Exactly. It’s about living SUSTAINABLY and hopefully living well! I like that you mentioned changing the habit of continually bringing stuff IN.

i think you nailed it, lia - that decluttering/minimalism can ultimately perpetuate a consumerism-focused life and distract us from things that "really matter" (our relationships to the people and world around us, our own journeys as ethical/creative/etc. people). i've had this realization, too, that minimalism was helping me manage anxieties stemming from other parts of my life without actually addressing them. now i try, like you said, to be in the balance - respecting the materials that enter or are a part of my life, while knowing they're only one piece of a rich and ethically engaged life. i love your content - thanks for doing all of this work and thinking so transparently and critically about consumerism and the relationship to stuff it brings about. :-)

Also I personally think minimalism should be the process, not the goal.

Really well put thank you. Minimalism, as you show, is a never ending process of learning and its so important that we stay kind to ourselves in that process.

Wise words 💜 I agree that there is definitely a benefit in things like wearing jewelry that aren’t essential in terms of sustaining life, but are an essential part of what it means to be human. We’ve decorated our bodies in so many ways throughout our history as a species, and I think we should celebrate that form of art and expression without worrying about whether it fits into some minimalist box. As long as we’re not overconsuming or making unethical choices when we buy jewelry, why shouldn’t we celebrate the fun parts of having a body?

I posted 6 months ago noticing your sudden earring appearance. I also love jewelry. It's the only non-traditionally minimalist thing about my life right now (aside from perhaps food). But I make sure every purchase is meaningful and that I will genuinely love the item. It adds a lot of joy to my life.

I am so happy you covered this topic. It makes me sick when I see YouTube minimalist telling everybody to get rid of just about everything. Some boost that they could literally move from their home in 1⁄2 hour because they have so little stuff. I think it is wasteful to just throw out things because you have too much. I have big stories containers filled with clothing. I could never possibly wear it all but it comes from a time of my life when I shopped a lot. So what I do now is shop my own clothing. I pick out 6 weeks of a capsule wardrobe wear it return it and then pick a new capsule! I'll probably be able to do this for another 10 years before I have to start replacing things. So I'm using what I purchased. My worry is you could throw out /donate something that down the road you need and then you have to buy again. That seems more wasteful. Plus I have a few things that were my dad's that I would never get rid of because of sentiment And all my kids baby stuff and all the pictures they drew over the years that's going nowhere. I love love love this post!!!

I'm only on my way to minimalism, 2 months ago I decluttered 80% of things. It made me feel new, fresh, purposeful, like I threw away a lot of garbage from my life. and it helped me find my authentic self and style.
yet, I understand well, that I can't be no buy at all. I try to have the minimal wish list and complete it from time to time, to have purposeful low-buy.

I can’t believe someone would say being queer isn’t minimalist 😭 they’re literally different things completely

I am also minimalist and learn from these videos.. thank you!

This was a great video. Thank you Lia 💚

I really enjoyed this video and your thoughtful points of view. It has given me a very helpful perspective from which to move forward. Thank you 😊

Solar punk is the way to go

Fantastic video as always! I think minimalism doesn't get to be enjoyable if I put too much restriction on myself. Don't want to feel guilty every time I buy something that I don't actually need  For example I bought some second hand wool today that, judging by the label must be about 40 years old! It is a plain mid brown , enough to make a top, but I love it and really want to make a 4 ply wool garment, eben if it's socks or a hat . Part of the excitement for me is mulling over and deciding what to make with an item, even if it's three months in the future!And even if I don't really need it. Hope this makes sense?

Yes 🙌 Very valid points 😉

Brilliant Thank You ❤

I loved it 🥰

I can’t concentrate; this beautiful pullover 😀

🥰

linda!