Hello and welcome to the MINIMALIST interview series, an initiative to turn the spotlight on the genuine, practising minimalists in our midst.
Aspiring minimalist @honeydue here.
Though I'm drawn to the minimalist ethos, I'm aware I've got a long way to go before I can call myself a true minimalist.
This is why I love this community. It allows me to interact with and learn from people who've embraced the minimalist lifestyle. I want to know how they got here. What drove them to minimalism, and what the challenges and rewards have been? What's the point of this platform if we can't learn from and help one another in our journeys?
Driven by a desperate curiosity of what else might be out there, aside from the bland, consumerist, traditional life path, I put down some questions I'm secretly dying to ask my favourite minimalists. And @millycf1976 has been lovely enough to allow it.
So whether you're at a crossroads in life or just curious about what else is out there, maybe you find some value in our interview series. Enjoy!
To kick things off with The Minimalist Author Spotlight No. 1, we have adventurer @mrprofessor. Let's tune in to hear more about his journey towards being an authentic and practising minimalist.
You'll recognize our guest for this week, @mrprofessor, by his quirky style as well as his down-to-basics mindset. A man who needs little to be happy, his only minimalist "guilty pleasure" are his many pets (which, we think, don't count as a rule break for the minimalist ethos!).
We got to chatting with @mrprofessor over the past few weeks, and (beside much fun) here's what came out!
"This one's about as far as I went into the minimalist lifestyle." @mrprofessor
: While minimalism may appear cut and dry from the outside, we know it takes many different forms. To start things off, could you explain what minimalism means to you, specifically?
@mrprofessor : I first heard of minimalism when someone pointed that out by saying "you are so minimalistic". Intrigued with the term — and kinda feeling that was a friendly way of calling me a hobo —, to the dictionary I went. Only then I discovered the trend. Or should I say... found the group of people who think alike? Anyways. In one word, minimalism for me means practicality. In more words: I don't want to spend extra time deciding what to wear, for example. Or spend time taking dust off stuff whose only purpose is to fill shelves. Minimalism means optimizing time and space; not necessarily avoiding consumerism like the wildest minimalists out there.
: We love a good origin story. How did you first get started with minimalism? What were some deciding factors? Was it a gradual shift or an abrupt change? Tell us a bit about that.
@mrprofessor : I truly embraced minimalism more consciously on my first hitchhiking experience to Patagonia. I had no schedule nor a vague idea of how long that trip would last, so, packing the necessary to live outdoors forced me into the extreme end of hobo lifestyle minimalism. Two months wandering, living in a tent, cooking on a small cooker, washing clothes in rivers and so on, taught me to be practical. Life felt different on the return. I suddenly saw no point in having a pile of t-shirts and a bunch of jeans (worst piece of clothing ever... heavy, difficult to wash, doesn't dry quickly). From that point on I began to donate a bunch of stuff and only kept sports-like-quick-dry-easy-to-wash ones. More trips happened after that. Again, got rid of more trinkets on the return. In the meantime I moved to a new home twice, which further reinforced the importance of keeping only the necessary — because filling boxes sucks. As said, deciding factor is practicality. If I need to move again for whatever reason, It won't take more than a few hours to pack and go.
: Drastic changes bring about new wisdom. What was one thing you learned, after embracing minimalism, that perhaps surprised you?
@mrprofessor : It surprises me how minimalism makes us masters of optimizing resources, time, and space and how people who are not like us don't understand our lifestyle. How do we tell our aunt that we don't need a t-shirt for Christmas? Or explain that tennis shoes are fine for that fancy family party (when we even show up for such event). Or find an excuse to avoid graduation parties, marriage or any event that requires wearing a fancy suit (that we don't have and won't buy).
: How has your alternative lifestyle affected your role in your community? Was it a reason for conflict, help you make new friends, etc.?
@mrprofessor : Pretty sure my friends think I'm a hobo {jokes}.
It's more of an inner conflict to find a balance between wanting to minimize life and being an utter jerk. You see, I talked a lot about material minimalism (of having less stuff), but never mentioned other forms of minimalism. In my view, swapping noisy parties for quieter gatherings with friends is a way of minimalism, for example. Moving to a smaller town to minimize time spent in traffic is another example. Shrinking out list of friends because some people no longer fit our lifestyle too. Sometimes people call me anti-social when I simply want to minimize noise. Other times I have to compromise my piece not to be anti-social. Do you get it? That's how it affects my life in a social way.
: Who inspired you? Whether it was someone you knew (online or in the “real world”) or some personality you followed online, the author you’d read, etc., who was your no. 1 (human) reason to choose minimalism?
@mrprofessor : I don't think there's a person directly behind my decision to minimize life. Sailing stories inspired me to travel, which, then, led me into the whole practical way of living. If I had to mention someone that would be Brazilian sailor Amyr Klink (sailor and author of several books).
: Minimalism can act a bit like a rolling snowball. One minute, you’re throwing out extra placemats, the next, you’re transitioning to a completely off-grid (perhaps nomadic) lifestyle. Does that statement apply to your personal experience, and how much of it was planned? In other words, did you start downsizing to go off-grid/travelling, or did you spiral deeper into that world, the more you embraced it?
@mrprofessor : At some point I went full deep into the downsizing idea, mainly because I was backpacking (then crossed Europe on a bicycle...) Well, under such conditions you pack what you can carry and any extra gram costs a lot of energy. For months end I lived outdoors, camping, cooking in nature and was sure I could do that for ever. But we get tired eventually. I believe nothing is planned in my life; ideas are constantly changing. Van life? Maybe. Building an off-grid base at the ranch? Would do that. I certainly don't see myself going full nomadic again, but who knows? Let's say I spiraled deep into that world and then came back to my senses {laughs}.
: Some people find it a scary leap to this alt lifestyle. There’s a concern that if we ditch modern, materialistic dogma, we’ll find ourselves isolated. What was your experience with that?
@mrprofessor : I don't have any social media (only chat apps). Am I isolated? Err.. kinda digitally dead. I discovered that some friends no longer contact me otherwise, unless I call (or they call). It's better that way, because it's a lot more intense when we gather. I thought about ditching the cellphone entirely, but that's too scary. Anyways. We'll never be isolated; there's always someone like us to connect to. Unless one goes to Siberia, in that case you are pretty much f@#%ed.
: Minimalism and parenthood can often be a tricky mix. If you are raising (or raising) your children as minimalists, what were some things you wish you’d known? In what ways do you feel it improved your children’s experience growing up?
@mrprofessor : Not a dad yet. Want to be. Scariest pre-dad part is finding a way to get the kids away from the cellphone. Future wife, if you are reading this, we gotta sit and sort this out together.
: Finally, a bit of a classic. What’s some practical advice you’d give someone just contemplating a minimalist/alternative lifestyle right now?
@mrprofessor : If you have contemplated an alternative lifestyle it's because something in life bugs you. Nobody gets to this point because an influencer told them to. Gotta find what's valuable in your life and go for it.
As a backpacker/cycle-tourer I'd say: never buy the biggest backpack, because you'll want to fill it with unnecessary crap. That statement serves for a lot of things in life.
Thank you so much to @mrprofessor for the inspiring words and for taking the time to share her journey with us.
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