001 Minimalists by haleymfischer

001 PAG E 20

How to G i ve G i ft s L ik e A M i n im a l i s t PAG E 26

How to Travel th e Wo rl d & Be A Minimalist PAG E 34

In s i d e A M i ni m a l i s t ' s Hom e

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ME E T "T HE " MINIM A L I S T S : Jo shu a F iel d s M il l b ur n & R ya n N i co d e mu s

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TABL E OF CON T E N T S 4 / MINIM A L I S T M AG A ZINE

Letter

From the Editor Haley Fischer

Feature Minimalism, Happiness & Science

Interview Joshua & Ryan The Minimalists

Interview

Courtney Carver Be More With Less

Feature

How To Give Gifts Like The Minimalists

Interview Colin Wright Exile Lifestyle

Interview Leo Babauta Zen Habits

Feature

A Peek Inside an "Empty" Home

The editor, Haley, on the coast California, right outside Monterey.

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A L E T T E R F R OM T HE E DI TOR Hale y Fisc her

I stumbled across Minimalism about

going try it out and see if it worked

more productive. That might sound

two years ago when I came across

out for me and my lifestyle.

completely insane, but I truly believe

"The Minimalists" website while

that clearing out the excess junk in

browsing the web at work. It gripped

So, over the next two years of my life,

your living space can consequently

my attention in an instant, and I

leading up to today, I embarked on

clear out the excess clutter in your

remember spending the following

somewhat of a minimalist journey. It

mind and on your back. Junk is a

hours and days and weeks completely

is not a journey that I've completed,

heavy burden. Literally.

captivated by their writings and

rather it's a day-by-day process of

te a c h i n g s . Fo r s o m e re a s o n ,

recognizing my consumption habits

That's why I was passionate about

everything that they talked about

and slowly trying to break them.

creating this magazine for people like

just made immediate sense to me. I

me. For those that are struggling to

had stuff—more stuff than any one

Just a few months ago, I went through

keep their heads above the water and

eighteen-year-old college student

every ounce of what I own (for like

are looking for ways to clear out their

should ever own—, but the stuff I

the thirtieth time) and decided what

personal clutter—both mentally and

owned wasn't responsible for any of

things were still adding quality to my

physically. While Minimalism is not

the happiness in my life. Actually, at

life. I broke some personal ground

a solution to all your problems and

that point, I was a struggling college

and ended up with four brimming

stressors, it is a tool that allows you

freshman and I was experiencing

garbage bags, two for the trash chute

to breathe more deeply each day and

much more stress and discontent

and two for the thrift store donation

focus more on the subtle, magnificent

than I would ever care to admit. If

truck. After I'd taken out the trash, I

nuances of life. Minimalism doesn't

minimalism could bring me more

felt lighter, not only on the outside,

add years to your life, but it sure can

clarity in life, then of course I was

but on the inside—less stressed and

help bring more life to your years.

Simple furniture, simple decor.

Up and up and up.

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Happiness.

MINIM A L I SM, HA PPINE S S & S C IE N C E

Each one of us is on an endless search for a source of happiness in life, it is an instinctual part of being a human being. This source of happiness is different for everyone, but, often, that source of happiness is something we try to grasp onto through a collection of different items, physical and palpable sources of happiness. These things tend to bring us joy for a moment or a month, but it only lasts as long as the object is new. This cycle can lead to limited happiness and, in the worst cases, extreme financial debt. But, what if we stopped trying to find happiness through materialism? What if we started seeking it out by stripping away our "physical happiness" and filling ourselves with other sources of happiness, like deep connections with other people? Research scientists have studied this topic for many year under a number of different titles, and they have found a couple of interesting and powerful connections between owning stuff and being happy.

Interview: http://www.theminimalists.com/scientific/ Photography: stocksnap.io/

inimalism and Happiness: Is there evidence

of a connection? Can money and materialism bring happiness? Can minimalism bring happiness?

Life your best life.

