Minimalism

Collecting is in our basic human nature, since we are first born we are taught to have both emotional relationships and attachments with objects; usually a cuddly toy or comfortable blanket for sense of security. As we get older, those objects we collect change to things such as stamps, coins or ornaments and collecting becomes a pleasurable activity. I am curious to find out why we, being complex human beings, feel the need to collect, to how collecting can have a negative influence on us and why minimalism can be a much more beneficial lifestyle choice for our mental wellbeing.  

A habit that is uniquely human, started 12,000 years ago when our ancestors settled down for homes and evoked an assemblage of items that helped them get through day to day life. Gathering now, has become a conscious fault in our life choices. It is concerning that as much as one in three people in the UK collect 'something' which breaks down to one third of our population having a strong sentimental connection with objects –we have deliberately distanced ourselves from our peers and instead, turned to our possessions for attachment.  

According to some psychological studies, we tend to collect as an approach to fill emotional voids, for example; feeling unloved and unappreciated as a child gives us greater tendencies to start excessively hoarding in the future as if we fail to gain comfort in family and friends,our focus is then directed towards objects, which are incapable of rejecting us.  In addition to this, there is a clear association between self-esteem and materialism.If, in our childhood years we got bullied for being underprivileged, which is based on our parents income, later in life we see that when one is in charge of their own finances they are more likely to buy things that make them seem like they are well-off and want to broadcast these possessions to society dueto existing anxieties that were developed by getting picked on.

For certain groups of people, largely based on their career paths, collecting can be essential. Artists definitely fit into that association, gathering is a crucial part of their practice. A remarkably large number of artists I have had the pleasure to speak with over the years happen to own some sort of storage unit or shed, even multiple sheds to keep their findings in. If a practitioner was asked the question of why they need so many things their reply would be that they might need it in the future, it could be argued that this is a form of hoarding. 

Many artists will take ownership in a collection that is known by the name Wunderkammer - also referred to as a cabinet of curiosities. Artists such as Damien Hirst work widely on the idea of collecting in a positive manner, Hirst's Stubbed Out Love (1993) had an extraordinary impact on a smoker, someone who is usually associated with odour and serious illnesses, whose home is imagined to be filled with ashtrays topped with discoloured cigarette ends, has been glorified and shown from a completely different angle. I can now agree that if a collection is a work of art and can be put into context, it should be accepted and even appreciated. 

People often do not realise that they are hoarders, in a Netflix documentary; World of Compulsive Hoarders (2007) it was said that one in two-hundred Brits are hoarders, so in total there are 300,000 hoarders in the UK alone. When we think of a hoarder we picture someone who lives in a pile of trash and does not throw anything away, that is correct however a hoarder can also be an individual who is convinced that they can find emotional happiness in a large number of expensive Louis Vuitton bags - although that happiness is never found, that individual does not think of them-self as a hoarder, but in reality anyone who spends a lot of time and money on inessential things should be considered as one.

Most of us will continuously spend money on physical things that in reality we do not need - we buy fashionable clothes because we are made to think that they are trendy and that they will make us socially acceptable, we buy ornaments, we buy cushions and bags because they look ‘nice' and we spend a fortune on overpriced watches purely because they are expensive. Where does that leave us? It leaves us in a materialistic empty world, where we are truly alone surrounded by things that may have brought us a slight amount of happiness for a limited time. 

As author, Leo Babuta in Minimalism (2015) states, 

"No matter how much stuff we buy and how many different fads that we try we don't become a whole new person. We keep looking. This hunger never gets fulfilled." 

Minimalism is a way of being that eliminates that ‘fake' happiness from our lives. Having thought a lot about what actually brings us happiness it came to my realisation that in a common conversation starter; 

“If your house suddenly caught on fire, what would you grab as you fled out the door?”

This is often answered with “my photo album”because the thing we actually treasure in life is the memories that we have made. However, this is all down to what kind of person we actually are, for a photographer - like myself, a camera along with a laptop would be priority as these days, a lot of our crucial personal information as well as photographs are stored there digitally. A pet owner would save their pets first and anyone, if not under too much pressure from the fire in their home, would think to grab their passport and money. A hoarder would find that situation very hard to deal with where as a minimalist would immediately know the few things to take that they need for survival.

The idea of temporality is a significant part in being a minimalist, it is not important how many physical items we own – what is important is the things we have done, things that are now a collection of memories rather than a stack of things sitting in the attic, so more like a mentally stored Wunderkammer. Photographs are a reminder of those gatherings that we are capable of storing visually within ourselves. 

As Lee Hughes states in Minimalism & Happiness Through Scientific Eyes;

“Money can buy short term happiness but you will eventually turn to your level of happiness before financial gain. This puts you in a vicious materialistic circle in which you strive to achieve long term happiness through the constant purchase of material items.”

It is important to understand that minimalism is a state of mind rather than for what it is mistaken for which is a set of rules. When people think of minimalism they assume that it is based on ‘sacrificing' things but in truth it is an elimination of the unnecessary. Not to be mistaken that minimalists do not spend any money at all, as money is for spending it would make no sense and would be impossible to live a life in which zero money is spent. A 2008 study from Dunn et all explains that there is a strong link between how we spend money and the level of our happiness. Spending money on a friend's lunch and putting a smile on their face contrasting with buying yourself a new t-shirt that you will most likely get bored of in a matter of weeks and even days gives you a completely different measure of happiness. You are more likely to remember and treasure the time you have treated your friend to lunch - that is because with that memory will come conversation and good company, with a purchase of a t-shirt, the only thing you are left with in the end is the actual item. 

In society today, it is directed to us to spend, advertisement and wealthy companies manipulate us to believe we need whatever they are trying to sell us. We have became a whole new level of materialistic, it is truly extremely difficult to get out of this mind set that is forced upon us as it is everywhere. The important thing to do is remember to reassess our priorities when we are about to make a purchase of any kind, ask ourselves “do I really need this”and “will this purchase bring me happiness”because at the end of the day, happiness is what we all thrive for.

There is a thin line between collecting as a pleasurable activity and being a materialist or a hoarder, it is beneficial for us to recognise the collector in ourselves and re-think if that is really the way we want to be. I would argue that minimalism should be more encouraged in society where consumerism is taking over and we are losing the true meaning of happiness within piles of clothes or ornaments we purchase. An artist who may be a proud owner of a Wunderkammer may also be a minimalist, as stated before being a minimalist is not a set of given rules - be the minimalist you need yourself to be. Acknowledgement of the vital importance of self is what as society we should be doing, knowing that staying true to ourselves and not looking for comfort and acceptance in items is a great first step to happiness. Having less things can ironically mean that we actually have more of what we need.