#unfancy

Back in the day, Unfancy used to write about minimalism. I want to get back to caring about curating an intentional “life of less” again, so I offer you some inspiration for that reignition, one of my fav Unfancy posts:

Over the course of my life, consumeristic culture has been quietly feeding my brain this idea:

You want to change your life? You need to buy something for that.

For example, last week:

I wished I was better about working out. So I wanted to buy cute workout clothes.

… Instead of just getting up right then and going for a jog around the neighborhood. Which would have been real progress — and free.

And I wished I was more outdoorsy and adventurous. So I wanted to buy a camper and renovate it with a modern, minimal, all white and wood interior.

… Instead of just getting up right then, bundling up, and hiking around a new park. Again, real progress — also free.

And I wished I was a better friend — AKA I wanted to be someone who brought people together and hosted fun gatherings. So I wanted buy a welcoming home out in the country.

… Instead of just inviting a few friends over to our apartment to watch Downton Abbey. Progress — free — you get the idea.

I had to ask myself: Am I actually living the life I want to live? Or am I just buying things that represent that life?

And I had to ask myself: Am I putting off a full life now because I’m waiting for the day I’ll be able to afford a certain thing?

I mean, don’t get me wrong, sometimes in order to start things, you do need to buy something. Or sometimes, you just want to make fun purchases. And that’s okay. We’re all on our own journey.

I want to point everyone’s attention to the first half of this blog’s name: aspiring. I feel that I should de-bunk the notion that “I have arrived” in any way. I am in process. I am trying, and sometimes achieving. But the “road to less” is paved in, well, in a bunch of stuff you want to buy but probably shouldn’t. I don’t want to diminish the struggle that exists when trying to disband from a consumeristic society. There are temptations every day. So how do we stay the course?

1. Remember Your Values

I have long thought that “what we believe is all we have that is truly our own.” Turn off the TV, close the computer, and think about what is important to you... and what isn’t. For me it’s important that my life is beautiful, easy, filled with people I love/believe in, and kind to the environment.

environmental kindness: when it comes to disposable products (cleaning, beauty, TP) I try to choose ones without harmful ingredients, so that our water supply stays a-ok. I recycle, reuse, upcycle, regift, swap, and borrow as much as I can, to keep waste out of landfills. I would also love to compost, but I live in an apartment, and our landlord won’t allow it; plus, until I’m in a different living situation, it conflicts with my other value:

ease: my desire for less clothes, is because I hate doing laundry and want to do less of it. My desire for less kitchenware is because I despise dishwashing (and using our dishwasher conflicts with the value above). I don’t have a car because the idea of spending weeks or months learning to drive, spending hours in the DMV for licensure, and all the pollutants I’d be putting out with a motor vehicle, can’t hold a candle to the 5 seconds it takes to unlock my bike and ride away.

good community: in order to keep friends in your life, you have to be not-crazy. Having too many things to deal with, or not enough money to go around, makes me stressed, and kind of crazy. So choosing a simpler route means a better state of mind for me, and thus stronger relationships around me. I also shop local because I love having a fabric store, a natural food store, a dope vintage/consignment store, and a reasonably-priced cobbler within 1.5 mi. of my home. When it comes to building the community you want, you have to put your money where your mouth is.

beauty: this is where I struggle most; my desire for aesthetics often comes in conflict with a desire to buybuybuy. I have instead been both practicing patience (and consequently finding lots of stuff streetside to inspire me aesthetically!), and planting/picking flowers, to brighten and color my home-space. Plants are absolutely medicine.

2. Set Your Goals

For me, this journey is about small triumphs, not one big sweeping purse and one-day life overhaul. I didn’t want to throw anything away that could still be used, so I’ve been slowing using up all the things I don’t believe in (example: Windex) and replacing them with things I do (in this case: plain ole’ white vinegar). I also acquired an inordinate amount of junk from former tenants in our basement, but because one of my values is ease, I didn’t spend days on end listing items on eBay and 10 other platforms; I sold what I could when I had time+energy to do so, and vowed that when May hit, anything not sold would go to the curb. It’s May 2 today but I’ve been busy, so I’ll bring it to the curb when I can... but I’m not gonna stop my life to pursue minimalism—and you shouldn’t either.

3. Find Your Community

For most of my life, I wished I lived in another decade. The 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s... anything but today. Now I feel so thankful to be living in 2017, because we have evolved to make products, and company promises, that are better for people, for Mother Earth, and for society. We’ve invented fabrics from abundant resources instead of scarce ones, we’ve placed new (rightful) value on human labor, and bloggers are making money by encouraging people to be better global citizens. Holy crap our world is amazing right now, amiright? I feel especially thankful to have discovered the following resources early, and rabbit-holed into discovering an even wider world of “conscious figureheads” to inspire me. In no particular order:

Jane at FairDare - take her Fair Dare challenge!

Ariana at Paris To Go

Leo Babauta at ZenHabits

Courtney Carver at Be More With Less

Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Francine Jay at Miss Minimalist, author of The Joy Of Less

Jess Hunt at Rose & Fig

Caroline Rector at Un-Fancy

Verena Erin of My Green Closet

Anuschka Rees at Into-Mind

Banyan Botanicals - Ayurvedic living changed my life

Renee Mudd at Living Better With Less

The Buy Nothing For a Year project

Simplify Your Life on Tumblr

Substance Over Stuff on Tumblr

Jenn at Simply+Fiercely

Coco at Light by Coco

The Burning House - the best perspective on simplicity you can get in 5 minutes