My Journey to Becoming Uncluttered and Creative Minimalism

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This week is the start of the Uncluttered class by Joshua Becker at Becoming Minimalist. I’ve heard about this class for a couple years now and thought about joining in but it was one of those things I never got around to.

For one, I’m kind of a cheapskate and didn’t want to pay for a class on a subject I figured I could get the same info about by reading a book or two. There are many books about minimalism, a few of which are already in my Kindle library, so figured I was good.

Also, I thought I had a pretty good start on the whole decluttering/minimalism deal. About five years ago I had to move and downsize suddenly. This was my “thrown into the deep end” introduction to getting by with less. The only “minimalism” I’d ever heard of was as a style of art in school, but still I did actually feel better after letting go of a bunch of stuff I didn’t really need.

About a year later I heard about minimalism from “The Minimalists” blog and podcast. From there I discovered other great blogs and podcasts to learn more and get encouragement from, to keep me from rapidly re-burying myself with “stuff.” I still had a way to go and a lot to learn but figured I had it under control – kind of.

But this year when I started seeing mention of the Uncluttered class again, I decided to join in for a several reasons.

I love taking classes, online or in person. I love to learn new things and it’s one of the areas I don’t feel bad spending in. Working through a course a course on decluttering, taught by someone with a minimalist bent was an investment in a learning experience.

I felt my commitment to simplicity had lost some traction over the last few years. Although I’m not a big shopper, “a little something here, and a little something there” has been finding ways into my home without the balance of things leaving It’s time to look again at what I own and identify the things I really need – the things I truly use and enjoy – the things that add value to my life. And it’s more fun to do that with some new friends.

Sometimes it’s good to have a track to run on. Yes, I have books on minimalism, decluttering, organization, etc… Theoretically I could buckle down and use these to come up with my own grand plan. But what are the odds I’ll actually do this on top of all the other things I have going on? Slim to none. I know myself. So I’m good with following the game plan of someone I respect who has already put a lot of time and thought into the “how and why.” The time saved by not trying to reinvent the wheel can be spent doing things I love.

Maybe the biggest reason I want to declutter my physical and non-physical environment as part of a group is to refine my definition of “creative minimalism” – the practice of removing distractions and “noise” to focus on what really matters, with creativity pretty ranking close to the top of the list. I want to hear the thoughts and journeys of others instead of being stuck in my own head, as introverts tend to be. So I’m on this 12 week journey to define and create this “creative minimalist” lifestyle in my mind.

I’ll be sharing my thoughts, adventures/misadventures, takeaways, and useful tips here, so if you want to read more about where minimalism and creativity meet, sign up for my weekly emails to get the latest.

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