today, I am excited to share my interview with Brian Hetzer. This space needs more voices from fathers. Not because fathers necessarily have a distinctly different view, some do (and some mothers do too), but because I want this space to feel inclusive, to represent a variety of ways of being that are kind, open, respectful, creative and sustainable, and having only women and mothers speak feels a little exclusive. Having said this, I did not choose Brian for an interview because he is a father, I was drawn to his story, only afterward did I realize he would be the first father to appear on the blog.

Without giving you all the punchlines, let me say you will want to read this whole interview and share it. There are lots of fresh ideas and fresh spins on old ideas. I love Brian’s honesty and openness about the struggles he and his family have faced in living a minimalist lifestyle. First, as a matter of circumstance, then later as a matter of choice. Brian describes his ups and downs, the pull of consumerism, the challenges, real commitment and letting go that it took to realize what was important to him. I know you’ll enjoy!

Let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What’s your background? And where are you headed?

I’m Brian, she’s Renae, and this is more than a little about us. Having both worked in and around the skateboard and snowboard industries, we met at Surf Expo in 2004. The day we met, we had bad pizza for lunch, ditched the rest of the afternoon at the tradeshow, and hung out until she dropped me off to catch a redeye back to the Midwest. I told her that night I’d marry her and she laughed at me. Renae had lived in LA [Los Angeles] and SF [San Francisco] prior to our meeting and shortly would be moving to NYC. I was traveling for work, more or less living out of my truck, and about to move to Chicago. We dated for a couple years, never living in the same state until we married. We had a wildly extravagant wedding in Palm Beach, Florida with an Alice in Wonderland theme.

Once married she joined me in Chicago and we settled into a routine of eating out, Renae lurked around the Marc Jacobs store, a lot, and basically excelling in the art of consumption. We look back at the Chicago years now with wonder, what if we’d made different decisions back then when money was fluid and life was fancy free? We were the least likely folks to become minimalists. Renae often joked that her idea of a perfect vacation would be Paris with a credit card, but times have changed and now she’s survived a good bit of hiking and camping in the wilderness, maybe even enjoys it…

Six months into Renae being pregnant our lives were hit by one of the many aftershocks of an industry in distress. The parent company of the shoe brand I was working for (and had in some capacity been working with for much of the past ten years) laid off a few hundred employees in 2009 and I was one of the many who woke up one day to a phone call and a severance package.

Renae would tell you that when life hands you the bare minimum, you become a minimalist. But we didn’t overnight transform into minimalists. It’s been a long journey, and we haven’t yet arrived at our final destination. We are constantly chipping away at what it looks like to live simply and intentionally. We are carving out the pieces as we go and creating a life that is not only simple but beautiful and full of experiences and adventure. We found shelter from the storm of job loss in Dayton, Ohio in my parents’ home. Townes was born there, we rested for eight months, then felt the strong pull of freedom, independence, and the prospect of getting back to work in skateboarding, the only business I’d known. The mecca of which is southern California, of course, and in short order we loaded up a UHaul with baby and cat in the cab and headed west to find what we had lost.

Our financial circumstances being what they were we couldn’t live anywhere near the coast. We found a small hundred year old hunting cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains and set up a quaint little life. I chopped wood to heat the place and we roughed it for almost two years. During that time we would learn to get by on less than twelve thousand dollars a year. Those were some of the best years of our lives. We learned first hand that less can mean more, all the while minimalism was creeping into our lives unsuspected.

Somewhere around the two year mark of mountain life I was offered a job with a decent salary in Oceanside, CA. Right away we were ecstatic, we charged ahead and grabbed on to this new lease on life which coincidentally meant a new lease on a home near the ocean. Which came with a much higher price tag. Our new Carlsbad bungalow was a dream. Walking distance to the beach, a beautiful ocean view from the kitchen table, fruit trees, and a Koi fish pond. Life was new and fresh. We thought the glitch in our road had come to an end and smooth sailing would finally be here to stay. That job fizzled out in only six months and reality began to crush down on us. I went back to work as an independent sales rep and we stuck it out for about eighteen months. That’s when the concept of real sustainable freedom started to enter our minds. A life without paying rent or a mortgage, no fear of job loss. A life of real faith.

Together we’re headed towards a more sustainable future for our family, consciously tipping the scale towards time together doing the things we love, and doing things for others that show we love them.

What are you passionate about? How do you like to spend your time?

