I am not patient in a crowded home, I don't feel creative near a cluttered area. This week for The Minimalist's #kiss engagement, we were asked two questions. I decided to spend my #sublimesunday mulling over this one: "How has minimalism enabled you to have mental and physical freedom?" Some mindful work helped me formulate my answer.
The thing is, if you want a clutter free home, each item you own needs a place. I am very much of the mindset that every item in our home needs a PURPOSE. Now, in the case of decorations or extra blankets- joy is a valuable purpose.
Minimalist queen Marie Kondo says that you should thank, and discard items that do not bring you joy. I think this is a great philosophy, as it is easy to overlook how much weight the responsibility for items really creates. Consumerism is exhausting, and opting out of it is one way I free myself from tons of mental and physical labor.
Speaking of Marie- her method of folding T-shirts is life changing!
Something strange happened, I began to enjoy the repetition of moving the beads, caring for my belongings felt nice. I realized that all of my beading stuff was a mess, maybe that was why I hadn't made anything in such a long time. I looked around, six boxes of various sizes held my items in a jumbled chaos that would make even the most diehard maximalist shiver!
I began to sort through and found old things that made me smile. Here is a favorite- this rose pendant is carved from bone! I used free elements on Canva to combine the photos, so you could get as many angles as possible... but it still doesn't do it justice! The intricate details here are astonishing!
On completion, everything is organized and far more compact! Now THIS makes me motivated to create something pretty!
Here is another Canva mash-up to show how the inside of the bead case is filled up, now I can actually SEE everything I have. Of course, I threw a good deal of stuff away. All the tiny beads have safe homes in proper organizers, and my charms and notions are sorted!
A good first step to creating, is to know what you even have available. Suddenly, dozens of project ideas jumped out at me! Yes!
I am grateful that I had time to take on this arbitrary task with no issue. I don't have to worry about eating up my relaxing Sunday getting caught up on chores, feeling guilty if I don't utilize my time just right. Minimalism has given me that freedom too!
Less house work, less making space in my life for items, less to worry about. Little by little, my husband has come around to my way of thinking in bits... he still saves holiday cards, but now he thinks twice about holding on to less sentimental items.
I took some time to really enjoy making jewelry today. the repetition and rhythm carrying me away... I may be a creature of chaos in many ways, but organization in the home makes me feel free! I am inspired by the little steps I have taken over the last year to fine tune my philosophy, less is really more! Appreciation is a discipline, and I enjoyed spending my Sunday practicing it!
