Minimalist WIP | Second Decluttering of 2017

A few days ago I decided to go through my clothings once more to see what are the clothes I haven’t worn in a month or I no longer wish to wear. This is the pile I was able to compile.

Here’s the list and reasons why:

• Sun hat - I seldom use it
• Short dress - too short for my current tastes
• Duvet cover - too childish, I prefer solid colors or minimal patterns/prints
• 1 pair of socks - size too big, it was a gift
• Two pairs of denim pants - seldom use it, and whenever I do get to wear them, they make me not want to wear them (do you have clothes that makes you feel like that?)
• Pink hoodie - second hand from a friend, I realized I had more than enough hoodies in my wardrobe. It’s not needed.
• Black jeggins - worn out and has holes
• Black winter jacket (not pictured) - wasn’t happy with it, no zippered pockets, too tight around shoulders (I have pretty broad shoulders for person my size/height...)

Most of these items I was able to give away to my landlady. She loves taking things from me, yet tells me I am wasteful. However, in my perspective, if I am able to give it to someone who can give it more use, it is not wasteful. It is wasted on me, if anything. What do you think?

Minilmalist WIP | Minimalism vs Cosplay - An unusual battle of extremes

Minimalism has changed my life in many ways. I am sure many are bored to hear the same thing. But it is true, this lifestyle will not only change the way how you live in general but it will change the way you think. Individuals who have converted to or casually followed this lifestyle can easily tell you how it has impacted them in how they see things now. One of the major change in us minimalists is ethics.

At least to me, the ethics in the clothing making industry - or simply fast fashion - affects me greatly. I am in no way an expert in this topic nor I have the figures to argue with you, so I will leave the floor to the people I follow on YouTube to provide some insight on it:

• My Green Closet on “Affordable Sustainable Fashion - Conscious Shopping”
• TED x Talks on “Fast Fashion’s Effect on People, The Planet, & You” by Patrick Woodyard

For now, I’ll give you two of my favourite channels - there are more, but you can start with those. I am not necessarily an avid fashion-oriented consumer, but I used to be in that fast and cheap fashion trap. After learning the things involving how a single garment is made - I recently have changed the way on how I shop or obtain wardrobe items. I started to accept hand-me-downs and go to thrift shops.

In case you are curious, the thrift shops I mainly shop at are Beacon’s Closet and No Relations Vintage in Brooklyn, NY.

Now, the reason why I brought up this topic is because I enjoy cosplay. For readers not familiar with this term, a cosplayer is simply a person who dons a costume of fictional character. And the term “cosplay” refers to the exhibit of the costume - it comes from the words “costume” and “play”. This hobby is mainly appreciated and practiced by audiences who like Japanese animation, a.k.a. Anime. In the early 2000s, cosplay was steadily on the rise, especially in Japan. However, it wasn’t as popular in the west - it was not surprising that the availability of these costumes are non-existent. The only way to have access to a costume was to make it.

When I first started cosplaying, I did what most in the cosplay community would now frown upon, closet cosplay. Which is to use what you have in your closet or ready made clothes (bought from stores) to wear as a costume that in a way are similar to the character you are intending to portray. From what I have heard, most have started like that - so I did not pay too much attention it. After my first closet cosplay, I decided to invest in a sewing machine and start to make my own costumes from then on - that lasted about two years - and resulted in 10+ costumes! What a ride!

Now that my views in regards to cosplay has changed, it certainly made me question my hobby a lot. Cosplay has definitely made me a more skilled person, I can mend my own clothes, know how to operate a sewing machine and a serger, alter clothing items, make cloth items, etc. It has given me fun and sad memories. The list can go on, but I digress - the point I want to make is that cosplay has made me hoarder for keeping around all the unused fabrics, scraps, mock costumes, buttons, two sewing machines, wigs, costumes, makeup, etc. for about 4 years.

I live with roommates, and in the past, I was told multiple times that I have way too many things for one person. Why I didn’t listen to them?  To a person who lives on his/her own, collection of things and hoarding things are practically a dead weight. It is hard to move around with a mountain of things. And living on my own, even without the hobby, there are other things that are essential in my life that I still have to keep with me whenever I move. To tie this in with fast fashion, this hobby also creates a lot of waste - textile waste is one of the major pollutants on the planet. Therefore I do not want to add on to the pollution problem... or at least try reduce the amount of waste I am producing.