First and foremost, family. Also adventuring, snowboarding, hiking, camping, finding a swimming hole, skateboarding, reading, creating, healthy living, geocaching, homeschooling. I cook, ferment things, write (slowly), fool with WordPress, and do the driving. Renae’s background is in graphic design, but she’s really an all around creative type. She loves to do art collaborations with Townes, concoct recipes for me to cook and decorate the space we inhabit. She spends countless hours researching and acquiring knowledge. She’s especially passionate about the Bible and health. I know she has a longing in her heart to get back to the sea and be on a surfboard again. I’m hoping that will become a reality in the next phase of our adventures.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

Our son Townes is half past five years old and his current life aspiration is to be The First Good Pirate to Sail the Seven Seas. He’s very thoughtful and deliberate, creative and free spirited but not much of a wild child. Although recently he convinced me to throw him off a ledge into a swimming hole in the Davidson River (Pisgah National Forest, NC), which was out of character and great fun. He soaks up and regurgitates all sorts of interesting knowledge, especially about animals. He has an uncanny natural tendency towards activism and a pioneer’s spirit.

Do you have a favourite quote or words that inspire you?

“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” –Thoreau

“Less is more.” –Mies Van Der Rohe, 1886

“There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth.” –Leo Tolstoy, 1828

“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” –Thoreau

What is your story? How did you get started on a minimalist path? What drew you to minimalism or what motivated you to become a minimalist?

We weren’t consciously motivated towards minimalism, it stalked us for years. A wild beast in the brush just outside our sight, stopping to sharpen its claws each time we hit a bump in the road. Once we’d hit enough bumps to finally cause a total breakdown in our lifestyles it pounced and cut us all up. The lifestyle we had built for ourselves simply didn’t work financially and maybe more importantly, we couldn’t get what we wanted out of it. There is little joy in living within walking distance to the ocean when there’s not enough food in the cupboard in order to pack a lunch. Try as we might, we couldn’t make ends meet and had to come up with a new plan. We didn’t read a book on minimalism and start purging ourselves of our worldly goods in pursuit of a more noble way of life. Rather, as our handle states, we’re looking for more in our lives and minimalism is a means to that end, oddly. We hatched a long term plan and put it into action quickly. A little over a year ago we started with garage sales, craigslist, ebay, donations, and any other means necessary to minimize our possessions and lighten the load that would need to be moved out of our Carlsbad, CA bungalow. Although we still have some downsizing to do, we packed out of our home using two 336 cubic foot moving containers, well under half the space of the fully loaded truck we moved in with. Based now in southern Ohio, our income hasn’t changed much but with expenses drastically lower we’ve enjoyed more traveling in the past year than we’d managed to do in the prior three or four years combined.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you?

For us it means finding ways to live with less so that we can experience more. It means foregoing (as long as is feasible) a career path that keeps me from my family. Since the thought is bound to cross some readers’ minds, I’ll clarify that I didn’t just say that I’ve co-opted minimalism as justification for being broke and lazy. I am however certain that living minimally allows for the option to spend more time with the ones I love and less time working for the weekend. If we keep the overhead low, financial resources go further and I’m not trading as much time for paper. It must be different for everyone, but when we eliminate something we can live without, we rarely (if ever?) find ourselves in want of it down the road.

Why do you identify as a minimalist? In what ways are you a minimalist?

In the food we eat, the things we buy, how we spend our time, the choices we make, we look to trade quantity for quality. More isn’t better. Better is better.

Are there people you look to as role models?

The closest I can come to identifying role models would be the friends and family that have looked after and pushed us along. We have friends back in California that gave us gifts that we’ll never be able to repay, and family that has supported us whether they agreed with or understood our motives. There’s a verse in the Bible from the book of Luke that reads “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” We look forward to being able to give in the way these wonderful people have given to us. One day our choices will enable us to in some small way reflect the love and generosity we’ve felt from these folks.

Are there any books, websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism?

A short list would have to include the likes of OurOpenRoad.com, Bumfuzzle.com, BenHewitt.net, Foster Huntington, Jedidiah Jenkins, BecomingMinimalist.com, Tolstoy, Thoreau, and Ed Abbey.

In what ways/areas do you struggle with maintaining your minimalist goals/values? What is your weakness?

Our kid and toys! We know better but it’s not easy always saying no to the kid. I do the cooking in our family and I need my kitchen gear. We’re not much for the “this one does it all!” type appliances so I tend to want to add nice, specific pieces from time to time.

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

We honestly couldn’t be more thankful to our family and close friends who have been nothing short of a blessing to us throughout the transitions and struggles of the last few years.

Have you had any positive or constructive experiences with friends or family related to minimalism?

I feel as though we haven’t gotten there yet. Our journey towards minimalism is still ongoing, we have such grand plans for the next year or so. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to influence or impact others through the choices we make.

In what ways has minimalism improved your life?

Humility and simplicity. We’ve learned a lot about each.

What have been some unexpected experiences you’ve had with minimalism?

