To make sense I think I probably need to define minimalism right now, and talk about specific aspects of it. Generally, minimalism is the idea of cutting out waste and embellishments, and leaving a pure, simple core. The phrases "Less is more", "less is better" and "simplicity is elegance" kind of hint at this as well. Minimalism exists as movements in art, music, architecture, design and literature, as an application of simplicity in science and philosophy, as well as a name for a particular kind of lifestyle choice. I'm interested in only a couple of these, and introduce them in order of their importance to me just now.
Minimalism in literature (and poetry) is a fascinating concept, and one I've only discovered recently. As one would expect, there is an economy with words involved, specifically, an eschewing of adverbs, but also allowing context to dictate meaning, which sounds impressive, but I have no idea what it means. Also included here is an identification with haikus as minimalist, purely because of the briefness of the form. I think I'm going in the other direction just now, and focusing on refining the technique within the framework of iambic pentameter, but I might go in this direction when I'm done. Who knows?
Minimalism in design and architecture is next. With design, in general I love clean, clear, uncluttered lines, and because I love that simplicity, I find it in almost everything I like. And if I were to design products, I'd want to design them in the same way. The maxim "form follows function" would hold true, but I'd cut down on any and all embellishments. As for architecture, the same holds true, but the expression takes a different form. Clean, clear, uncluttered lines, yes, but also the idea of using one object or feature to do more than just one thing, cutting down on the number of design elements used. To which I add a new level...the idea of designing a place for a minimalist to live...now that would be interesting, as it already sets some boundaries for the would be architect.
Which leads me on to the most important meaning for minimalist. The minimalist for whom I would be designing a house would be living a very particular lifestyle, and it is this which I want to write about mainly. I've maybe alluded to this, or mentioned it in passing in my previous posts, so it's about time I explained what I meant. To me, it's about cutting down all possessions to the point of necessity. For example, I wonder if its possible to live with just 100 items. It sounds impossible. Clothes, books, "essentials", tech items, other stuff that we have to have. I'm sure there's at least 100 items inside the very room I'm in. The trick is not to see that some items are only ever bought because other items you bought need them to work...eliminate the first, and you won't need the second. Less items means less stuff to worry about, and less space to take up. In a transient world, less is definitely more, and the more I can do without, the more self reliant and independent I become. Also, the less I have, the less time I spend looking after it, and the less there is to clean up after I move on, or even if I decide to move countries. That minimalism also has environmental and economic benefits is obvious enough to not need to be mentioned.
Maybe I love the idea of minimalism, rather than actually living the lifestyle. I don't know. But the more I think about it, the more I feel like this is the way for me to go. We'll see.
6 years ago