P. Brickman in the 70s conducted a study in which he investigated the level of happiness of people whose financial dreams had come true. He found that those who had won millions on the lottery were no happier than his control group who meet their basic

Anatomical heart.

needs. Money can buy short term happiness but you will eventually turn to your level of happiness before financial gain. This puts you in a vicious materialistic circle in which you strive to achieve long term happiness through the constant purchase of material items. Not healthy. How can you beat this vicious cycle? First you must understand the roots of materialism. According to a study from Chaplin & John (2007) there is a strong link between low self-esteem and materialism

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Embrace every adventure.

(usually derived early in childhood) and that low

money on others experienced greater happiness

self-esteem causes materialistic tendencies. But it’s

than those assigned to spend money on themselves."

not just about buying material goods for yourself. A study from Dunn et al. (2008) showed that it’s how

Okay, so what the hell does this have to do with

we spend the money that can determine how happy

minimalism? Well, to quote Colin Wright:

we feel. They go on to say: "What Minimalism is really all about is reassessment "While much research has examined the effect of

of your priorities so that you can strip away the excess

income on happiness, we suggest that how people

stuff—the possessions and ideas and relationships

spend their money may be at least as important

and activities—that don’t bring value to your life."

as how much money they earn. Specifically, we hypothesized that spending money on other people

With this stripping away you find yourself doing

may have a more positive impact on happiness than

more with less. You find you no longer waste money

spending money on oneself. Providing converging

on crap and potentially you can use this extra money

evidence for this hypothesis, we found that spending

or your extra time from stripping away draining

more of one’s income on others predicted greater

relationships into more experiences. Boredom

happiness both cross-sectionally (in a nationally

& comfort are the enemy. So is there any actual

representative survey study) and longitudinally

evidence for this or is this just another bullshit

(in a field study of windfall spending). Finally,

blog post just chatting random shit? Yes, there is

participants who were randomly assigned to spend

evidence. Van Boven & Gilovich (2003) conducted

Online shopping, a American favorite.

a national survey asking people to rate according to how

So the evidence points towards a strong link between

happy their purchase had been (one group had brought a

happiness and social relationships. This comes of no surprise

product, the other an experience). The results clearly showed

considering our evolution. During our evolution we stayed in

that the group who had described and rated the purchase of

social groups, R. Dunbar suggests that this group living coud

an experience had higher levels of mood.

have been one of the causes of the evolution of language, something that made us excel as a species. We need other

"Do experiences make people happier than material

people, this is what experiences give us, the opportunity

possessions? In two surveys, respondents from various

to share experiences with other people while the purchase

demographic groups indicated that experiential purchasesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

of material items can isolate you from others. What about

those made with the primary intention of acquiring a life

the roles of neurotransmitters into experiences? Well,

experienceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;made them happier than material purchases. In

excitement caused by new experiences releases endorphins

a follow-up laboratory experiment, participants experienced

and creates a state of happiness which can be increased

more positive feelings after pondering an experiential

with minimalism by stripping away the fat and letting new

purchase than after pondering a material purchase. In

worthwhile experiences in.

another experiment, participants were more likely to anticipate that experiences would make them happier than

So, does minimalism create happiness? I never said that.

material possessions after adopting a temporally distant,

Minimalism is subjective for a lot of people and it would be

versus a temporally proximate, perspective. The discussion

foolish to try and pinpoint something as broad and vast as

focuses on evidence that experiences make people happier

happiness into one cause. What minimalism can do though

because they are more open to positive reinterpretations,

is strip away the fat and leave you with a new found financial

are a more meaningful part of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity, and contribute

freedom that you can use for new experiences. Experiences

more to successful social relationships.

that you can share and enjoy with other people.

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Happy book, happy people.

Joshua Fields Millburn (Left) & Ryan Nicodemus (Right), just chilling.

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“ T HE” MINIM A L I S T S Jo shu a Fiel d s Millb ur n R yan N ico demus

Five years ago, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemous ditched their six-figure jobs to pursue a life without a potential heart attack hanging over their heads at every turn—a more peaceful and meaningful existence. And that they did. They are now know distinctly as "The Minimalists", a dynamic duo that works tirelessly to share their passion of simple living with the four million plus readers that visit their website each and every year, seeking out the same peace and happiness that Joshua and Ryan found when they rid themselves of as much of their material posessions as they could. Together they have sucessfully run their own indie publishing house, written three books together, moved from Ohio to Montana and taken the world by storm with their witty banter and sincere passion for helping people find a lifestyle that centers around meaningful relationships, less screen time, healthy habits and less junk clogging up the corners.

