Minimalist Journey 01: Discovering the Innate "Click Point" + Finding Yourself

Have you always felt a magnetic pull toward open, clear, minimalist spaces? Isn't there something calming about it? Doesn't the lack of clutter soothe your mind and soul? There's science behind this, and there's a reason why many of the great philosophers throughout history have preached about less being more.

More stuff means more maintenance, and more problems. More stuff clutters the composition of your home and stresses the mind. This doesn't mean someone can't live very happily with thousands of items or in a bit of organized, non-hoarder chaos. I've put countless hours into unraveling my unhealthy relationship with Stuff, in action, and in research. I find there's a natural "click point" where you feel satisfied with the Stuff you have and don't acquire more. I'm deliciously close to the end of my struggle with finding my "click point" and wanted to share some of my crazy journey.

First Apartment, 2006

When I first moved out about a decade ago the apartment felt just right. At the time I simply worked a day job then came home and worked on leisure projects. I explored on the weekends. I lived more, and acquired FAR less.

My Second Apartment, 2009

By this time I was a copywriter working long hours and spent nearly all of my free time on building side businesses. (See a full tour of the living room here.) The amount of things I owned started to grow..and grow...and grow... Not that it looked disorganized on the surface. It always looked clean because I had a huge hallway closet and a little carport outside to hide my stuff in! It was at this apartment that I'd evolve from regular blogger to "thrift" blogger to reseller. I was stressed and my space reflected my internal chaos. (Final photo in the shots above from moving day.)

My Current Apartment, Early Years, 2012

Since moving to this apartment it was mission; unload! Much on the shelves was merchandise, but a lot of it was mine, too! I had my "office" (spare bedroom) for a few days before my best friend needed a place to stay and moved in. (An AWESOME turn of events.) Much time was dedicated to figuring out how to live with all of the merchandise required for me to make a living as a reseller. (See when I first moved in.)

Merchandise lived in my pantry, kitchen cabinets, wherever I could get it out of the way. I shifted from tactic to tactic and looked for spaces to rent locally but all the options were too expensive, which would require MORE stuff to pay the rent...

The Beginning of the End, 2013-2014

Eventually my then-boyfriend let me use his sunroom to store my merchandise! (See the full tour here.) I sold and sold like mad until it all fit back into my apartment easily.  I often confessed that reselling was driving me crazy. I soul searched and realized although I adore vintage, my love with my business was related to the creative/design side. I loved taking beautiful pictures and curating the line, not toting merchandise from place, to place, to place! I wanted a light, easy future. I worked hard and sold off as much merchandise as possible and transitioned to different income sources.

Looking back through the posts, it's amazing how much I've sold in my life. Thousands of items! It's been a long, confusing journey to get where I am now with my home and my life. Doing the KonMari method, Feng Shui and reading loads on the psychology of why we buy + minimalism manifestos helped me realize why I impulse purchased at thrifts. You move out of your natural "click point" and it can take a lot of work and soul searching to get back to it.

When I help people get their life back on track by getting rid of what they don't need I see their souls light up, I see them find their purpose, and it's incredible. I hope I can help anyone else who needs it via this series on the blog. (Or anyone who needs help locally, I already surprisingly have a couple of potential clients!) If you feel 100% content with your life, maybe you don't need any of this. But if you know in your heart something is wrong, or you know your clutter has reached an uncomfortable amount, keep coming back to read more!

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