Community. Thanks to instagram and the like we’re in touch with, and get to peek into the lives of so many families, individuals, and friends that we’ve never met because of common threads like minimalism, travel, or health. One thing we’ve not minimized is our data plan…

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

Minimalism doesn’t have to mean a kneejerk reaction and a firesale of all your worldly goods in an effort to somehow cleanse. It can be small steps that allow more time/ money/ resources for something you’re without. It’s not in the cards for everyone with a mortgage and the trappings of life to just pack it in and move into an RV or a treehouse. But for folks that find that a combination of things like career, bills, kids’ activities, social calendar, etc restrains from enjoying life, simplification can be eye and heart opening.

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few that you want to share?

Our ultimate goal at this point, the next step, is to fund, find and build out an over the road bus. That’s our Mount Everest. It’s our ideal version of a (not quite) Tiny House. We envision a forty foot WVO powered life on wheels, spreading the joy of how Less really can mean More. Volunteering, educating our child in the real world, seeing it all, together.

***

Thank you Brian for sharing your story so honestly and openly. Readers, you can find Brian on Instagram @lessmeansmoreproject and on his website www.lessmeansmoreproject.com

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Interview with a Minimalist: The Devine Family

August 13, 2015October 30, 201817 Comments

Geraldine Devine Bee Eco Wraps Butterfly beeswax wraps australia off grid family

As I said in my first post in this series, I think there are many ways to be a minimalist and many ways to focus and apply minimalism in our lives. At the same time, one area of focus tends to radiate out over time and influence other aspects of our life.

For me, minimalism started with a strong urge to have much less stuff in our home. I am a mother working outside the home at least 50 hours a week. I am also an obsessive tidier, I like my spaces neat and sparse, because it is calming to me. After a day of hustling around at work, I want a serene, low stimulation home environment to welcome me, not a trail of toys, socks, odds and ends. However, being away from my children for so many hours a week, thousands of hours each year, I cherish my time with the children, and so I have a rule that I won’t tidy and clean while the children are awake. (Confession: I’ve broken this rule a few times). When I was off on maternity leave it was easy to sneak in some tidying while the children napped, but once I was back to work, my only opportunity to tidy was late in the evening after the kids were asleep. This wasn’t a healthy situation since I was robbing myself of downtime, time with my husband, and time to myself.

One evening when I was rushing around tidying up before I went to bed it hit me like a tonne of apples: the only solution was to have way, way, way less stuff. Because less stuff equals less tidying. It’s pure math. I also knew it wasn’t fair for me to push my own clean freak ways on my husband and children, it’s not their comfort zone, it’s mine. I shouldn’t nag them to tidy constantly and I shouldn’t waste my downtime on cleaning. So I decided to immediately start giving away things that we didn’t need. Things the kids hadn’t played with in a while. The extra muffin tin. The back-up rain boots. The spare cutlery. The college books gathering dust. As time went on, I felt lighter and more at ease, the children focused their play on a few toys rather than aimlessly going from one toy to another, and overall there was a greater sense of calm and focus in the home.

A few years later I started hearing about minimalism, not the minimalism I had studied in art history in university, but minimalism as a lifestyle. I was curious, so of course I went to trusty Google for answers. There I found that there was a small “movement” growing around living minimally. I also read about people who had taken a more broad approach to minimalism. For them, minimalism wasn’t just about less stuff. Minimalism could be applied to our lives as a mode of operation. For example, friendships and relationships, cultivating close, connected friendships with fewer people, rather than having dozens of friends that we see a few times a year, it’s just quantity, not quality. I also heard about how minimalism started in different ways for people, some it was financial loss and the requirement to part with most of their possessions, and the realization that they were fine, and even better, without the burden of things. For others, it was a reaction against the fast pace of life and constant communications, the now, the instant, the quickness, and wanting to return to slower, more meaningful ways of relating and communicating with people.

Since then I’ve been intrigued to hear from people about how they got started living minimally, what their initial focus was, and how it has evolved. When I came across the Devine Family, who live off-the-grid in Australia, and are focused, by matter of circumstance, on minimizing their waste and not producing any garbage, I was immediately fascinated. Their minimalism started from a very practical life circumstance: no garbage collection in their part of the world. With their zest for life and excitement about living simply, close to the earth, and renewing older ways of living, they took the challenge head on and haven’t looked back since. I hope you’ll be inspired by this amazing family and their commitment to live sustainably, simply, close to the earth, and in a very minimal way.

Geraldine Devine Bee Eco Wraps Butterfly beeswax wraps australia off grid family

*Please make sure to follow the Devine Family on Instagram @bee_eco_wraps and visit their webshop www.beeecowraps.com where they sell beautiful, handmade food wraps from organic fabrics and bees wax. This is not a sponsored post! I just love what they do and want to support their great efforts.

