This week's #KISS question is one that really resonates with me because I've been trying to figure out how to deal with my seemingly 'maximalist' hobbies. I've been able to find a middle ground with one, I'm still trying to work my way around another, and there's one I've mostly given up on.
A Minimalist Book Lover
It took me a while to be minimalist about it but I can say that I finally am a minimalist book lover. It was a gradual process that took years and it wasn't compulsion or anything of that sort. I always used to buy books because I loved reading, back then I used to buy at least one book every week.
I enjoyed reading these books but they were taking up so much space. I didn't even have a shelf for them, they just kept piling up in my woven baskets and then on the floor. I was critical about everything else occupying so much space but my books 😄
Anyway, there was no super-strategy actually. I loved these books and I was always excited about others being excited about books. My strong hoarder spirit softened when I started seeing it from the aspect of sharing with others the joy I felt in these books.
I stopped being stingy with them and would 'borrow' them out to friends and acquaintances knowing fully well I wasn't getting them back. I thought about it this way, how many books am I really going to re-read in this lifetime? It felt right to share a piece of me with others (fellow book lovers of course, not a random person that had no regard for them).
Slowly, I had fewer books and I currently don't have more than five hard copy books with me right now. I moved out of my parents' home last year and I think I have about 30 books over there that I left on purpose.
My life is currently in transit so I'm not at a point where I can fully commit to having a collection of books in my own space as I've always envisioned. That's why I picked up the habit of reading e-books. It wasn't easy at first because you know, all book lovers prefer hard copies, but I eased into it eventually.
For now, I enjoy reading on my phone and I get to re-read any of my old favourites whenever I like. I am also a minimalist with my digital library and I try not to have so many books on my to-be-read list at the same time.
The downside to switching to a digital library is that I could lose it in a second. Like, I recently lost all the books in my library because my phone was faulty and it had to be formatted for repairs. It was painful to lose all of it but I was able to shrug it off because I already dealt with my physical books that way.
So yeah, you can have a book addiction and still be minimalist about it.
A Minimalist Needleworker?
Sewing is one hobby I seem to have dropped. It's only a hobby when you do it regularly right? In the last one year I've only used my sewing machine twice and that is just crazy each time I think about it.
The problem is simply me not wanting to own more clothes. I don't need the clothes so it's just going to be extra stuff I won't wear crowding my wardrobe. When I left my parents' home last year, I gave out 90% of the clothes I had sewn for a year to charity.
They were all project works I had done in sewing classes and they were a lot. There is literally no minimalism with me being a tailor if I'm being honest. If I wanted to try out all the styles I want, I would have too much fabric around me and I can't deal with that.
This is the reason I stopped this hobby. I bought a doll so I could make miniature pieces instead but I never got to go on with it. Now I just clean my machine when it gathers dust and imagine all the clothes I could have made.
I haven't figured out how to be minimalist about sewing, it irks me but one day I will find a balance.
The Easy Hobby
Now this is the most minimalist of them all, anyone can do this and feel content not having to do a lot. I don't get to spend any money, take up any space, and I feel really content and at peace with it. I'm talking about singing. I just open my mouth and sing, so easy!
Even when the time comes when I fully immerse myself in this hobby by setting up my own home mini-studio, it still wouldn't be a lot or too much to handle.
Other minimalist hobbies I have are blogging and gardening. They're also clutter-free and not too much to handle.
At the end of the day, one can probably be minimalist about most hobbies, it's all about intentionality and finding a balance with all of them so they don't go overboard.
What do you think about my minimalist hobbies and strategies in maintaining them? You can join the conversation here.
Discord - wolfofnostreet#4939
Twitter - wolfofnostreet_
Hello @wolfofnostreet
I like your solutions for enjoying your hobbies without hoarding. You are right about losing your digitally saved items in just a second though. It's something that scared me for some time, and I ended up saving and having different backups of files. As long as you stay organised, i don't see this as a problem:))
Thanks for your #KISS
I enjoyed it 😉
lips sealed
I lose a lot of stuff because I don't backup but I recently began developing the habit.
It's a great reminder for myself:)
Hi @wolfofnostreet,
Maybe sewing can make minimalist sense as long as you make things of use beyond clothing, I can think of renewing a curtain, bed linens or making your own set of bath towels. These are things we use every day but don't pile up. Regarding singing I think it's fabulous, maybe try singing in a group and you can share your hobby with others who also love to sing. The ways to feel fulfilled are so wide that anything goes. I loved reading you!
I would love to sing in a group but in the near future 😊
I particularly love making clothes from scratch, maybe I can make a ready-to-wear line for the fun of it.
Thank you for reading, and nice to meet you @chaodietas
😃
Dear @wolfofnostreet, sorry to jump in a bit off topic but may I ask you to support the HiveSQL proposal?
It lost its funding recently and your help would be much appreciated to keep the HiveSQL service free for the Hive community.
You can do it on Peakd, Ecency,
Thank you for your support!
Where was I when you were givinh out your books? 🥺
I'm a book lover myself and since the 2018 flood that occurred in my school parted me and my books, I've had to hang on to ebooks now and in order not to lose them, I save them on my cloud. Whereas I and sewing are not the best of friends. 😊
Thanks for sharing dear.