I am in no way trying to condemn the hobby, I LOVE cosplay - the hobby sparks a unique joy in me that no other hobbies can - but now it is time for me to think of other ways to compromise it with my new lifestyle and values.

Currently, I do not cosplay often. It is simply a hobby I only enjoy with friends and attending conventions. I used to own about 10+ costumes and possibly 20+ wigs - and since I have started practicing minimalism, I have donated or sold most of my handmade costumes and wigs. I freed myself from the ones I am not satisfied with, ones I do not want to wear anymore, and ones that I have bitter memories of. I have only kept the ones that are my favorite ones and comfortable ones.

Here are the methods on how I would want to approach cosplay as a minimalist:

• Purchase second hand costumes from other cosplayers;
• Closet cosplay;
• Thrift and alter clothing into cosplay (in Japan cosplayers used to be very creative and make their own version/interpretation of a character); and
• Re-use old favorite cosplays.

I have also been looking into @fabscrap on Instagram - FABSCRAP is an organization in NYC (yay! it's near me) that provides pickup and recycling of fabric scraps from design, fashion, and entertainment companies. I believe one can volunteer and get some of the fabrics fer free :D I may give it a try one day!

If you have other suggestions - please kindly let me know!

Re: The Fear of Empty Space by Tisha Morris

As I scrolled down through my newsfeed on Facebook, I’ve noticed The Minimalists have shared a blog post from Tisha Morris, titled “The Fear of Empty Space.” I immediately clicked on the link to read the post - my initial thought was “do I have a fear of empty space?” Much of the things I personally find interesting are readings that can help me understand myself and the human nature better. This was one of them.

It was a well thought-out and short post. I love those - always to the point and easy to understand. Morris poses different questions and ideas of why she thinks people have a paradoxical fear and yearn towards emptiness, space, void, etc. One particular line resonated with me the most:

“Fear breeds in empty space. It’s where we can hear our thoughts. [It] forces us to look at our life. We have to witness the choices we’ve made. We have to remember the ungrieved past.”

Morris points out that we avoid emptiness because it can invoke our real voices/thoughts - they can make us reminiscence the poor choices that we’ve made in the past or force us to view our decaying present and dim future. This is the kind fear that I’ve felt after I’ve forsaken most of the things/stuff I had in my room. It unearthed a “self” - found a “self” of me that is unkind and toxic to my own self.

For the past week, after I have decluttered my things from my room - it gave me more time and physical space. The one thing I didn’t mind was the physical empty space that decluttering rewarded me with. However, a negative energy surged and enveloped my mind, it felt clouded - like how the weather has been lately (rainy, windy, and cold).  Thoughts of comparing myself to my peers and friends and family creeping into my mind, uncertain future vs my indecisive personality, etc. These were the reasons I did not post last Monday. I think I’ve been experiencing more of an emotional clutter now that I don’t have physical clutter that is distracting me from thinking about it.

“The void is also where creation is born. The same place we find our fears is also the place we find our soul. Follow the fear and you will find your authentic self. This is what we’re truly afraid of. Finding our true self comes with moving out of our comfort zone, changing family beliefs, taking risks, being seen, and vulnerability. The more these words scare you, the deeper your piles of clutter.” - Tisha Morris

Then, do I have a fear of empty space? I don’t believe so. I think of empty spaces as part of aesthetic aspect of life and it can reflect the aspect of a person too. It can go so many ways - I like empty spaces, more so when they are used beautifully. Life can be empty, but it can be full of life. If you get what I mean. Now, the problem is the emotional clutter that I have started noticing. At this moment, I will have to work on letting go of feelings (which does not sound easy). Maybe, as Morris says, I should somehow work on my mind in the arts (to induce creativity).

The Burning House Project | 2014

To many who are not familiar with art or photography in particular, I introduce you the “Burning House Project.” It is a photography project in which the subject is to answer the question: “What would you take with you if your house is burning?”

This project was introduced to me when I was still a student in college and was taking a course in photography. It was such a fun class, we got to use film SLR cameras to take photographs and develop them in a dark room. Good times! Anyways, so my professor talked about this brilliant assignment in class and proposed us to take on it.

