Less is Exactly the Same as More

Hand Painted Paper Collage

There have been many books, articles and podcasts on the topic of the minimalist lifestyle. ‘Less is more’ is often their mantra. I have a different perspective on this idea after letting go of some it items in my wardrobe. Stay with me because at first you might think I’ve lost my ability to reason. And if you follow this to the end, I think you will find something you can truly relate to.

Here in the northwestern part of the US, the bone chilling temperatures of winter are a stark contrast to the heat and humidity that marks the summer season. For this reason, I have two different sets of clothing. My cozy turtlenecks and sweaters take up residence in my dresser and closet for half the year and my tanks, shorts and sundresses take up the same space in warmer weather. I have curated these seasonal clothes into three bins and have a streamlined process for the exchange process.

This year it became apparent that several items in the swap just didn’t fit the way I wanted them to. With the training for backpacking and strength training that I have in my exercise regiment my muscles have grown. This is not a problem except that some of the clothes I used to wear are uncomfortable now. So, I tried on everything. If it didn’t fit. look good or feel good it went into a bag for donation to local non-profits. There were a lot of things I really liked in that bag. And there were several things I liked that still fit as well.

The task was complete and I came to this realization. Every item that remained was something that I liked already. These were all the things I was wearing most of the time because they were the most comfortable. It’s no fun to wear an uncomfortable outfit. You feel self conscious and annoyed the whole time, which sucks some of the fun out of whatever you’re doing.

When I looked at my donation bag it would have been easy to say, well time to go shopping and get some new clothes. Instead, I realized that I had plenty of things that were flattering and that I was happy to wear. Not going on a quest to replace things was like letting go of a weight. No running around, no expense, no feeling that my closet lacked anything in a particular category. And here’s what happened next…

I felt so good about having fewer items of clothing that I took a good hard look at the studio. Surely there were things in there that I didn’t need. People have given me fabric over the years that I have stored. They don’t speak to me, inspire me or even appeal to me. Yet, I have given them free rent in my creative space. Why? I don’t know. Now I understand that I can (and should) let them go without guilt or fear that I will run out of fabric. I have lots of fabric and there are businesses out there who are making more fabric every day.

There were a few other supplies that also didn’t inspire me. They were evicted. No drama, no guilt, no telling myself that I had spent money on those.

When I look into my closet, dresser drawers and my studio, I now realize that the things that have been removed were the things I wasn’t wearing or using in my creative process. I had exactly the same amount of clothes. I wasn’t wearing the clothing items that were donated anyway. They were taking up space. The art supplies and fabric that were removed from my studio in no way changed the amount of supplies I had to use. In fact, removing them brought to the forefront the fabrics and supplies that are my favorites.

If you love everything in your wardrobe and studio equally, you have the right amount of stuff. However, if there are clothes you always bypass for some reason or another, let them go. You are never going to start using them. If there are supplies to have because you needed them for a class, or wanted to try them, or never got around to using them and you continue to be uninspired by them, pass them along. If there is anything in your life that you own but never use, not having it will not change your life. (although it might change your storage overflow for the better) I believe that letting go of the things that aren’t useful, inspiring, or enhancing your life will not leave you feeling like you have less. You will see that you own less and you have exactly the same amount of useful, inspiring and life enhancing things you had before.

Maybe you have your wardrobe dialed in and your studio supplies in perfect alignment with your process. Maybe there are no extra gadgets in your kitchen. No marinade that you bought once, didn’t like and kept in the fridge even though you probably will never us it again. No shoes that pinch. However, if any of these are getting rent free housing, I promise you that kicking them out will not leave you with less. You will have the exact same things to wear, use and enjoy as you had before.

Thanks for hearing me out. I hope you found something useful here. I also hope you remove something that helps you rediscover something you have but forgot about.

Hand Painted Paper Collage