How to be Mindfully Minimal ?
Minimalism, an idea that evolved from the art and design perspective, has spread to all aspects of our lives, even becoming a way of life and a belief system for many. Countless interpretations exist now to define what is minimal living and how a minimalist must live.
At minimode, we believe in Mindfully Minimal living, a path which we explain here.
Minimalism is a school of thought that advocates the practice of breaking down a complex structure, identifying the essential elements and discarding the rest. It is an act of removing all unnecessary elements to create space for the essentially required, to communicate and appreciate the essence.
Minimalism, in art, represents a system of creative communication, where the belief is, art should have its own meaning and truth, rather than be an imitation of anything else. Minimalist art discards all ornamentation and starkly depicts a reality, to which the viewer is drawn in. The essence of a concept is conveyed, often through simple geometric elements, to deliver a highly refined beauty that holds a meaningful value.
When applied in design, minimalism advances to a higher plane, where the focus is on functionality and usability. Here minimalism is seen as a practice of delivering complete functionality through as few elements as possible. Minimalism gives us products where the design is subtle enough to blend with the product functionality, yet enable the user to extract better utility and productivity. Minimalism in the framework of designing, is centered on creating designs that are fundamentally integral to the product functioning, by eliminating elements not needed for the product utility.
Minimal living, as popularly understood, is different from the concepts of minimalism. The difference and similarities can be traced back to the historical roots of these ideas, as both evolved as counter cultures to the postwar consumerism wave. Minimal living, often advocates a frugal living and controlling our consumption patterns to reduce our footprint in this world. From eliminating unwanted products, to owning only life essentials, there exists several interpretations on how to live a minimal life. Minimal living diverges from minimalism in its focus to reduce material possessions and its drive to condemn materialistic ambitions.
However, Minimalism is a thought process framework, where the focus is to remove all embellishments to highlight the essence and enhance true functionality. Minimalism is not the advocacy of sacrifices or pursuit of the spiritual. It should not be about shedding possessions or embarking a life of frugality. Rather minimalism is merely the process of identifying the needed and beloved elements of our life and eliminating only those which are not productive for our lives. Minimalism is not the celebration of sacrifice, rather a path to eliminate what hinders us, and attain what helps us be productive. From material possessions to our thoughts and behaviors, minimalism is a pathway to build a more meaningful life.
We at minimode, are true believers of minimalism, and we follow the path of Mindfully Minimal living.
We strongly believe that materialistic possessions are a human necessity, and to try and suppress this urge is the wrong way forward. We are material beings, and we need tools and products that help us live an easier life. We firmly stand on the notion that minimal living is not a counter philosophy for consumerism, but rather a guiding framework to consume better and needed resources only.
A mindfully minimal life begins with the understanding of our life and behaviors.
The spaces we interact with on a routine, and the products therein affect our thinking, workflow, productivity and our state of mind. Our experiences within these spaces are defined by how we interact with the elements therein. The cornerstone of a mindfully minimal living is an understanding of how our possessions influence us, and to judge our possessions on the utility we derive from them. We believe that mere elimination of unwanted possessions or stripping to life essentials, will in no way help us better our lives.
Mindful minimalism accepts that it is better to acquire truly functional products that match our needs, than focus on elimination of products from our life spaces. The products we own should help us everyday to be more productive, without causing hindrance to our spaces or influencing our thoughts.
Rather than living minimally, mindfully minimal life is focused on altering our daily experiences by using minimally designed and highly functional products. More than being a minimal footprint producing humans, the focus is to live a productive and fulfilling life by utilizing functional products that aid us.
When you are mindfully minimal, the effort is to find and secure products that transform the way your life spaces are utilized. Products with functionality aided and unhindered by the design, are inherently minimal in nature. Consumption of such products not only boost your productivity, but also contribute to building a more productive and mindful world.
Be Mindfully Minimal with Minimode.