Interview: theminimalists.com/faqs Photography: theminimalists.com/* word * spring, letgo, tour, game

Ryan Nicodemus.

Ryan getting crazy.

What is minimalism?

Your inspirations?

How do I do it?

Ryan: Who wants to know?

Ryan: The Spanish romantic painter

Ryan: Just call the toll-free number

Francisco Goya came to me in a dream

on your screen. Act now! Supplies are

and told me to start our site.

somewhat limited!

Minimalism is a tool we use to get rid

Joshua: You don’t even know who that

Joshua: There isn’t a phone number

of the excess stuff in our lives to make

is! We were tired of not being happy.

in this magazine! Besides, minimalism

room for the essentials. Minimalism

We stumbled across this thing called

isn’t something you can bwwwuy.

allows us to focus on what’s important

minimalism and discovered it as a tool

You can follow our website and follow

in life—health, relationships, passion,

to bring meaning back into our lives.

other minimalists, like the ones in this

growth, and contribution—so we can

Our website (aka theminimalists.com)

magazine, to get a even more thorough

find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.

chronicles our journey into minimalism

understanding

See our What Is Minimalism? page for

and, ultimately, exists to help others

perhaps the best way to get started is to

a full explanation and some good links

discover minimalism by taking action.

play the Minimalism Game—look it up

Joshua: Will you be quiet and let

Josh laughing.

me answer the questions, please?

that will help you discover minimalism for yourself.

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on our website.

minimalism,

but

Ryan laughing.

Josh pumping up the crowd.

What was hard? Easy?

Spiritual aspects?

Ryan: Making the decision to do it was

Ryan: Yes, you must practice witchcraft

the hardest part for me. Also, I thought

and pray to the forest every fortnight.

Joshua Fields Millburn.

Why are you guys so freaking cool, funny and handsome? Joshua: Uh, Ryan, you are not supposed to be asking the questions here.

getting rid of my cable subscription was going to be hard, but it wasn’t (you

Joshua: No. Well, not necessarily.

don’t have to get rid of your TV to be a

Minimalism isn’t about spirituality

Joshua: Also, feel free to contact us with

minimalist, but I did—watching MASH

or religion, but there are a lot of

any questions.

reruns wasn’t important in my life).

minimalists who follow God or live by a set of spiritual principles. Whatever you

Ryan: Send me a fax, a telegram, or,

Joshua: Taking action—especially your

believe (or don’t believe), minimalism

preferably, a note via carrier pigeon.

first few steps—is usually the hardest

can fit that lifestyle. Also, read our essay:

part. Culturally, we are taught that

Gospel of Minimalism.

“knowledge is power,” but true power is

Joshua: Yeah, but if that doesn’t work, you can visit our contact page.

in action. Once the decision was made and I started taking action, selling and donating the stuff I didn’t need was easy.

Courtney Carver speaking to a group about her campaign: Project 333.

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BE MOR E WITH LESS Co ur tne y C ar ver

Courtney Carver's journey into minimalism started when she was diagnosed over the telephone with Multiple Sclerosis ten years ago. That day she thought her life and peace with her family and her job and her health were over. But, after she let the diagnosis sink in fully, she made the brave decision to change her life. And that is exactly what she did. Today, Courtney inspires thousands of people with her story and her own personal entrepreneurial concept: Project 333â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a minimalist fashion challenge that invites participants to dress with 33 items or less for 3 months. The best part of life though? The changes she's made to her life, in simplifying her possessions and her ideas of health, have led to her to practically symptom-free life with Multiple Sclerosis, a crazy phenomenon nearly unheard of within the popular science community. Her story and Project 333 have been featured on the Today show and the Oprah Magazine.

Interview: http://goinguncomplicated.com/be-more-with-less/ Photography: http://www.clevergirlorganizing.com http://archive.jsonline.com/

Minimalist outfit selfies.