The photograph above was taken in 2014 as part of my photography class portfolio. It was somewhat fun to think about the scenario, but it was also difficult. That year I still owned a lot of things - it was definitely during pre-minimalism time there. I owned a lot of stuff then, and sorting out my lot to come up with the things I would bolt out with during emergency was… a chore. I would imagine that I will end up dying because I needed to gather all these things. So, most things in the photograph were sentimental things that I would take with me if my house was in flames.

Here, I’ll list them for you (from left to right):

1. Box of letters and cards (I used to exchange handwritten letters with my best friend)
2. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Digital Camera (no longer have it as of today - sold)
3. Plush toy (Mokona/Larg from XxxHolic)
4. Photo album
5. Peter Pan book (present from friend)
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book
7. The Clow Book (Toy from Cardcaptor Sakura anime)
8. 1 TB HD (I have already started to digitalize documents/photos)
9. Leather military boots (to be donated - see from previous blog post)

Now that I assess the 2014 Burning House photograph, I am certain that I won’t be reaching for the same things again. I am planning to do another quick shoot of the Burning House project soon, so I am posting this old project now to later use to to compare it with the new project. Currently, I am not sure how it will be nor what items will I be taking with me this year (if my place burns) - but I am looking forward to see how it turns out!

Minimalist WIP | A break after decluttering

Today, after decluttering I took a break and decided to watch a video. Luckily, I was able found an interesting one on YouTube, it’s called “Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism” uploaded by JapanSocietyNYC.

The video is a recording of a lecture or presentation given to an audience introducing the ideas behind Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism, a book about the minimalism experience and reflections of Fumio Sasaki. The presentation was organized, precise, and informative, the author (who was also the presenter) poses simple everyday questions and shows us data to back up his own answers to these questions.

Here are a few points that was discussed in the video:

• Having more time, meaning of time
• Having more freedom
• Better relationships
• Obsessed with throwing things away
• Ease in moving to places
• Success v.s. satisfaction

It was definitely motivating to me listening to his view on minimalism and his experience on that lifestyle. Here’s a quote from the author, Fumio Sasaki: “I’ve let go of a lot of things; but the one thing that I’ve let go that is most important is the idea [of] ‘that money or fame is the most important thing’.”

Minimalist WIP | First Decluttering of the Year 2017

Without a doubt, as time goes by, things will accumulate. This will be my first time documenting my declutter experience this year. I believe I might have done mini decluttering sessions at the beginning of this year but I did not take the chance to “document/record” it for… records keeping of my own - so to speak.

Ah, spring break, what a good opportunity for spring cleaning. Throughout the week of spring break, I was able to pace myself to declutter my place a bit. So the categories I decluttered mainly were: clothes, shoes, jewelry/accessory, and kitchen appliance(s).

After decluttering my place, I decided to organize all these things. As for clothes, I did laundry and tomorrow I will organize it by season and (finally) put away any winter clothing. I shall be showing you the aftermath of the things I decided to let go of (some of which are in my eBay store - you can go check it out by clicking on the “eBay Store” tab).

And…. behold!

Now, from left to right:

1. bag of plastic bags - to be dropped off at a nearby Rite Aid
2. Leather military lace up mid calf boots - still in great condition, wore it for more than 5 yrs; but this year I decided to switch out of animal leather products. It will be donated.
3. Electric kettle - have not been using it for an entire year; it has a crack on the lid, but works perfectly. It will be given to a friend.
4. Three bags of clothing/textiles - bottom two are clothings which will be donated; top bag is scraps of fabric, products of costume making hobby.  The scraps bag will still be under my roof until I can find a place in NYC to donate it to if possible.

If you happen to know any good resource to donate fabric scraps in NYC - please let me know! I’d greatly appreciate it!

“I refuse to live in fear of not having enough.” - Courtney Carver (https://bemorewithless.com/)

Minimalist WIP | Resources

I discovered the term “Minimalism” a few years back, when I was watching YouTube videos as I was packing my stuff to move. Even til this day after I have already moved, I have been enjoying watching YouTube videos about minimalism. And minimalist doesn’t stop there, it opens you to other kinds of thought process like sustainability, living intentionally, using more natural things on you and around you, etc. Watching and knowing about these individuals taking on these challenges in life, seems like a valid purpose to me as well. I believe that is why I am somewhat addicted to these kind of content since then and now.

