What is Minimalism?/How to Become a Minimalist?

Minimalism can be defined briefly as a trend in modern art and music that started in the 1960s and has come to this day. If you want to have information about this trend in which simplicity and objectivity are prioritized, you can find the answers to questions such as what is minimalism, how to be, what is a minimalist life philosophy.

   It is also expressed as minimalism, ABC art and minimal art. Although minimalism, which is used in music and visual arts, is expressed as an art movement, today the concept has gained different dimensions. Rather; Let’s say it has started to be used in other areas of life. E.g; The concept emerges as a philosophy of life that attracts more and more people’s attention with each passing day.

   Yes, a lifestyle that will prevent consumption madness and the desire to always have more! A philosophy that will keep people from shopping like crazy and make them realize that true happiness is the freedom that comes with simplicity! So minimalist life philosophy! In other words; A philosophy of life that will save us from the unnecessary crowd of the age! Let us examine in more detail below what is an art movement, minimalism, and the meaning of the philosophy of life, which is the aspect of the subject that interests us more.

What is Minimalism?

   As I said above, minimalism emerged as an art movement in the 1960s. And the starting point of this trend has been to react to the extreme importance of abstract expressionism to shape and emotion. Because in minimalism, the aim is to draw attention to the property of the object as an object. For this reason, minimalist artists in the field of visual art focused more on sculpture. Likewise, minimalism in music has emerged as a reaction against formalism.

   Among the famous composers of the trend, in which simplicity and frequent repetitions stand out in melodies, there are names such as Yann Tiersen, John Adams, and Philip Glass. When we look at the leading names of the minimalist art movement, we see that we see artists such as Carl Andre, Frank Stella, Sol LeWitt, Dan Flavin, Robert Morris and Donald Judd. For the minimalist art movement, where simplicity and simplicity are the priority, an expression of art whose content is minimized is also used. And the German philosopher Hegel expressed the minimalist art movement very clearly with these words: “It is a simple but not simple, simple but not prosaic understanding of beauty.”

   Minimalism, which emerged as an art movement in the first place, has become one of today’s popular life philosophies. As a matter of fact, this phenomenon has emerged as a reaction to complexity, unnecessary excess and formalism, just like in art. Because the developments in the last 10-15 years have encouraged us to bear more burden than we can handle and to try to acquire more than we can have. This has meant that our lives are cramped. Here is exactly at this point; minimalist life promises us a place to breathe. Let’s examine the answers to the questions such as how to be a minimalist, what does it mean to live a minimalist together under the following headings.

How To Become A Minimalist?

   Yes, we all know how time has brought us to a point. Because it is an obvious fact that we are a society that is keen on consuming! We fill our homes with mischievous items, bring our wardrobes to situations that can barely be closed, buy extra cabinets for items that do not fit, and as if all this was not enough, we make our lives uninhabitable with the same approach. We are unhappy or unhappy with the unnecessary people around us, irrelevant thoughts poking our minds, in short, the scarcity of the multitude. Then we say “why”. Why do we feel the same when we are so many?

   Because we do not know how beautiful and how peaceful simplicity is. We cannot see the fact that people can become free as they become simpler. We pretend not to know that what keeps us from flying is the burden we take on and stubbornly always try to bear more. Many people are disappearing because of the advertisements we see on TV, the uninterrupted mails, what we see around, that is, the point where time has come.

   Here’s what you need to do to adopt the “less is more” philosophy:

• Start by Considering the Extra Items That Load Your Back!

    Let me begin by saying that if you manage to see your excess belongings as chains that will prevent you from becoming free, you will adopt this philosophy much more easily. Because when even getting a new habit is so hard, you should know that changing your lifestyle will not be easy. Or that you won’t see yourself as a minimalist person when you wake up one morning! So read this list believing you can, but know that it will not be easy to get used to your new lifestyle. If we agree, I continue;

   Yes, start by thinking about your excess to embrace a minimalist lifestyle. And of course I mean surplus here; unnecessary items in your home! You know, “I wear it one day, I use it one day, I will definitely use it somewhere.” Why would you let things you don’t use or never use become a burden on you? What do you need to waste time and money to store, clean, organize? You should realize this and start thoroughly cleaning by going through all your belongings right now.

• Be Aware of Your Real Needs!

   Because in this way, you will understand how unnecessary the items you set aside are when you get rid of your excess. In addition, you will succeed in avoiding products that you will not need in your shopping from now on. So how do you become aware of your real needs? Let me give you a few examples.

   E.g; The distance between your workplace and your home is too great and you use public transportation. Then you don’t need to have dozens of heels in your closet. Or it is pointless to keep them, since there is a very small possibility that you will use the clothes that you have no style but bought to “be found”. If you go to the sea or the pool once a year, you will not need a big bag of swimwear. In short; You should take one more step towards becoming a minimalist person by considering both your clothing and lifestyle.

