I recently signed a lease for a studio apartment in Vermont where I will be moving in a few weeks. This will be the first time in my life that I will not be sharing a space with others. Since starting college, I have lived with at least 20 different people, as college students do. In college, I chose the cheapest option and shared a small dorm room with three other students. In New York, I shared a tiny room with two other people, as New Yorkers do. When I moved to the U.S. two years ago for my master’s, I got my own room, but anything outside the room was not in my control. If there is ever a time to introduce minimalism in my life, it’s now.
The term minimalism carries a slightly different meaning for those who practice this way of living. For some, like digital creator Youheum, it’s as extreme as owning no furniture or making your own clothes from scratch. For others, like Youtube’s most famous minimalist Matt D’Avella, it’s focusing on the essentials in all facets of your life. Even with this wide spectrum, one thing is clear: a minimalist lifestyle is about living with only the things you need. This means having just enough kitchen utensils, clothes, or shoes. It means to give away or not buy furniture you don’t use every day and to have only one of most things.
Why has minimalism gained so much traction in the last few years? Surely, it’s not something new. If you are poor, chances are you already practice minimalism. Furthermore, many religions including Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam encourage their followers to let go of materialistic possessions and focus more on spirituality. However, in most western countries like the United States, buying stuff has never been easier. It’s convenient, cheap, and usually almost always available in your nearest Amazon warehouse. Social media gave way to minimalists to share their lives like never before through Instagram stories, podcasts, or Youtube videos. Content from Japan, a country that is often juxtaposed with the term minimalism, became more accessible as creators like Marie Kondo conquered the mainstream western media, all without speaking a single sentence in English.
While I do not consider myself a minimalist, I have experienced the benefits of this lifestyle every now and then. After going on a tour around Turkey with a large suitcase in 2016, I vowed to never, ever travel with a suitcase in my life unless I was moving from one country to another. Four years later, I have lived up to that promise, the best of which came on a 15-day tour of Malaysia in 2018 and Mexico in 2019. Having just one backpack introduced fluidity in my travels. Because of this, I was able to take a flight from Mexico City to Zihuatanejo instead of a bus without worrying about the baggage fee or travel by a small boat to the Taman Negara rainforest in Malaysia.
Now that I am moving 1400 miles away, I have the opportunity to start anew and give minimalism a chance. Questions like whether to buy a bed or sleep on the floor on a futon or how many plates, cups, and pans do I really need randomly pop in my head daily. As the moving date gets closer and my Amazon shopping list expands, I can sense the excitement building up. Is minimalism just a fad? Will the excitement wear off when my apartment is full of stuff in a few weeks? We’ll find out. For now, my intention is to buy as little as possible and focus on essentials only. After all, a decluttered house should lead to a decluttered mind. Right?