Information in video format is efficient these days, especially when people recount their own perspectives. Listening to their experiences and stories  in their own manner of speaking really makes you connect with them and be inspired by them as they have similar goals and ideas relating to minimalism.

Below you will find some resources I like to use/tune in to for inspiration and motivation pertaining to the minimalism idea as a lifestyle choice.

YouTube:

• Madeleine Olivia - not only does she talk about minimalism, she also offers information into her take on veganism. A lot of her videos focuses on vegan diet.
• Alli Cherry - your typical YT blogger but with very good resource information about minimalism, zero waste, sustainability, etc.
• The Minimalist Ninja - recently discovered her videos, she puts out helpful content relating to minimalism and zero/minimal waste lifestyle.
• Jenny Mustard - One of my favourite YouTuber to watch. I love her minimalistic style in clothing and home decor. Her content is visually beautiful and simplistic, reminds me of Muji stores.
• Snapshots of Simplicity - a recent find as well. This channel features very nicely on how to live simply and sustainably.

Blogger(s):

Of course, minimalism is not limited to how you manage your clutter, it is also how you live your life. There’s a duo of gentlemen who have started this wave of minimalism in recent years and they call themselves “The Minimalists”. The things they suggest and information they offer, I find valuable. I like to listen to them as I clean my place. It’s as if they are some friends just chatting away in the background - it’s fun. As far as I know, they have made a documentary regarding minimalism and how they perceive life as a minimalist and how it changed them. They also host and record podcasts and live streams on Facebook and Instagram!

Another blog I loosely follow is by Courtney Carver  and her blog is called Be More with Less - this is one of the first minimalism-related content I came across while I was sorting out my wardrobe. Carver offers great pointers on how to curate a capsule wardrobe as well as encouraging words and advice.

That is it for now. It’s a small list, but it works for me.

Oh! I want to start doing “Quote of the Day” at the end now, since I know a real nice quote that I first heard from “The Minimalists” guys:“Love people, use things. The opposite never works.”

Minimalist WIP | A Reflection, a Lesson & Choosing a Handbag

Fashion is something I have always struggled with. It is not a second nature to me as it is to other girls. Since young, I have no control over what I wore and carried - my mother was the boss of that. Most of us, well at least the millennials, have possibly endured an awkward childhood due to poor fashion choices our parents made. I sure know mine just did not care much about fashion (laughs).

Anyways, I have never been keen on fashion either - until I have moved to NYC. It started to faze me. Now that I think back, was it because of societal unspoken rules or my own fabrication of such conditions for acceptance? That is something I have not found the answer to yet.  One thing I know is that we must keep moving, somehow, somewhere.

Now, back to the point of this post, handbags. I used to own a lot of handbags. For one person, I owned more than 20 bags and I am in my 20s. The catalyst for this problem was , as you have guessed, fashion. I was swept by the idea that I needed to keep up with trends. I had so many different types, ranging from shoulder bags, crossbody, backpacks (my favourite), fanny pack, totes, and even a luxury handbag. What was I thinking? Now, I honestly think I was sick back then, keeping all those handbags just in case I would need it one day. Why? It was simply because MAYBE one day I will use it for that one special occasion. Reality is: I do not go out often enough or have special events happening left and right - so why should I collect all these things? These bags/handbags collected dust in my tiny little close in my old room and took a lot of space (they were all shoved into two big boxes).

Once I’ve realized that I have a problem, it was time to fix it. The last two years, I have dedicated myself to reduce my handbag collection. I turned to eBay to sell some and turned to friends to donate others to. It worked out - and as of last month, I have significantly reduced the bags from that monstrous collection. I realized that most of those bags do not suit me and I know I will never reach out for them any time soon.

Now, I can proudly say that I am owner of collection of three bags/handbags. I am very content! And I use all three for their chosen intentions. My focus is much clearer now that I don’t have so much stuff cluttering my space as well as my mind.

There are a series of criteria that I created to narrow down on what I think is my ideal type or types of handbag. To many, this may seem silly: why do we need to be so strict with choosing a mere handbag? The answer is simply because I do not want to make the same mistakes again and accumulate handbag after handbag. It will become a cluttering monster pile again.

