In Praise of Messy Minimalism

In My Life

So here it goes.

I’m not a typical minimalist. I guess you could say I’m a messy kind of minimalist.

There, I said it. If you’re a purist, you may want to stop reading now.

But if you’re curious, I like you already. Welcome to my blog!

 

Why this blog?

 

At the beginning of 2017, I have embarked on a journey to a simpler, more minimal lifestyle, and discovered that minimalism was the key to unlock my creativity, gain confidence, and get rid of a lot of unnecessary mind clutter. People who know me will tell you I didn’t need minimalism to be a tidying freak (thanks Mom). That being said, I also used to be a closet hoarder. A very beautifully organised one, but a hoarder nonetheless. And that transpired in my mind and work. I couldn’t think clearly. I was playing small by letting clutter hold me back.

Simplifying my life has changed the way I live, work and create. It has changed my relationship with myself, and with others. It has been an all-round freeing experience, but the most dramatic change I have noticed has been in my creative life.

And I just couldn’t keep this revelation to myself. Hence this blog.

I’ve made it my life mission to help fellow creatives find more joy, freedom, focus and fulfilment in their work and life with the help of minimalism.

 

My beliefs

 

In Praise of Creativity & Messy Minimalism

 

I believe human beings are hardwired for creativity and connection.

It’s nothing I invented, it’s just true. The worst thing you can do is deny yourself the intrinsic human need to express your unique view of the world and share with others, not only the result but the process too. This leads me to my next point:

I believe we were never meant to create alone.

Living in your head is lonely. Trust me, I do it a lot. That’s why being part of a community and seeking meaningful connections is so crucial to your wellbeing and creativity.

You don’t have to be a “full-time creative” to nurture a fulfiling creative life.

The thing is, many of the greatest authors, musicians, artists had a full-time job. I don’t think time or occupation should get in the way of pursuing your creativity. While there are seasons in life where you have more or less time if want it badly enough you’ll always find it takes priority.

I believe minimalism is a tool to find balance, focus, and creativity. Not a doctrine to strictly adhere to.

Like any ideal or philosophy, minimalism must be handled with care. You must make it work for you, and use it as a guideline, a direction, a vision, and not add unnecessary constraints to your life. When used intentionally, it is a powerful tool that can transform your life.

I believe that cultivating a slow and mindful life is the only way to stay sane in this crazy paced digital life.

For me, slow living means being present, conscious and focused on one thing or one person at a time. It’s a lost art, and I am still teaching myself, but true joy lives in the present.

My ultimate purpose is to rid creative minds of clutter and self-doubt, so they can see how awesome they are, and grace the world with their magic.

I believe clutter and self-doubt are intrinsically related. I have struggled with this for years, and probably will for a long time to come. But this is something I will work on relentlessly and would nothing more than for others to benefit from my findings.

 

What is messy minimalism?

 

Glad you asked. You see, I’m a recovering perfectionist. And like I mentioned earlier, minimalism must be handled with care. It’s too easy to slip into the race of trying to be the “perfect minimalist” and try to control all aspects of your life. Control can feel very reassuring to anxious minds, but if you’re not careful, it can become a negative, destructive force preventing you from creating or simply living for that matter.

This is why I relate so much to this quote by Erin Loechner:

 

“Without grace, minimalism is another metric for perfection.”

 

Creativity is raw, messy and requires to get your hands dirty. So I believe in adopting a minimalist mindset infused with life and imperfections. I would like this blog to be an invitation to bend the rules and make them our own. Let’s learn from the beautiful insight minimalism has to offer, but let’s leave the dogma at the door. Let’s allow ourselves to try new things and shamelessly embrace the “messy minimalist” concept. A certain Pablo said this:

 

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

 

Let’s get to know and understand ourselves in a clutter-free environment (whether your house or your mind) but at the same time, let’s give ourselves permission to get our hands dirty to create cool stuff.

Let’s be curious.

Let’s connect.

Let’s create.

 

In Praise of Creativity and Messy Minimalism

 

Are you with me?

 

I absolutely love Liz Gilbert’s view on creativity: you don’t need permission to do creative things or call yourself a creative person. You don’t need to be an expert. You don’t need to quit your job. And for the love of God, you do not need to be a martyr or alone in the process.

What I’m looking to do here is create a platform to explore creativity, explore minimalism. I want to share my experiences, my wins, my light bulb moments, my failures, and share other people’s experiences. I want it to be a light-hearted and joyful experience, and above all else, an invitation to push yourself and amaze us all.

I’ll do my best to bring you practical tips to implement a simpler life and boost your creativity. What I’ll need from you, is to let go of beliefs that aren’t your own. Dig deeper and make up your own rules. Believe in yourself.

So, fellow creative, beautiful new friend. Are you with me?

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  1. Me to a T. I often find it difficult to organize my messy thoughts into words, but you did it for me. Your creative gesture (this blog post) offers me peace of mind for the night.

    • Marie says:

      Lindsey, I am so happy this resonated with you! Thank you so much for your kind comment, it brightened up my day. May your messy thoughts be beautifully colourful today 🙂

  2. Sas says:

    Oh yes! We are absolutely hardwired for creativity and connection – love your take on this.
    And addressing the shadow side of minimalism as another form of perfectionism. Boom!

  3. Tami says:

    I can so relate. I am looking forward to taking this road with you.

  4. Daisy says:

    I agree 100%! Being a perfectionist often gets in the way of progress in the minimalism journey. I love how lyrically you wrote about this too. ❤️

  5. Bev says:

    I have been doing much research on minimalism. I found I got a little over whelmed by some of the links I signed on to get different view points. I know realize that I needed to disconnect with some of them, and only keep up with those that work for me. Glad I ran across yours today.

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