Let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What are you passionate about? How do you like to spend your time?

Farm, markets, Steiner school, organic cafe, beach. Press repeat!

Nature, community, music & gatherings of like minded people. Craft, cooking, sewing, gardening, homesteading. We embrace Permaculture, Biodynamics, and Sustainability with a goal to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The Ocean is the medicine of our souls. Sun, Salt & Surf heals all for the Devine Family! Becoming parents brought us from being environmentally aware observers to active participators in making a difference. We are conscious of the current issues society faces and are serious about creating a sustainable future.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

Archi, 10, is the family comedian, acrobat, entertainer and the best big brother the girls could wish for. Arjuna, 8, is the sweetest soul, gentle, artistic and caring. Mirrah, 4, is an ethereal treasure, a pixie with the wildest of imaginations. Soma, 1, is our little Lion Cub. She is raised by the Clan, participates in every aspect of our lives and never misses a beat. She is pure love, humour and has emanated peace and tranquillity since birth.

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What part of the world do you live in?

Our Farm is on the subtropical Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia.

You live off the grid in a completely self-sufficient home. Can you tell me about your dwelling and your way of life?

Simple, natural, soulful. A treehouse with enormous character. It was a 1920’s Tea House with a rich local history. Put back together by craftspeople that came at just the right times! Every piece of timber is recycled. It rattles, shakes and evolves with us. We took out the walls other than one big gorgeous family sleeping space, a big other worldly bathroom & a big cellar/ pantry space. Our kitchen is the epicentre. Massive decks amongst the bamboo were constructed out of the old railway timbers. We have treehouses, forts and fairy gardens galore!

A Spiral Vegetable Garden fills our kitchen & Mama’s whimsical fantasies. Fruit trees provide an abundance of subtropical fare. Mangoes, lychees, avocados, guava, over 100 Tahitian Limes. A 3 acre spring fed dam full of silver perch and yabbies. We are very secluded and completely surrounded by State Forest, yet fortunate to be close to the amazing Noosa beaches and thriving Markets.

Your lifestyle is, in part, focused on waste, that is, not creating any. Can you tell me more about your journey to a zero waste lifestyle? How did you get started minimizing waste? And how far have you come?

Slow life, Zero Waste, terms often used for this lifestyle, yet we are so very busy and love waste and the fabulous compost it provides! Our goal is to minimise the impact of our choices. Plastic is very heavily woven into this society’s supply chain. Every day we open a new door to achieving a deeper level of disposable waste free living.

Our waste consciousness was accelerated due to our remote location. We do not receive a garbage disposal service and are subsequently responsible for all rubbish that we generate. With the consequences of waste to personally deal with an awareness of the absurdity of single use disposable items came to the forefront of our attention.

We get busy with baking bread, cucumbers to pickle, kefir to brew, pumpkin seeds to dry out, compost to turn. The very action of these humbling tasks brings about a consciousness & presence. Somewhere along the way, the concept of single use plastic becomes outdated. An appreciation for the beauty of a sturdy fermenting jar, a pair of shoes that feel like they will last a lifetime, a hand knit woollen jumper….. a beautifully smelling, aesthetically pleasing wrap for your food…. just became essential…. a daily reminder of a state of mind that values and respects what matters.

Garbage is a somewhat recent phenomenon, historically speaking. Have you had to find creative solutions to minimize your waste or do you find yourself turning to older methods that most of us have abandoned?

Yes! We get creative, plan ahead and study the masters of reusable. What we’re talking about doing here is not just part of a Green Revolution… It’s a Renaissance. People have been working with nature this way for eons. It seems that we’re just learning to do what society has unlearnt and forgotten. Historically, many cultures sealed jars with wax and our Outback Drovers traditionally used oiled cloths to protect their food. Homesteaders have been wrapping up food in waxed cloths for centuries. Bee Eco Wraps became our passion as we delved into the wisdom of yesteryear.

Any food we don’t grow is bought at market. Trade and commerce is a pinnacle of culture. Geraldine particularly loved this & studied Anthropology at University, exploring the daily lives & rituals of cultures worldwide. In our travels we have lived amongst market cultures and fell in love with this as a source of social interaction. We all thrive and feel nourished with our interaction with the stall holders. With baskets and jars in hand, market life has provided our waste free immersion into this bustling and enriching cultural family experience.

Devine Family Children tree house zero garbage waste Geraldine Devine Bee Eco beeswax wraps australia off grid family

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you?