What factors weighed into your decision to embark on the simplicity journey to Be More With Less?

Courtney's closet.

What were some of the immediate changes you made in your life? The first thing I did was change my

What do you recommend for those wanting to simplify their lifestyle, particularly those struggling with letting go of sentimental things?

In 2006, I was diagnosed with Multiple

eating habits. With the research I did, I

Sclerosis. It was my wake up call and it

discovered that a vegetarian diet was best

Some things will be easier to eliminate

was loud and clear that I needed to make

for me. From there I started to eliminate

than others, but by establishing why you

some changes in my life.

the things that created the greatest stress

want to simplify things, you can remind

in my life. That included clutter, debt,

yourself along the way when tempted to

shopping, and eventually my job.

keep items of sentimental value.

I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t plan to completely overhaul my life, but one change led to the next and now my life is really different than it used

Less is not nothing. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to get

to be.

rid of every single thing to experience the benefits of a simpler life. It really looks different for everyone.

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Planning in the sun.

When most people hear the term minimalism, they think of an ascetic life. What’s your definition?

You are a vegetarian and, now, a Joel Furman follower. How does nutrition weigh into your values on simplicity?

Recently you released your latest book, Mini-Missions for Simplicity. What can readers expect? From that book?

Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter so you can define and focus on what does matter most to you. And when I say things, that isn’t just physical clutter. It might include things on your to-do list that aren’t essential, toxic relationships, debt, trips to the mall and other things that can seem like a normal part of every day life.

The healthier you are, the simpler your life

I published my new book, Mini-Missions

will be. I believe that food is quite possibly the most important factor when it comes to feeling well and being healthy. As a vegetarian, I thought I was eating a healthy diet, but after three weeks of following the Eat to Live plan, it’s clear

for Simplicity towards the end of last year and it’s a collection of great experiments you can try to simplify your life. Minimissions are often one step actions that you can do to improve your health, relationships, bank account or wardrobe.

that there is room for improvement.

Brown paper and presents.

Christmas takeover.

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A bike full of presents.

HO W TO GIV E GIF T S L IK E A MINIM A L I S T S

The holiday season is already here, and that means it's the time of the year for everyone to trample each other in shopping centers to snag the best deal on gifts for themselves and for their family and friends. Every year the pressure to give great gifts grows increasingly powerful and, for some, this comes as an expensive, yet exciting challenge, while for many of us the holidays have become a beacon of financial and emotional distress that only ends once the presents have been unwrapped and stuffed into the back of our deep and full closets. But, since taking on Minimalism six years ago, the Minimalists: Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus have spent every holiday challenging the societal norm that giving material gifts should be the focus or the best way to show those around them that they care for them as deeply as they do. Instead, they've found their own ways of showing care for their loved onesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;new anti "gift-giving" traditions.

Interview: http://www.theminimalists.com/giftgiving/ Photography: stocksnap.io/

ast year the Minimalists visited 100 cities

in eight countries during their Everything That Remains Tour, and one question arose in nearly every city, posited by parents and children, husbands and

Gift of flowers.

wives, even reporters: how do minimalists handle gift-giving? Before they were minimalists, Joshua and Ryan approached holiday gift-giving obligatorily. Many of us give material items to attempt to make up for the time we don’t spend with the people we love. For years it was always: “Here’s a necktie or a pair of cufflinks or an oven mitt because today is December 25th. Now what did you get me?” Usually little thought went into it. They felt obligated to give something—anything!—just for the sake of giving, without understanding why they were actually giving. They purchased gifts without asking any of the important questions, such as: What’s the

Soup kitchen.

24 / MINIM A L I S T M AG A ZINE

Sunset.

purpose behind giving this particular gift? Will the

Avoid holiday doorbuster sales. Whether it’s Black

recipient find value in this gift? Is this something

Friday or any of the subsequent big shopping

they need? How could I make this more meaningful

weekends, it’s best to abstain. Consumption is an

for both of us? These are important questions, but

unquenchable thirst. Retailers and advertisers and

people rarely ever ask them because the answers

manufacturers know this too well, and these sales

aren’t as easy as simply checking the box.

are designed to take advantage of our insatiable desire to consume. Instead, support your local

These days, they tend to avoid physical gifts, but

businesses; support the people in your community

theyre is still that joy in participating in the holidays.

who are making a difference.

