Minimalist Reset in Our New Home

Ana Goldberg
by Ana Goldberg

This past week I gave myself a haircut, took some drawing classes, knit half of a slipover top, and got a new home in Tbilisi.


I still cannot believe our luck and cannot process how all the circumstances had to intertwine for us to get the best long-term rental we’ve ever had. Brian is 46, I am 41, and we have never had a better home.

Bags
We arrived with severely downsized belongings and God provided much more than we expected. I still cannot believe it’s all for real. Everything here makes me feel like I’m being taken care of and we all need this feeling, you know.


Cheese grater
Of course, we had to buy a few extra things and purchases are still pending, we don’t want to rush with it and make life work with what we are provided with so far.


Light fitting
Shelves

This whole new space and new life chapter made me wonder if I’ll stay as minimalist as I've been.


That’s what I want to chat about today–the transition from being a nomad minimalist to a regular minimalist with a home and a lot of storage space – which, by the way, doesn’t have to be filled up completely.

Trinket tin
Blanket

The joy that comes from things needs to be celebrated through using them.


My wardrobe has considerably shrunk but I’m so happy with all the items that I kept. They are the most meaningful and beautiful things. This colder season I dress the same every day and it frees up so much space.

Clothes in closet

New ideas and fresh thoughts are so much more important than brand new store-bought clothes. I have items on my short wish list because I don’t want to buy too many things. I want to maintain that sense of freedom.

Wearing glases
Collar

I want to experiment with accessories and style but in a minimalist and sustainable way through hand-making items, thrifting, and repurposing.


Lack can trigger positive changes. I want to focus on how I live through my days, not on the things that I think I lack. Currently, I’m in sort of a personal crisis but it’s not a bad feeling, it’s an incentive to change.


My surroundings changed and I want to welcome some crucial changes within, as well. Now, finally, I have time and space to walk through all the traumas and losses of the past three years and process them. I’ll take the useful and optimistic insights along on my journey and declutter everything else.


I feel a bit empty, just like the wardrobe drawers here but it’s a good contemplative and inviting emptiness.

Pencils

Things do have a special power over us and rejecting it hardly promotes personal growth. I need things to live fully, to develop my potential, to express myself, and to pour myself into. This type of self-realization is very important regardless of age, gender, or social status.


There’s always a dilemma with consuming and creating. Consumption and consumerism are promoted so much that it’s difficult to resist.


If you are reading this, you are probably trying to be somewhat different from the consumerist crowd.

Pencils
E-book

Minimalist reset

Instead of adopting a black-and-white or all-or-nothing kind of thinking, maybe we can consume to create. Maybe we can make consumption active rather than passive.


Buy a new pen and a new journal if they help you write and contemplate this year. Buy new paper to give drawing a try. Watch films or videos to get inspired, read to learn more about the world.


I’m very thankful to have this space and home where I feel safe to make, to think, and to be. I can then decide how minimalist I would like to be. Share your thoughts and ideas with me about consumption and creating in general.


Next, check out these 6 Important Minimalist Lessons That Will Transform Your Life.

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