Hey guys, what's up?
I've been working on some new articles for the blog, but meanwhile I've been on Netflix again so yes this is YET another post on a show. I promise some other content soon HAHA.
So I was looking at this post from a local blogger, whose minimalist house is so gorgeous! She mentioned the film and I checked it out.
Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things
Duration: 1h 18min
Duration: 1h 18min
What's it about:
The documentary centres on two guys, Joshua Fields Millburn (the one that looks like Clay Aiken) and his bestie Ryan Nicodemus (long haired rock star looking guy), and how they became The Minimalists. Includes loads of clips and soundbites from experts, different types of people practising minimalism (a man with 6 children, a newscaster, a millennial etc), and also people who live in Tiny Houses. We learn a lot on how their lives have improved since they started to declutter their lives and rid themselves of things.
One of my favourite quotes:
"How do we go from working all throughout our lifetime to enjoying a lifetime with a bit of work here and there?"
Yes please haha. Financial freedom plz.
Thoughts:
Most of my close friends know that I'm very into decluttering (even before Marie Kondo. I have not watched the series on Netflix but I have read her books). I read minimalist, decluttering books often to motivate myself to not create mess. I've went through tons of clothing purges, and have gotten rid of many things I no longer have use for. I donate books, clothes, and try to sell amps and cute things (my Sonny Angels) I've collected. I also do digital cleansing of my laptop and stuff, since I have TONS of photographs.
For the longest time, I also held on to my CDs cuz I loved them so much. I finally started listing most of them on Carousell, though I still can't bear to let go of some of my favourites. Shit is sentimental though. I'll have to rehome some of my favourite guitars too because I have too many. T_T
I have only a few soft toys left. I got rid of unknown cables and wires. Got rid of tons of papers and old things from my teenage years. I also count my shoes, my shirts, fold things the Kondo way, and also try to be more mindful when I buy new things.
One good motivating factor to declutter is that you can pack less when you intend to move out. I've moved house twice in my life, and packing is super tedious. Wouldn't it be great if you had less to begin with? Less problems. No need to rehome things, no need to donate , or throw things, cuz you're already done!
And though I have decluttered so much, I still have so much stuff. Crazy first world problems indeed.
Apparently, decluttering also helps with fengshui! From what I've read online, fengshui involves removing obstacles to energy blocks and stuff. So too much crap in the house affects the qi. Might be a total coincidence, but after I decluttered my room (yet again), I had the luck to close a quick Carousell deal! Hurray!
I'm also thankful for Carousell. Although sometimes it can be Carouhell, I'm glad to send my things off to another person who can have better use for them, and maybe earn a couple of dollars here and there. Throwing them away will clear them out of my house instantly, but it's sometimes a big waste since they work fine, plus throwing stuff hurts the earth too. I told myself that I should at least try to rehome them!
(Sidenote: Trying to sell a spare guitar, HMU if you're interested.)
Ok lol I completely digressed. Sorry for the massive brain dump. Back to the film. It uses super powerful images and even presidential speeches about consumerism and how it's damaging people, relationships, and the Earth.
There were also interesting juxtapositions, even in sound (ie. a busy, noisy crowd, followed by a quiet scene. One scene was hilarious to me because they interviewed this guy in a large white room. It was very echoey and had lots of reverb, so he sounded very godly and wise. Lol.)
The excess and waste shown in the film shocks you and guilt-trips you. It's super sad and I hope more people can join the movement to consume less! I hope I can live simply and lightly too. (I mean, I really don't think I can ever own just two duffel bags of things, but I can definitely share a closet with someone haha!)
If you're interested, you can also check out Tiny Houses, a movement where people live in really small spaces! Haha. Was introduced to this by Tze Lin while on my Germany trip with LingHong. It's a cool concept though definitely not for everyone. I liked this one about a girl living in Tokyo.
The documentary closes with a quote from one the duo's speeches.
"Love people, and use things. Because the opposite doesn't never works." Nice.
Bonus: There's a lady with the feel of Leonard's mum (Big Bang Theory) in the show. Quite amusing lol.
So maybe check it out if you're interested! Being minimalist isn't about being boring. It isn't about not being able to buy anything either. It just encourages you to live a more intentional life. if anything, maybe the lack of clutter will help you create even better things too. You also pay less for your smaller house, and that means less housework!
Plus theses concepts help me save/earn quite a fair bit of money too. HAHA #letsbereal More next time!
Cheers,
Skye
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