A few months ago I was asked by a fellow Instagrammer to share “what I’m reading now.” It was fortuitous timing. Now, I’m usually reading at least 3 books at any one time, but one book in particular that I was reading had me feeling a little conflicted. I was reading Everything That Remains, by a writing duo who call themselves the Minimalists. I had wanted to buy the book for quite a while, however, as someone trying to minimize my consumption of things, I didn’t want to acquire yet another book, not to mention one about minimalism! The irony! And so, rather than buy the book I decided to satiate my interest in minimalism by reading online books and articles. Ultimately, I told myself it would be okay to buy the book as long as I ensured that many people would read it. However, I had no real plan as to how I would make that happen. And so, from that simple question “what am I reading?” sprang the idea to share the book through the Instagram community. So that’s what I did. (You can see my original Instagram post about it here.)
The initial post on Instagram garnered significant interest, including a request from Carina and Bree over at the Peaks and Harbours blog, to write a post about the book tour I had planned. Please visit their blog to read my post and to learn how the book tour works. In a nutshell, the book is travelling around the world from one person to the next. I maintain a list of interested readers and share one address with each reader — the address of the person they are to send the book to next. If you are interested in joining in please send me an email at hippieindisguise1@gmail.com. I’m still taking names.
As a little aside, I should probably clarify that the book is about lifestyle minimalism as opposed to design/art minimalism. I’m not sure anyone is using the term lifestyle minimalism, aside from me, but I think it helps distinguish the two strands. Lifestyle minimalism is about living with fewer things and fewer obligations, to make room for those people, things and responsibilities that really, as the Minimalists would say, “add value” to your life and the lives of others. Minimalism, popular in design, art and interiors, is about paring things down to the essential; form and function are one. Certainly the two strands of minimalism share many of the same concepts, but focus them in different areas.
During the spring of 2014, I had strong urge to reconnect with and better understand the roots of design minimalism when I saw what appeared to be people identifying as ‘minimalists’ while conspicuously consuming things. It seemed to be contradictory, at least to me, so I wanted to learn more about the current thinking around minimalism. So I started reading contemporary writings and came across the writings of Leo Babauta and the Minimalists. They conveyed a different flavour of minimalism than I was seeing elsewhere online. Their writing really reinvigorated my own natural desires to live in a minimal way. I have always been drawn to simple, light living, for both environmental and, for lack of a better term, psychological reasons. (I am really someone who’s inner mind reflects the state of the space around me, and so to feel calm and be creative, I need calm, blank spaces.) Everything that Remains really helped me understand in a new way how the space around you and the commitments you make can support or hinder your creativity.
Currently, my copy of Everything that Remains is travelling across Canada, before it takes a tour through the United States. After North America there are stops in Europe, Australia and Asia. I’m hoping to have destinations on every continent before it comes back home to me. Or better yet, I hope the book keeps travelling and connecting people around the globe, until it is completely worn out. A book that lives a full life and fills many lives with inspiration is a book worth buying.
Stay tuned for updates on the book’s travels; I’ll be posting stories from its readers after every five stops or so.
If you aren’t able to sign up for the book tour you can buy the book here, and maybe when you are done reading you can send it on to someone else.
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