The other day, I went to a hair salon to touch up my short pixie style and I showed the stylist a photo off Pinterest. This photo was of a young woman's feathered pixie, and I told him that I wanted it exactly like the photo.
As he was shaving down the back of my hair, he pulled out his mirror and said, “Would it be okay if we went a little shorter in the back? It's not exactly like the photo, but I think it would fit your personality better. I’ve never done anything quite like this before, and you'd be the first person I’ve ever seen with this hairstyle.”
Though hesitant, I said yes.
We continued our conversation as normal, and as the hair styling went on, we made more alterations to the photo than I ever thought possible. With clammy palms and a lot of encouragement from the hairstylist, the result was something I have genuinely never seen before but fell head over heels for. He later said to me that he appreciates me having the courage to bring in a photo yet work with him to create a product that is better than the original inspiration.
It occurred to me on the way home that this is how minimalism works as well. We so often think that our version of minimalism has to be exactly like the photos on Pinterest, the YouTubers that have white walls and a perfect kitchen, or the nomads that live out of a backpack.
Minimalism is not set in stone. If it was, then we would all be walking around in plain t-shirts with no personality diversity. It is vital that each person’s version of minimalism is different. Part of the beauty of living with less is that each person chooses different things.
We all have our own ‘why factor’, reasons and benefits for purging our lives of excess. Your version of minimalism could be appear wildly different to another’s.
Do not be afraid to have clammy palms and move forward with something that you know is different. Create something within your space and life that you have never dared to do. Dare to make a better version of minimalism than the inspiration you are gleaning from. Dare to be true to yourself.
There is no “right” way to utilise minimalism. Find what works for you, and run as far as you can with it.