Sarah Lazarovic wants to remind you that it is okay to like your clothes, and to that I say, "thanks for the reminder, Sarah Lazarovic," because sometimes I feel guilty for liking my stuff. 'Cause it's just stuff, you know? Isn't liking it materialistic and shallow to like things? Shouldn't I be trying to attain a more ascetic lifestyle? Why is there so much stuff on the walls in my room? Why are there so many clothes in my closet? Why do I have so much stuff on my nightstand? Let's not even get started on the sheer number of blankets, pillows, and yes, stuffed animals on my bed. And I like all of these things! I'M A MONSTER.
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| DID MY ACTIONS MAKE THIS SADNESS HAPPEN?! |
But no, Sarah Lazarovic is here to tell us that it is okay to like your stuff. She acknowledges that getting dressed is a viable outlet for creativity, a statement she accompanies with illustrations following her evolving fashion-sense from preteen to teen years, which reminded me of my own weird fashion sense when I was a pre/teen (there were a couple years where I refused to wear jeans and only wore black but was decidedly not goth, it was an odd time). She ALSO wants us to be mindful consumers, and to prioritize a kind of consumerism that builds community. Everybody loves building community. Something else I love: hierarchy of needs-esque graphs and Sarah Lazarovic includes one of those, how excellent:
For a very short book full of illustrations, this little tome packs in a lot of insight. I handed it off to both of my sisters as well as my ma, and they all appreciated it. It makes me think I should probably read some Gretchen Rubin because a) I have never read any of her books, and b) my mom who is a smart and voracious reader really likes Gretchen Rubin. A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy, summed up: it is okay to like your stuff, clothing is/can be creative, share stuff with your pals, remember that buying quality is almost always better than buying quantity, and maybe we should all avoid impulse internet shopping.
ahhhh I just finished getting lectured from a friend about decluttering so I just got rid of a bunch of my stuff and now I'm being told that it's okay to like your stuff I AM SO CONFUSED
ReplyDeleteYES DECLUTTERING IS IMPORTANT DO NOT LISTEN TO GLYNIS
DeleteBut also I think it's more, the stuff you have you're allowed to like. Which the author of the Japanese Magical Tidying book kiiind of says? Meaning she says only keep things that give you joy.
oh. whew. I was going to postpone decluttering session #2 - what I get stuck on is that I hold on to stuff just because I know that they're good quality things / brand names, but you're right, if they don't reaaaaally give me joy, what's the point in keeping them? I'll keep the stuff I do have (and like, because it's okay to like them now) but still proceed with session #2 with that in mind BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF STUFF OKAY
DeleteIT IS POSSIBLE I COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SPECIFIC.
DeleteDecluttering is good and I'm a proponent of it! It like what's his face said about only having things you know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. The cross-over area is the Things I Believe to be Beautiful, it is okay to like those things. BUT clutter than is contributing to stress, etc? Hellz no. Get rid o' it. I CONCUR WITH ALICE.
now the million dollar question: are heaps of books considered clutter? Or are they beautiful things and therefore are immune to the Japanese decluttering method?!?!
DeleteBonus question: what is this Japanese decluttering method you speak of?!?!
DeleteSometimes I ask myself if I have too many books, but then I say "nope" because a) I love them, b) they are usually mostly under control shelving-wise, and c) I operate as a one-woman lending library for my pals MY BOOK BUYING PROBLEM BENEFITS OTHER PEOPLE SO IT ISN'T A PROBLEM, THAT'S HOW THIS WORKS, RIGHT?
glynis it's called the "KonMari" method - tons of stuff on google about it :)
DeleteIt's totally not contradictory to like your stuff AND decluttering. I love to declutter, and it makes it so that I'm extra fond of the stuff I don't cull. Like, it made the cut! I must really love it!
ReplyDeleteYes! And it is totally okay to love the things we love! Decluttering makes me feel powerful, and results in me being more thoroughly surrounding by stuff I think it awesome. Basically: it's all good.
DeleteI just had someone recommend that Tidying book that Alice mentioned to me and I was like "Shit, I gotta get rid of my stuff." But...I like a lot of my stuff and I do sometimes feel bad about liking stuff. Yes I will need to look for this one.
ReplyDelete