As the word, minimalism has infused with different
meanings and it is so commonly used to a point
where it means nothing, how ironic.
Whether is it used to describe a lifestyle,
a type of design movement, a philosophy or
a marketing word that makes us buy more, in
order to look more like a minimalist,
what’s happening here is, the word minimalism
has given birth to many different types of
minimalists and also different sub movements.
Some movements might already existed, but
we gave it a new “trendy” name by adding
the word minimalism at the back.
And recently I came across this video “6
kinds of minimalists” by Gabe Bult.
He has an interesting channel where he shares
about frugal living and for this particular
video, he talks about different kinds of minimalists.
And that inspired me to make one of this list
too.
Some of them are similar to Gabe’s list,
but I’ve added a few categories that resonates
with me. I’m never really someone who loves
labels, however, I find it interesting where
you can use this categorization to shape us
into a better self by finding suitable attributes
where you can fit in our lifestyle. And i’ll
be using some minimalist creators as an example,
it will be easier for us to relate to.
For the first type, it’s
Aesthetic Minimalists.
Speaking of minimalism, Aesthetic might be
the first thing that pops into most of our
heads,
Modern,
Monochromatic,
Scandinavian interior,
I mean, no surprise because the word minimalism
originated as an extreme form of an abstract
art movement and that’s the reason why minimalism
can never be separated from aesthetics.
This art movement slowly morphs into a style
that people follow,
a trend that is popular amongst social media
platforms.
What is aesthetic minimalists trying to achieve
is a clean and fresh look, especially when
it comes to
living space,
design,
Photography, fashion.
Any platform or medium they can express this
movement creatively.
To this type of minimalist, Minimalism is
a style that satisfies their eyes. One good
example of Aesthetic Minimalists will be Jenny
Mustard.
Where less is more stylish
The negative space in between things and objects
and things are something to be admired. Personally,
it’s one of the reasons why I love minimalist
aesthetics.
However, I see it as a by-product of a bigger
purpose of owning less. And that is found
in the next type of minimalist.
The Essential Minimalist.
A good example of this type will be Ryan and
Joshua from The Minimalists.
The word intentional is the foundation of
an essentist, and you probably always hear
me saying the word “intentional” in a
lot of my videos, and probably I should cut
that down.
And the reason for them to own less is because
there’s no need for them to have more. Whatever
things they own have their functions and purpose,
everything is intentionally added and curated
in their life.
And multiple-use items can be their favourite,
For example having a kindle instead of a bookshelf
full of books, but of course, in a case where
they prefer e-book. Having a capsule wardrobe
that can be mixed and matched with different
outfits, and that can cut down on the amount
of clothes in their collection.
The quote “Less but better” can be a good
mantra used by the essential minimalist because
in order to have fewer things, they focus
on owning quality things that generally last
longer.
However, human changes over time, what’s
essential for us today might not be something
that adds value to us tomorrow.They are not
emotionally attached to things rather they
see them as tools that serve their purpose.
So they are constantly being mindful about
their material possessions. Once they don’t
add value to them, they can be removed and
also that can add a lot of value to others.
Next is Financial Minimalists.
Some might call this thrifty or frugal minimalist,
but I think a better way to name them will
be financial minimalist. What a financial
minimalist strives to achieve is financial
freedom. In fact, that’s what got me into
minimalism, it’s because of the financial
situation i’m in. I realized that I can
cut corners on redundant expenses, and that
means I can spend less, have no obligation
to stay at a job I hate. One of the main attributes
of a financial minimalist is they have the
awareness that one’s wealth is not determined
by how many expensive luxuries the individual
owns. This realization allows them to cut
down on unnecessary expenses like buying expensive
clothes just for the logo, purchasing a new
car just to be better than your neighbours.
Instead of spending money on superfluous objects,
financial minimalists tend to focus on living
within their means, at the same time building
wealth by using money to do work, so they
can spend their most precious resources which
time on what they truly care about. Frequently,
they resonate with the FIRE movement.
And one good example for a financial minimalist
will be Graham Stephan.
Where minimalism to them is less spendings
more freedom.
During the process of being a financial minimalist,
cutting down on expenses, opting for public
transports than owning a car, or repair existing
possessions instead of spending money on buying
a new piece. These actions help us to be frugal,
at the same time it complements the next type
of minimalist.
Eco-Minimalist
While the financial minimalists cut down on
waste to save more money, similarly, Eco minimalists
cut down on the waste but with protecting
the earth in mind, treading lightly on the
planet. They might not own a car because they
want to contribute lesser carbon footprint,
they repair and repurpose their possessions
because they don’t want to add another waste
to the planet. They shop mindfully and make
sure the products they use will not cause
further harm to the earth, that’s why they
don’t bring unnecessary things into their
lives.
A good example of eco minimalist will be Christine
from simply by christine. She provides a lot
of zero waste tips and alternatives.
To this type of minimalist, they see minimalism
as a pro-environment, anti-consumption mindset,
by having less consumption can reduce the
harmful impact on our planet.
Next is Experiential Minimalist.
You can call them Nomads, or backpackers.
They are minimalists because owning less stuff,
they have the freedom to travel around the
world, move about as they please, without
tying down to financial loads. They don’t
have much physical possessions that will hinder
their process of experiencing the world. One
good example of Experiential Minimalist will
be Kraig Adams. They have less things, in
order to have more experience.
Instead of embracing materialism and celebrating
their lives with things trophies, experiential
minimalists seek for experiences (obviously)
and creating memories are more important than
owning things.
I think it’s one of the most practical ways
to travel around the world without any burdens
and things that can pull us back. Especially
during travel, I just want to be present at
the moment, the place and the culture.
Lastly, it’s the mindful minimalists. It
might sound slightly spiritual, but it depends
on how we see it, i’ll say Mindful Minimalists
focus on how having less and not wanting to
have more gives them a peace of mind. Remove
mental clutter by decluttering the stress,
distraction and guilt that we bear from owning
too much. These type minimalists might choose
to live with less because it provides a clean
canvas, a sanctuary that allows them to focus
on the more important things in life and self-love.
One good example will be Youheum from Heal
your living.
In fact she has almost all the attributes
of the minimalists i’ve listed down. But
back to this mindful minimalist, this type
of minimalist lives with less clutter and
more headspace. Being present at the moment
with your thoughts, feelings and emotion.
So these are the 6 types of minimalists that
are commonly spoken about in our current society.
Of course there are other names and labels
like digital minimalist, extreme minimalist.
Maybe we can do another episode about that.
The purpose of this video is not to discuss
which kind of minimalist is the best minimalist,
but we should focus on which kind of lifestyle
we can apply it into our lives to make us
the best version of ourselves, because, if
you realized this, all of the different minimalists
are just representation of our values. And
once we can identify them, we can actually
work towards what we want to achieve.
So what kind of minimalists resonates with
you the most?
For me, I started off minimalism for the sole
purpose of being frugal and other values like
aesthetics, eco-friendly and being intentional
are they by-product that came into my life
afterwards.
Lastly, i’ll end this by saying, the reason
we started this minimalism journey might not
be the only reason that pushes us forward.
That’s all i have, if you like to show your
support you can check out my instagram or
stay a bit longer and check out my other videos
on this channel. I'd like to take this opportunity
to thank all my patreon supporters, who make
this happen. And for you who are watching
this, truly appreciate the time and attention
you spent on this. Thanks for watching and
I’ll see you guys on the next one.