• The Pareto Principle!

   Have you ever heard of the Pareto principle or the 80-20 rule? In fact, although this principle was put forward in relation to the business world, this is not the aspect that concerns us. So we’re going to use the Pareto principle for the minimalist lifestyle.

   For example; We use 20% of the items in our closet in 80% of our daily life. Likewise, most of us constantly use 20% of the items (kitchen utensils, bathroom, furniture…) in our home. If we realize this and apply the 80-20 rule, which can be applied to all areas of life, by considering minimalism, it means that we can achieve great success in simplification.

• Adopt the Substitution Principle!

   Another thing you need to do to adopt the less so much philosophy is to act on the principle of replacement! So when you buy something new, you have to get rid of another. Because this is one of the rules of the philosophy of minimalism! Something that comes in means something that has to go.

   In this way, you get rid of the unnecessary pile of goods and do not have to live in an unnecessary crowd. That’s why; Before buying anything new, you should consider which item you can get rid of. Because if there is something you cannot give up, you will understand that it is unnecessary to buy that product.

• Get Less but High Quality!

   Isn’t that how many of you shop? Let’s say you have 100 liras in your pocket. And all you need is trousers. Instead of buying a pair of pants like a man for 100 lira, don’t you buy a few pants that will fade in one wash and your mouth will slide to one side?

   Do you say that you cannot pay 200 lira for a shoe and buy poor quality shoes that will become unusable after 2 months? Unfortunately, many of you make this gross mistake. However, if you buy your items of good quality, you will get rid of the crowd of unnecessary items and you will not waste your money. In short, what Henry Ford said “I am not rich enough to buy cheap goods.” You should write your word in the corner of your mind.

• Get Rid of Excesses Not Only In Your Home, But Also In Your Mind!

   Don’t think that the minimal lifestyle is just getting rid of the extra stuff in your home. Because even if you have a house decorated in a truly minimalist style, it will not work for you unless you get rid of the excess in your mind. By realizing this, you have to realize that you must also get rid of the chaos in your mind and soul.

   In other words, you should review your thoughts and get away from those who do nothing but tire you. Example; If problems related to your job are constantly occupying your mind, you should find a solution for this problem. Even if the problem in your private life has acquired the quality of a negative inner voice that is constantly echoing in your head, just like that! You have to separate your mind from unnecessary thoughts one by one.

• Avoid Technological Tools to Become a Minimalist Human

   Are they not they who have stolen most of your time and energy, anyway? Don’t you spend your whole day with technological tools? That’s why; You have to put a limit between you and technological devices. Even if you can’t get away from them completely, you should know how to distance yourself whenever you get a chance.

   E.g; Do not turn on the TV when you go home in the evening. Even better, don’t keep a television in your home, but I say limit the time you spend in front of that stupid box, as I know most of you wouldn’t heed this suggestion. Likewise, stop carrying your phone with you at all times as if it were an integral part of you. Do you know the essence of the matter? Use technology but don’t let it dominate you.

• Deal With Yourself More Often!

   What are your expectations from life? How happy are your actions during the day? What is the point you want to reach in your career? Are you satisfied with the people in your life? What are the features you want to change? Are you satisfied with yourself? Can you make your decisions alone? And thousands more questions to ask yourself!

   The unnecessary excess in your life may not give you the opportunity to question yourself and life, but thanks to the minimalist lifestyle, you will find more time for it. You will increase your awareness and work harder to see the mistakes you make. In this way, you will be able to distinguish between what really makes you happy and unnecessary burdens on your shoulder. This is why you should listen to yourself more, get rid of the hum that will prevent you from hearing the truth and turn inside.

• Get Rid of Unnecessary People in Your Social Media Accounts and the Endless Mail Nightmare!

   Because by looking at their nonsensical

posts, you torment yourself in vain. You think your life is boring by looking at the photos of people who always go to luxury places, who love to label the places they go, and who believe that happiness consists of things that can be bought with money. That’s why I suggest you remove people who are not good for you from your social media accounts. And you must do the same in your mails.

   You should save yourself from the mails you feel obliged to look at every notification. You should get rid of all subscriptions that keep your mind busy or consume you. Because slogans such as “75% discount at the end of the season, prices have decreased by half…” are quite persuasive to make you shop unnecessarily! So, dear reader, to adapt the minimalist lifestyle to your life, keep your social media accounts and mailbox free of redundancies.

Author: Mr. Article

All rights of this article belong to www.pophaber.com

Bu Makale İngilizce Dil Eğitimine Katkı Sağlamak Amacı İle Yayınlanmıştır.

Bu Makalenin Türkçe Çevirisini Okumak İçin TIKLAYIN!