We don’t want to fear our future, nor put our head in the sand. We want to gain momentum, excitement, faith & confidence in paving a future that will work. And give ourselves the tools to live in beauty in the face of the adversity that will come our way in this current society. To minimalise it. What matters. For us, love, family, nature, health. To be bold, humble, conscious.

Minimalism for us has become our state of being. A daily choice to minimalise the chatter in our minds, our possessions, our interactions with anything that depletes us.

What is your story? How did you get started on a minimalist path? What motivated you to live a minimalist and sustainable life?

As we learnt to slow and pay attention to the details of daily life we expanded and moved into a deeper connection with ourselves others and our place in the world. To find a real sense of meaning and purpose.

Family is the pinnacle of it all. We have both lived quite exuberant, excessive, wild & opulent lives! Diverse existences. For Geraldine the highlight of childhood was my time spent on a farm. Pure, slow, beautiful. Defining my very being & influencing every part of my journey. A determination was etched to make this a reality for this family. For Matt the time spent in Japan infiltrated his soul & defined his minimalist existence. He focuses on the natural world. He accepts the impermanence of life and seeks to remain humble. He is actively involved deepening his knowledge. He retains simple practices that allow him to remain focused amongst the turmoil!

Devine Family Children tree house zero garbage waste Geraldine Devine Bee Eco beeswax wraps australia off grid family

In what ways do you struggle with maintaining your lifestyle? Have there been any struggles with the other people you live, friends or family with about living in the way you do?

When the children get lured into the trappings of consumerism, we have learnt to see it as an opportunity for growth & learning. To extend ourselves to offer a better natural option. To grow our imaginations as well as theirs.

The children are technology free. People often ask how how we have the time. Take away television, shopping centres, time opens up. Children are helpers, participatory in daily life. The children’s imagination is their greatest gift. We push through boredom barriers. Steer them away from quick fixes, immerse them in nature, saturate their souls with the raw & natural opulence & beauty of nature. Simplicity. Attainable goals. Gently allow them to witness the perils of plastic, sugar and the harsh realities in an age appropriate way. Make it an exciting mission to be on board the coolest train in town. The kids feel they have the magic golden ticket. The good cause.

As we said no to plastic, sugar and technology we took it as our responsibility to offer a better option. To be creative in enthralling and enticing them with delicious organic food that they took part in sourcing, growing, preparing, serving. Or by surrounding them with fodder for their imaginations. Tree houses, wooden toys, craft, animals, books. I have put boundless energy into creating self motivating tools for the kids. To nurture their minds to think for themselves and weave in and out of magical wonderlands in their imagination. To offer tasks that teach them the practical skills of cooking, weaving, building, cleaning. To minimise their lives, so it doesn’t feel overwhelming and so they don’t shut down through fear. Nature offers the best tools for learning.

It has been a journey! A minimalist point of view has been hard for well meaning friends and family! I give our family and friends enormous credit in supporting us in upholding our values and complex criteria for each purchase. To embrace our choice in stepping away from consumerism. We all have quite a laugh at our different choices and paths in life! Love and a great sense of humour conquers all!

What have been the benefits of your lifestyle?

As we tune in to and get excited about the rhythms of Nature’s bounty we feel grounded and a part of a whole. We delight in the company of local farmers and growers, market stall holders and local artisans. We feel inextricably connected to the cycles of the Seasons, the rhythms of Nature and from this comes a deep sense of purpose, simplifying our understanding and acceptance of life. The children also emanate peace and stability. It is a world that they can see, feel and understand.

We have slowed and channeled our energy toward specific tasks with intent and positivity. To impose order on our wandering minds through the acts of gardening, cooking, creating, singing.

Devine Family Children tree house zero garbage waste Geraldine Devine Bee Eco beeswax wraps australia off grid family

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a more minimal, sustainable lifestyle?

Get excited. For us it has been the best journey of our lives. We found as we were strengthened by the inherent benefits of the lifestyle we were able to face the challenges with greater confidence. The research and preparation is fun! The information out there is limitless! Learn from your elders. Visit the dairy with your own pail to make our own cheeses, butter, yoghurt. Many Farmers offer butchering to your specific requirements. We have found local butchers love the idea of wrapping meat plastic free and lament the loss of butchers paper. Buy in bulk with your own jars or baskets. A little preparation yes, but when you see the beauty of your produce in a wicker basket and jars, you will know and feel that this is the way it should be!

Allow yourself a gentle awakening to the perils of plastic! Create a list. Step by step challenge the disposable parts of your life. Sustainable toothbrushes, shampoo bars, henna, beauty products. As you get healthier through this lifestyle you need less! Equip yourself with the tools to reduce waste. A mason jar each, a favourite op shop spoon. Lots of wicker baskets. A great dishwashing cloth, scrubber, soap nuts for laundry, solar power, tank water.