They now give gifts of experiences, charitable donations, or, if they give material goods, they give

Gift your time. If you could receive only one Christmas

consumables, such as a bottle of wine or a bag of

present this year, what would it be? The answer for

coffee. It must be something someone can use, or, if

us is simple: time. The best present is presence. You

it’s an experience, it’s a memory that can be shared,

see, the people that you care about should mean

from concert tickets to an evening of watching the

much more to you than a new pair of shoes or a fancy

sunset together. It sounds cliche until you actually

new gadget or even a certified pre-owned luxury car

do it, and then you realize it’s great.

with a huge bow on top. So the next time someone asks you what you want for Christmas, consider

Here are the five steps they’ve taken to make our

responding, “Your presence is the best present you

holidays more meaningful:

can give me.”

Christmas decor.

Gift experiences, not stuff. Here’s an idea: what if you decide to

Christmas, and donate your time to a local soup kitchen

gift only experiences this year? How much more memorable

or homeless shelter or any place that needs volunteers.

will your holidays be? Your experiences build and strengthen

Two years ago Joshua and Ryan were in Vancouver during

the bond between you and the people you care about. Don’t

Christmas, where we and a local group of our readers

you think you’ll find more value in these experiences than

donated part of our Christmas Day to a food bank in need

in material gifts? Don’t you think your loved ones will find

of help during the holidays. You see, sometimes we have

more value in that, too?

to contribute to help other people, but sometimes we need to contribute to help ourselves. When we step into our

Ask for better Christmas gifts. The age-old apothegm is

discomfort zones and contribute beyond ourselves, we grow,

true: ’tis better to give than to receive. Last year Ryan gave

we experience the world in a different way, and we gain new

his birthday to Charity Water, and he raised thousands

perspectives from which to be thankful.

of dollars with friends and family to gift clean water to hundreds of people in Cambodia who didn’t previously have

Obligatory gift-giving isn’t surrendering yourself to

access to it. Perhaps you can do the same this Christmas:

someone; it’s surrendering to consumerism and the status

instead of gifts, you can ask people to donate to your favorite

quo. This doesn’t mean there’s something necessarily wrong

charity in your name. (If you’re looking for a good charity,

with buying a gift for someone. But we needn’t fool ourselves

consider donating to the orphanage they're building, or visit

by associating that gift with true love—love doesn’t work

GiveWell for a list of other effective nonprofits who are doing

that way. Instead of thinking of love as some sort of abstruse

good in the world.)

emotion, let’s think of love as an action verb. to show our love for others, we must do so with our actions. Creating

Have a Soup-Kitchen Christmas. You can do what they did a few years ago when they were in Vancouver during

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great experiences for the important people in our lives— gifting experiences, not stuff—is a great place to start.

Christmas decor.

Colin Wright cheesin' for the camera, per usual.

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EXIL E L IF E S T YL E Colin Wr i g ht

Colin Wright grew up plump and happy smack dab in the middle of Missouri. Growing up, he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t decide if he wanted to be a chaos theorist or comic book illustrator, but eventually he ended up pursuing a combined journalism-and-fine art trajectory. Then he landed on design and illustration in college, a career choice that still follows him around, but these days he isn't around Central Missouri. Actually, "around" happens to be wherever the readers of his blog "Exile Lifestyle" decide to send him. In 2009, Colin ditched all the possessions that wouldn't fit into his carry-on and headed out to explore the world. Since then, He's lived in New Zealand, Thailand, Iceland, India, Romania, Czech Republic, the Philippines, explored about 60 other countries, visited all 48 contiguous US states twice, roadtripped through South America, rode the rails in Southeast Asia, and much much more. All while pursuing whatever freelance work he's passionate about. How does he do it? Well, time to ask.

Interview: www.alifeofblue.com Photography: theminimalists.com/author/colinwright http://colin.io/photos/

Public speaking.

