Hi from Stockport

[GreyOwl]

Hi Is anyone looking for a creative buddy; (knit, crochet, spin yarn, draw etc).? Nowhere near minimal I'm afraid, but I did give away an awful lot over the years, and Im definitely not a consumer or materialistic; I care about where things come from and what happens to my waste. Try to be eco conscious where possible, and chemical free. My 'clutter' is all my craft materials and books. I love to spin yarn, and seeing baskets of pretty fleece and hand dyed yarns around, ready to knit or weave makes me smile :)

Don't shout at me... here's my little story. I tried living in a tiny space with minimal stuff, put things in storage to give it a go. I thought it would be liberating. I gave it a good long shot, and believed in time it would get easier. It never did, I eased into it gradually but the more I stored away the more miserable I felt. It was horrible, I was claustrophobic and unhappy. The walls seemed to close in and I felt like I couldnt breathe. Instead of looking blissfully tidy it just felt like a box. I did make it warm and inviting with nice cushions and wall hangings etc, good lighting tricks etc. But nothing says home to me more than books, big plants, crystals, and a creative area with a work-in-progress. It is much more homely and interesting now with my handmade bits and bobs, mine looks a bit ethnic/bohemian gypsy -though not cluttered or tacky..
I do like order and neatness, in fact I have OCD so I can't be any other way... lol... but truly minimal did not make me happy at all! For me its just a matter of keeping stuff down to what I actually use and love, keeping it neat, and displaying it tastefully.

[freshstart]

I'm not living a totally simple life in a tiny house, I have clutter and mayhem and they let me stay. You are more than welcome here!

[ApatheticNoMore]

I can see how the tiny house would get claustrophobic, it always seems so. Of course I think those decisions are often driven by economics, if it's much cheaper to live in a tiny space then or course people do. So people live in single room apartments (studios or bachelor pads in U.S. terms) etc.. - but it's still claustrophobic in my opinion. How much stuff the rooms have I care much less about. I think it's all about being able to walk around and vary the scene by having more than one room to go to with me. I could do minimalism in terms of stuff, but doubt I will ever make it there, as the process of getting there seems impossible when it's down to deciding to getting rid of extra towels and forks and so on.

[catherine]

For me its just a matter of keeping stuff down to what I actually use and love, keeping it neat, and displaying it tastefully.

I think that's definitely a worthwhile goal! Welcome, GreyOwl!

[rosarugosa]

Welcome GreyOwl! I'm not exactly a minimalist myself, just another person striving for the right balance of enough.

[Selah]

Welcome, GreyOwl! Like Rosarugosa, it's been an ongoing process for me of finding what is "enough"--not too much, not too little. Everyone has their setpoint, and there are other ways to simplify one's life besides reducing one's number of possessions or square footage.

[greenclaire]

Welcome GreyOwl. Do you mean Stockport, Manchester? If so you're not too far from me as I'm near Chester.

[Teacher Terry]

WElcome: I am like you. Not too small a space and i like to display stuff but not too much to feel cluttered. I knit and have a huge basket of yarn in my DR. People enjoy seeing what I am working on. They have commented on it. When a space is too minimal it feels sterile and not homey. I think there is a balance between enough and too much. I used to have too much.

[rosarugosa]

Good point, Selah. It's true that number of possessions is just one small part of the equation.