Look at ways to trade goods, or delve into the magical world of vintage!
It doesn’t necessarily have to be land driven. We have lived on a standard block & embraced an enriching & sustainable life. So much to learn about fermenting, felting & sewing tapped into a local like minded community.

Are there people you look to as role models in terms of your lifestyle?

The market families, each other, our family, the other cultures we have come to know on our travels, the cultures that have retained a minimalist sustainable life with a reverence for nature.

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few that you want to share?

To remain simple, minimal and inspired as we traverse a sustainable life with four children a farm and growing business. To strengthen our goals and daily rhythms to encompass a broader gathering and flourish in the inspiration and energy of makers, growers, bakers, artisans, families and community. To maintain the serenity that comes from slowing down and paying attention to all we find meaningful. To connect with moving slowly and treating things, people and ourselves gently. To have gratitude and reverence for the beauty of life. To feel empowered to make a difference. To harness a consistent, grounded and authentic Eco business that is a subtle tool in a burgeoning change toward a minimal, conscious and sustainable way of life. Bee Eco is a simple product, a daily change of habits that might spill over to other areas of life as it becomes apparent just how easy and beautiful reusable items are! In turn a broader attitude change may envelope our collective habits!

An immense thank you to the Devine Family for sharing their life, words and images with my readers. Readers: you can find the Devine Family on Instagram @bee_eco_wraps and read more about their life as well as purchase their Eco Wraps on their website www.beeecowraps.com.

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You might also enjoy:

Interview with a Minimalist: Kylah

Garbage Free: How to Make your own Delicious Raw Cashew Milk

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Love Your Mother: The Most Sustainable Clothing by Luv Mother

Any Occasion, Sustainable Gift Guide for Children

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Interview with a Minimalist: Carina

July 18, 20157 Comments

There is so much goodness in this interview that I just don’t know where to start. Carina, who I’ve interviewed before for my Inspiring Mothers series, is a minimalist and mother of two. She is an artist who paints and illustrates, and also works in arts outreach. Her story is particularly inspiring because it was a significant life event that brought about an “aha” moment. In that moment all that was truly important to her became crystal clear. I love that while years have passed since her epiphany it’s effect hasn’t grown dim. She has managed to continue to draw from this experience in order to cultivate a life of purpose, enjoyment, adventure, and fun. A life filled to the brim with moments and memories. There are so many nuggets of wisdom packed into her answers, read slowly and enjoy!

Let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What are you passionate about? How do you like to spend your time?

My name is Carina. I am passionate about the arts and the outdoors, and making memories around these two things with my family. I am a big advocate for accessible art experiences, supporting local creatives and businesses, and connecting communities. I adore painting and illustration, and encouraging my kids’ love of art, stories, and adventure. We are lucky to live so close to the ocean, the mountains, and everything in between. We all love camping, my husband fly fishes, and my kids and I are crazy about surfing. I’m also passionate about the community of rad women that my bestie Bree and I have connected with through our west coast lifestyle site www.peaksandharbours.com.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

I have two children, and they are so wonderfully different from each other.

My daughter Finn is 9 years old, with a blanket of long dark hair, usually under a wide-brimmed hat and framed by long feather earrings. She is a fast-friend-maker, an incredibly observant girl, and can often be found blissfully reading and writing stories. Appropriately, she wants to be both a published author and an actor (“they don’t call them actresses anymore mom”).

My son Augustus (Gus) is a cheerful, golden-haired sweetheart. He loves to choreograph dance videos, and is happily curious about everything from how the body works, to the life-cycle of plants and animals. He is a cuddler, and feels things deeply, especially when he thinks that a friend has been wronged – he will always come to your rescue! He adores his sister Finn. And when she gives him the time of day, he is on cloud nine.

What part of the world do you live in?

I live in Vancouver, in an area of the city called Mount Pleasant – very aptly named. It’s an idyllic little urban community, where I also work, where my children go to school, and where we spend time with friends. I love that we are able to be so local and connected in a big city. I grew up in a very tiny town, and it reminds me of that way of life – minus the horses tethered to the school fence and the tractors parked in driveways.

Do you have a favourite quote or words that inspire you?

“There is no certainty; there is only adventure.” – Roberto Assagioli

Change is constant, and once you realize that it’s exciting, not scary, you can embrace it once it happens, and enjoy the ride – or least see the importance of some of those journeys of learning.

“Good for her, not for me.” – Amy Poehler, Yes Please

Everyone has their own way of doing things that work for them, and that’s wonderful. It doesn’t mean that we have to feel bad if it doesn’t work for us.

You are an artist, what inspires your work? Do you have issues with keeping the amount of art supplies you have in check?