Exile Lifestyle logo.

Everything Colin owns.

What is the most profound change that you've made in your life?

How do you work to achieve your goals and dreams?

How do I make my life more unconventional like yours?

I move toward my goals and dreams like

Spend a lot of time in your own head,

a bullet ALL THE TIME.

deep-diving into what you think, how

The shift in my priorities that I made when I was living in LA. At the time I was

you think, and what makes you happy.

running a successful branding studio and

People talk about work/life balance, but

found myself in one of those idealized

I think if you’re really doing something

Develop what you think into a personal

American Dream situations of working

you’re passionate about, it should be a

philosophy and abide by it (but make

hard and playing hard all the time. The

big part of your life. This allows me to put

sure it has room to evolve). Use the

transition didn’t take long, but when

in a ridiculous amount of time and effort

knowledge of how you think and refine

the ‘Eureka!’ moment was over, I wasn’t

into anything I want to pursue, because

the process so that you can learn and do

happy with where things were headed

I’ve got the triple-whammy of time,

things faster and better. Finally, pursue

anymore, and I took a sharp turn in a

enthusiasm and motivation. There aren’t

what makes you happy as if it’s the only

different direction and started walking

any set steps to it; generally if I find

thing that matters, because at the end of

(metaphorically, of course). Thankfully, I

something I’m interested in, I’ll pursue it

the day, it kind of is.

haven’t had any reason to look bad. Best

a bit and see how far I get.

decision and change I ever made.

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Working on the beach.

When are you going to settle down, if ever? To me ‘settling down’ means ‘settling'.

And in the mountains.

Your readers decide where you will live every four months. How in the world did you come up with this idea?

Why should I settle when I can keep

the responsibility onto my readers something that was as terrifying as it was exhilarating! Thankfully they’ve taken the concept

pursuing a life that gets better and better

Honestly, the idea stemmed from the

and run with it, and I haven’t been

every day?

fact that I knew very little real, practical

disappointed yet. I’ve lived in Argentina,

knowledge about the world outside the

New Zealand, Thailand, Iceland, and

United States.

I’m currently staying in India. It’s been

Of course, I make it clear that I’m not belittling any other kind of lifestyle

a solid variety of places, climates and

— these are MY priorities, and don’t

I had been meaning to travel forever,

economies and cultures especially. I’ve

represent everyone — but I’d always

and it was in fact one of my life goals

learned a lot as a result, and I’m going to

rather have happiness over comfort, and

to get to a point where I could travel

keep going with this method until I can

traveling like this and living the life that I

full time someday, but it took me

come up with something that will help

live makes me happier than anything I’ve

a while to get around to it, because

me experience more and learn about

encountered so far, even if it isn’t always

I’ve been running businesses since I

these different countries and cultures

the most comfortable.

was 19 and never had the time. I felt

faster than I am now.

underprepared to make a decision like where in the world I should go, so I cast

Leo Babauta during his headshot session with the Minimalists.

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ZE N HABI T S L e o B abauta

In November 2005, Leo Babauta was a regular, chain-smoking, father of six, and husband of one living in Guam. When he quit smoking in December, his life started a slow and steady transition away from everything that he'd valued in the first few decades of his life. He began running, waking up early, organizing his life, eating healthy and taking control of his finances and debt until he started teaching his family and the internetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;through his popular blog: Zen Habitsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;about what he'd learned. Slowly, his entire family started transitioning to a more simple life alongside him, until all eight of them made the decision to pack up just their backpacks and themselvesand move from Guam to the city of San Francisco. This was six years ago. These days Leo is still passionate about minimalism, but also about veganism and fitness and the longdistance running that saved his life, as well as his infinitely loving and endlessly supportive family.

Interview: http://theminimalistvegan.com Photography: theminimalists.com/author/leo http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/

Leo and his son.

When somebody meets you for the first time and asks you what you do for a living, how do you typically respond?

Simple and stern.

Do you normally like to work on one project at a time? I find that I work best when I’m laser focused on one project. But at the same

When you look at your lifestyle, you’re a vegan, a blogger and a minimalist. How have you navigated the social challenges of being “different”?

