Aesthetic Minimalism vs Lifestyle Minimalism
The first thing I’d like to point out is that I’m a firm believer in people making their own definition of what minimalism means to them. Like I mentioned before, in my post about How Minimalism Helps with My Anxiety, if you ask three different people what minimalism is, you’ll probably get three different answers.
So what do I mean when I say aesthetic and lifestyle minimalism?
I chose these two words because they best describe my idea of the two kinds of minimalist I want to talk about.
An “aesthetic minimalist”, in my opinion, is someone who says they’re a minimalist simply because they love neutral colors or succulents all over their home, you know, more material attributes. It’s true, most minimalist I follow or encounter love neutral colored clothing and furniture but, I believe that is more so because it’s just another way to keep things simple. I mean one of the main reasons we are minimalist is because of the idea of simple living and whatever value that adds to each individuals life.
I don’t think minimalist choose their color palate because of some unwritten rule book dress code. Not everyone is in it for the fashion aspect, on the contrary people like more simple looking items to go with their simple lifestyle. Simple clothing leads to less clothing with more options.
A “lifestyle minimalist” , in my opinion, is someone who takes on the actual ideas of minimalism. They are in tune with adding value in their life, in tune with spending habits, in tune with learning what’s most important to them and a more simple way of living. Of course there are other things that can be applied to the way minimalism caters to each individual.
Why am I writing about this topic?
I feel like over the last year or so minimalism has been included in trends such as fashion, interior decor etc. but does this send a different message to individuals who haven’t researched or embodied their own personal ideas and practices of minimalism?
Everywhere I look there is a website theme, fashion spread or furniture collection that has the word minimal somewhere in the title or description of the product. Most times, the look is very neutral with a “pop of color”. There are a lot of succulents and other plants in the photo and everything is very subtle and clean.
I’m not sure if this is due to the way the media portrays minimalism, but it seems like people have a misconception of the root meaning of the term. I often hear people say things like “I’ve changed my color scheme to neutrals, you know becoming more minimal” but they still buy in abundance, don’t clear things as they buy and have an accumulation of things that don’t add any value to their lives what soever.
I’d like to quote again:
“Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.” — The Minimalists
The idea of minimalism is so much deeper than the way you look or decorate your home or even the kind of plants you buy (although I would like to point out succulents are soooo simple). I don’t want to sound like I’m ranting because I’m not. I simply want to make sure that before one calls them self a minimalist, they understand what it means to them and the why behind their journey other than it being a millennial trend.
Minimalism truly is a journey and can be as beautiful and unique as you want it to be. It can be very eye opening and balancing. It can help you in more ways than one from finding your spirituality to overcoming anxiety and depression. Try to look at it as a way of life and your ideals will become so much broader.