That is a tough one! My art has changed so much over the years. When I was doing my first degree years ago, I was working in photography, and soundscapes with video and audio installations. Yes, super avant garde stuff – ha! I really felt like I needed to be loud and cinematic so people could hear what I was trying to say, which had a lot to do with being a new mother, and trying to define who this new person was that I had become. I realize now that I can be a mother, and also be an individual at the same time, and that being ambitious doesn’t mean that I am a bad parent.

Currently, I am back to the drawing and painting I fell in love with as a child, but with more experience (both in years and technique). I love the ‘low-fi” – ness of it. I don’t need a large desk of technical equipment to create a painting or illustration.

In terms of my own art supplies, my style is quite minimal (how appropriate!), and I do keep my art supplies minimal as well. I will not buy another palette of watercolours until something has actually run out, and I won’t stock up on ten versions of a similar paintbrush; because I just don’t need it. I do find it hard when I’m actually in an art supply store – I always get that surge of excitement of all the possibilities. However, I have enough experience to now know that if I surround myself with too much, I get overwhelmed with choices, and will not allow myself to fully commit to one project. This rings true for me in finishing a painting, and also in other areas of my life.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you?

I would say that minimalism is a way of life for me. It’s not just about living materially small in our 750 square foot apartment, but also how our little family approaches life. Maybe a few examples might be the best way to answer:

When I find myself feeling anxious about the week’s tasks, errands, etc. I start to look for the path of least resistance. I am working on saying “no” more often and accepting that when I am stressed out at all the things I need to do, it’s because I chose to do them. So if I can cancel some unnecessary meetings downtown, or find gymnastics classes for Gus closer to home so we’re not driving across town three times a week after work, that keeps things simpler and less stressful.

I rarely bring in something new into our home unless it is really going to make us smile – like a local artist’s work, or a carefully curated collection of shells the kids have found at the beach. I try to buy local and sustainable as much as possible, and I pare down anything that has too many multiples. I take things to consign or to the thrift store at least once each season. There’s no need to have more than four towels in our tiny linen closet, and the kids don’t need 16 pairs of socks each.

When thinking about how to spend our money, after all the bills are paid, we always look to what experiences we want to have, not what things we want to buy. Cyrus ties his own flies for fishing, and will update a rod or reel. I recently was able to get my own wetsuit for surfing, and one day hope to have my own board. The kids really want to go to Playland this summer, and have a goal to do that at the end of August. More traditional activities can be expensive in Vancouver, so when we’re all on board with saving money to achieve these goals, it makes it exciting to have something to look forward to and more meaningful when you get there.

What is your story? How did you get started on a minimalist path? What drew you to minimalism or what motivated you to become a minimalist?

I have always been a fan of simple living, but my two big leaps into minimalism were when my husband and I separated, and when I took a trip to India.

When I finished my Master’s Degree in 2011, my husband and I separated for 2 ½ years. It was hard and painful, but also a really powerful experience. When we split our things, I realized that the only thing I wanted were the pictures of the kids, and the only thing I needed was a home to raise my kids in. Nothing else mattered. What I also quickly discovered though was how much I needed my friends and my family. I have always been a fast-friend-maker (like Finn), but I was floored by how the good people around me rallied without judgement, helped dry my tears, fill my cupboards, and made me feel whole again. That was an important time in my life for sure. I learned how resilient I was, how everyone has a story, and how love truly is all you need. Happily, we are all together again, and we both had similar epiphanies about how we wanted to live as a family – and we haven’t looked back!

In 2012, I took a trip to India to do research on art and architecture there for my PhD. When I got there, all the naivety I had about being a worldly traveller went right out the window and I went into full culture shock. It is a country that continuously saturates every sense to a dizzying level. I saw very small children, barely clothed and dirty, that were so hungry they were peeling paint off buildings to eat. You quickly realize just how fortunate you are by accident of where you are born. I also saw a lot of happiness in India, from children who had almost nothing. Their delight in finding a bridge to jump off into cooling waters filled the air with laughter and joy. It is easy to see in such a place of contrast how unnecessary all our extra things are, and how fortunate we are to have access to simple amenities and health care.

Are there people you look to as minimalist role models?

I think that I inherited some of that Scandinavian minimalism from my Swedish father. He was always big on saving for our trips to Sweden to visit family, and we went on many camping and road trips as a family. My childhood was filled with amazing adventures, and I am so thankful for that. I’ve also been influenced by my thoughtful Italian mother, who always emphasizes keeping things that bring you joy, and discarding things that do not – especially when those things are attached to a past you need to get rid of.

Are there any books, websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism?