I tell them that I’m a writer. If they want

time I do find that it’s hard to stick

to know more, I tell them that I write

at one thing because there are always

It’s definitely been a struggle but at the

about changing your life through habits

opportunities coming up. In fact, I

same time I embrace that struggle because

and mindfulness. Then if they want to

recently started another blog. Did the

I love the life that I’ve been creating.

know even more, I will tell them that I

design and coded it up to the point where

There’s a lot of societal pressure to be

have a website. People often get shocked

I actually published my first post. Then

normal and when you’re not, you get

that I make a living from my website. Not

I thought, “This is dumb Leo. You know

judged from others.

only that, I support six children. And in all

you can’t run two blogs at the same time.

honesty, I’m pretty shocked to.

You’ve tried it before and it didn’t work”.

Is it easier to live a life when you’re not

But you get excited, and it’s hard to stop

judged and you live life like everyone else?

yourself.

Or would you rather live in alignment with your values in a way that makes you happy but everyone else thinks you’re a weirdo and nobody understands you?

34 / MINIM A L I S T M AG A ZINE

The Babauta family.

No matter how weird you are there are always other people who are weird like you. And that’s what blogs are about. It’s a way to build a community and connect

Now that there’s a growing interest in minimalism. Where do you see this movement going? Is it here to stay?

with people who are going through similar things to you.

only problem I see at times is people’s competitive nature. Instead of saying that I have more than you, it’s the conversation about how I have less than you. Instead of owning 100 things, you want to own 50

When I started Zen Habits there wasn’t

things.

many people talking about minimalism That’s part of the reason why I moved

and simplicity. It really wasn’t that big of a

It’s not about that. Sure it’s good to push

my family from Guam to San Fransisco. I

topic so I thought I would write about and

back on mainstream media in relation to

was one of the only vegans in Guam and

see if other people like me resonate with

a consumerist culture, but it’s about living

definitely one of the only minimalists. So I

it. But actually it tapped into something

consciously within your means.

wanted to build a support network around

that people really felt.

me that encouraged me to be different and not bring it down all the time.

I do not see people’s feelings reverting In relation to minimalism, there was

back in the future. In fact, there will

information out there but you really had

only be a stronger culture of more

to go searching for it.

(consumerism) and therefore a culture of less (minimalism).

Other people have come along and taken it further and I think it’s great. The

Joshua Fields Millburn positioned in front of his "empty" closet.

36 / MINIM A L I S T M AG A ZINE

A PE EK IN SIDE A N “E MP T Y ” HOME

Talking about Minimalism is easy.

us into the very walls he calls

Gurus say that doing it is just as

home. A few years ago this guy was

easy if you put in the work. But,

a proud American, homeowner

what does it actually look like live

who found himself decomposing

out the Minimalist lifestyle in

in a trash pile of his own making

your everyday? It's time to shift

(also known as decorating). Now,

our focus back to world-renowned

he lives w/o cable in the smallest

Minimalist and author, the more

place he's lived after ten years of

serious half of “The Minimalists”

climbing the corporate ladder.

dream team, Joshua Fields

inside. And after many years of

Millburn. Just recently he invited

imagining, he's letting us inside.

Photography: theminimalists.com/apartment

The staircase up to the main portion of the apartment.

38 / MINIM A L I S T M AG A ZINE

A sweet, little coat rack for all the necessities - helpful on the run.

Having only a few decorations can make them more meaningful.

A telephone to symbolize leaving the telecom industry behind.

Joshua in his special reading chair.

40 / MINIM A L I S T M AG A ZINE

A simple dining set (Joshua actually owns dishware too, don’t worry).

Books you’ll read if you take his writing class. 41

The trendy capsule wardrobe and minimalist lifestyle collide.

One of like three surfaces that have things on them in this apt.

Leather boots and weights. What else could you even need.

42 / MINIM A L I S T M AG A ZINE

“As far as I’m concerned, a bed only has two purposes.”

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

the m i n i m a l i s t s .com /wo rd ta s t i n g - 2 0 15 /