How To Be An Authentic Minimalist

“How to be a “real” Minimalist.”

I know this is a question that people have because I see it across multiple forums essentially asking that question.

I think that a better way to phrase it is “how to become an authentic minimalist”.

Danger: Losing Your Identity

I remember seeing a Reddit post about this guy who was feeling so lost.

He was really into gaming and collected all of these different gaming figurines and equipment. He had a Zelda tattoo and a graphic tee collection that presented the things he enjoyed.

It helped him to really stand out to his tribe of people

In an attempt to go minimalist, he had gone for the black, white, and gray attire and minimalist decor inside his house.

It got to the point where he didn’t even feel comfortable putting up a picture of his family. He worried it would go against his minimalist decor.

To make things more difficult, this guy was an introvert and had trouble walking up and speaking to new people- something made easier when he wore his graphic tees.

Others would initiate conversations, relate to his style, and immediately identify him as being interested in the things they were interested in.

He felt really lost- like he was losing his identity and parts of himself. His transition to minimalism certainly wasn’t making him feel good. He wasn’t getting the positive impact he wanted from making all of these changes to his space.

And I remember thinking that it was so sad

I wondered, what would we all benefit from in a black-and-white or gray society?

If everything lost its color, glamour, and decoration and resulted in blankness and gray scales, what would really be gained and accomplished by doing that?

And honestly, I don’t think that anything would be accomplished. If anything, people would lose their individuality.

The Brain Is Made To Reject Stuff

So many people confuse a minimalist lifestyle with minimalist design, and they’re not the same.

Some who are approaching the lifestyle might also happen to enjoy minimalist design- but they are not the same thing.

Truly, simplifying, focusing, and rejecting are all parts of our brain automatically.

Our brain is a highly efficient processing machine. It’s constantly working on efficiency and simplification.

Do you know how much information your brain blocks out minute by minute? Just through a process of prioritization?

I mean, if you were aware of everything happening and existing around you at every moment, you wouldn’t be able to get anything done.

You would just be sitting there in awe of everything happening around you.

Your brain is rejecting stuff all the time. It’s simplifying all the time. And minimalism is kind of a brain hack that allows you to intentionally reject, simplify, and focus on things that bring more positivity into your life. Ideally, things that bring you more support and freedom and allow you to experience more of the good in your life.

So, if you’re not getting those benefits or worse, if you’re getting bad results that make you feel less at one with yourself or less of the person you want to be, then you’re doing it wrong.

An authentic minimalist is someone who uses the principles of minimalism in a way that’s true to themselves.

They have enough self-awareness and self-understanding to find that balance. Once you’ve found that balance, you can say, “Hey, you know what? I am a real minimalist”.

All of your colors, eclectic styles, glory, and all!

Being An Authentic Minimalist Is All About Being You

Minimalism isn’t about replacing your identity with a new one.

In fact, if anything, it’s about keeping those most precious and authentic belongings to who you are as a person and releasing the rest.

Removing individual expression and identity is stifling and miserable. We need emotional ownership as humans.

Even the Association For Consumer Research recognized there has been a change in material possessions and attributes it to a change in how we live and what we want out of life.

"This material burden weighs heavily in an increasingly fast-changing, uncertain, and globalized society (Baumann 2000, 2007) that promotes a modern working life characterized by international travel, short-term employment contracts, and frequent changes in employment or, as a consequence, frequent relocation. Modern-day demands for flexibility, mobility, and adaptability in personal, social, and professional life call for a more liquid relationship with material possessions (Bardhi et al. 2012)."

Lisa Eckmann, Goethe University Frankfurt
Jan R. Landwehr, Goethe University Frankfurt

So, have a closet full of awesome, eclectic, bright colors if that’s you.

You can downsize the closet to your favorites – even to a capsule wardrobe- and maintain your personal style and expression.