I have read The Minimalists, and The Japanese Art of Tidying, both interesting books but I am still waiting for someone to come out with a book that addresses how to be minimalist with children, and without a huge cash reserve that allows you to immediately drop your daytime job without worrying about putting food on the table.

I love Alison Mazurek, who lives right here in Vancouver with her adorable little boy in a 600 square foot apartment about 4 blocks away from me! She has her own blog www.600sqft.com and is also a contributor to Peaks & Harbours. She has a similar mindset in that she takes to the outdoors when things feel small, and focuses on quality local goods over a quantity of “things.”

In what ways/areas do you struggle with maintaining your minimalist goals/values? What is your weakness?

Books! Both for myself and for the kids. I’m trying to be better at going to the library for my reading fix, and encouraging the kids to do the same. It’s a work-in-progress!

Does your household abide by minimalism or is this more a focus for yourself? Why?

I think we all abide by minimalism. We do not purchase toys or extra gadgets for our kids unless it’s a birthday, or Christmas, etc. Pokemon was a big craze for them a few months ago, and they saved their money and bought all their Pokemon card packs and binders themselves. Of course, we will help them here and there with allowance money. When Gus decided he was not interested anymore in his Thomas the Tank Engine set a couple of years ago, he took pictures of them all lined up, put them on Craigslist, boxed them up, and handed them over to the guy that bought them (He was four!). He beamed with pride, and took that money to get his first Star Wars Lego kit. I do find that they are less and less interested in amassing the newest trendy toy. I think Gus has more money saved in his piggy bank than I do! Because he’s not sure what he wants to spend it on, and so he doesn’t. Finn will always buy more books, but we will also go to the library, because her piggy bank just can’t keep up with her insatiable appetite for more stories.

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

Honestly, it’s been such a positive experience that I can’t think of any time that we’ve come into conflict about it. Once and a while, the kids briefly lament that other parents have bought their kids an entire American Doll set complete with a giant wardrobe, and I say how nice that is, and how if it’s that important we can work towards it. More often than not, the novelty quickly wears off and they forget they ever asked for it.

Have you had any positive or constructive (or negative) experiences with friends or family related to minimalism?

I have had nothing but positive experiences! When people come over, if they are parents I usually find them peeking into a doorway wondering if I’ve hid the kids’ toys there – ha! They are amazed, and then excited, that our small apartment is so light and welcoming, without it wanting anything.

In what ways has minimalism improved your life?

I think that when you pare down the extraneous things, you live your life more honestly and genuinely. An example I would give is when I finally gave away all my textbooks from university that I knew I was only keeping to be impressive. I had so many books that I had on display because I felt like they represented all my years of hard work, and would show visitors how educated I was. I think it was really me feeling unsure of myself. When I finally admitted that I was probably never again going to pick up that 1000 page book on psychoanalytical theories, or the multi-volume text on Ancient Greek political systems, what was left was a real representation of who I was and what I actually found interesting. Books on art, funny stories, and beautiful illustrations. It feels amazing, and I don’t mind whether visitors notice that or not.

What have been some unexpected experiences you’ve had with minimalism?

I am a less anxious person after really embracing minimalism. I used to struggle with anxiety in my early to late twenties. When things become pared down at home, and I focused on positive relationships, I became more confident in myself and the anxiety just melted away. It’s an ongoing process for sure, but I can definitely say that myself and my children, we are all much more chill and content living this way.

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

If you haven’t used something in a year, chances are you’re never going to use it. When I’ve felt overwhelmed with picking through the kids’ things (especially the bits of impossibly tiny accessories for toys), I will dump an entire drawer that they haven’t opened in a while, into a tupperware bin with a lid, and stow it away for a few months. They never ask where those things have gone. And when I feel like it’s been long enough, I organize things out into thrift store and consignment store, and they will get the money from their toys.

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few that you want to share?

My big goal that I’ve been wanting to do for a few years now – but am finally in a place to attack it, is creating albums out of pictures of the kids’ artwork. When you live in a small space, it’s tough to store pieces of different sizes without crushing and damaging them, and it’s hard to pull out an enormous box and go through it in a way that doesn’t create a giant mess. My goal is to take pictures of their favourites, and make them into a book. This way they can look at them easily, show them to friends, and be proud of their work for years to come.

Thank you Carina! Readers: you can find Carina on Instagram @carinamarienilsson; on her outstanding lifestyle site www.peaksandharbours.com; or her personal site www.carinamarienilsson.com.

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You might also like my post:

Ecominimalism: Minimalism and Sustainability

13 Ways to Simplify Your Wardrobe

Interview with a Minimalist: Alison

Malas and Human Connection

Summer Lists: Sun, Sand and Strawberries

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Hippie in Disguise

slow living, minimalism and connection with nature

Category: minimalism

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