Self discipline is important, because you are setting standards to mold yourself - that is to say you are taking control on how you want to shape yourself as a person. And self-discipline, I believe, is key to building a self that you chose based on your principles and morals - your beliefs.  

One thing I chose for myself is to shift away from fast-fashion consumerism. It is not easy to do as I have been following fast-fashion for all these years until recently. However, we must start somewhere, it is not too late if you are willing. Well, let’s start with choosing a handbag after the cleanse (declutter).

Steps to Choosing a Handbag for Everyday Use:

1. What kind is your favorite handbag?
1. E.g. shoulder bag, crossbody bag, hobo, backpack, clutch, etc.
2. What size? (consider your lifestyle and think of how much you normally need to carry around with you)
1. E.g small, medium, large
3. What silhouette do you fancy?
1. E.g. structured, hobo, etc.
4. What kind of surface material do you prefer?
1. E.g. fabric, leather, canvas, PVC, etc.
5. Preference in terms of product sourcing ethics
1. E.g. real leather or PU leather
6. What is your price point?

Using the questionnaire above helped me narrow down the kind of bag(s) I can comfortably carry around most occassion. With it I was able to decide to have one main bag, which is a mini backpack, for everyday use (great for running errands, work, shopping, and casual outings with friends); one medium-large backpack or bookbag for grocery shopping, outdoor-sport occasions; and one crossbody for those rare formal events. So far these three types of bags work for me because they serve the purpose I have chosen for their existence in my collection. I have been rotating between them depending on what the occasions call for - though the one I use heavily is my mini backpack.

Well, if you have made it this far into this piece, thank you for your time!

A Minimalist Work In Progress

My take on minimalism is different from that of a, let’s say, ‘traditional’ minimalist. I loosely follow the ideas behind minimalism - basically, I would select certain aspects of minimalism to follow. It began without me realizing that I was into the lifestyle. Recent years, I have moved at least twice - I would stay in one place at most three or four years and then I would move again.

Last couple of years, during my latest move, I realized that I have a mountain of stuff. Living in the fast-paced and the ever-so-busy city that is New York City, I was engrossed in too many interests and hobbies: fashion (though I have no sense of style, I enjoyed shopping for fast fashion clothing), makeup (Korean makeup & skincare specifically), and finally cosplay. With my geeky tendencies plus an ever growing number of trends in the city - all these things combined created a very efficient consumer. As a good consumer, I was always in the lookout for sales, in-store and online. And I was proud of all the “savings” made after every purchase. And believe me, I would even flaunt those purchases to my coworkers.  It was addictive, like a drug. It felt good to show off the deals I was able to snatch. Alas, I ended up becoming something similar to a hoarder, or more like a trend collector.

As I was organized my stuff and packed them in boxes - I realized something: I have a problem. I have a monstrous amount of things ranging from fast-fashion clothing items, accessories, DVDs, comic books, textbooks, two sewing machines, three large bags of unused fabrics, 5 suitcases full of seasonal clothing, etc. There’s more, but I am already embarrassed to keep count. I questioned myself, I am just one person, living by myself, why do I have so much stuff? I found no answer, but shame. I asked myself why I needed all these things. I don’t necessarily use ALL these things - but just a select few from the multiples that I have collected. Why does one person need all of these things? Can I to use them all?

Finally, I decided to relentlessly sort out my things and let go of the stuff that I never touched in a month. I had to rewire my thought process to questioning myself as I looked through my things: do I need this? Does this make me happy? How often have I been using it? Once I have sorted things into things I need and love, the rest I donated them to friends or charity shops. It was all so simple - let go.

*Though I got a few remarks from my landlady, saying how wasteful I am. Yes, I have to admit - I was wasteful because of the things I bought under the influence of trends. They have already served their purpose in satisfying my temporary interest in them. I was ready to let them go, along with my shame, and "wasted money" (this one was added because of my landlady).

It all makes sense to me now, the things I kept were those that are functional and what sparks joy in me. And that is alright. I do not need the extra stuff, because the more I own, the more it will weigh me down for my next move.

Simply put, minimalism helped me move, and move on easier (quite literal at this point, since we are talking about material stuff I need to move with).