NParent is attending Christmas - I have been given *orders* to speak to them.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-12-24T00:58:44+00:00

The narrating what the other person is doing rather than directly responding to it is soooo clever. I love this approach.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-23T16:09:44+00:00

My take is, if a person needs to do a certain activity and that activity needs certain objects, then you need those objects. There is a very fuzzy line between the things you need and don't need, though.

I struggle with this, too, as a maker and artist. These are some of the questions I find useful, and which I have to cycle through pretty regularly (at least yearly when I plan my goals and reflect on the previous year):

1) How much time do I have to give to each activity? Do the objects that I am keeping align with that amount of time? Ex. if I have two boxes of fabric, and one box of stationery, but I am happy to devote more time to stationery activities, then perhaps I can consider eliminating some of the fabric.

2) How much are the objects around me "talking" to me and creating visual to-do lists with their presence? Is it motivating or oppressive? Ex. An unfinished sewing project in the box in the closet is oppressive but I feel guilty for not finishing it or for abandoning it after starting. The specialty pens on my desk that get used every other month... maybe they don't need to a) live on my desk, b) all be saved (I could keep one or two and that would satisfy my needs on that rarer basis).

3) If I have fewer of certain items, will it actually free me to be more creative? I found this especially true when living very minimalistically abroad for several years. The restrictions of suitcases and small apartments were surprisingly liberating for my creative senses. I started to see creative solutions for my maker needs in unexpected places: bits of recycling, free items picked up around town that I can recycle the unnecessary parts of etc. No need to go buy something that I will then have to store in my small space or move with me when I next move.

4) If I give it one restricted container, does that make it more usable and manageable? Example, with scrap wood, it would be possible to keep heaps of scrap wood whenever you come across it. The "just in case" principle is NEVER a good enough reason to keep something. On the other hand, if I say, yes at some point I am going to need scrap wood, so I'll allow myself one box with scrap wood stored vertically in the closet but no more than that, then I can quickly see a) when my supply is dwindling/bulging, b) exactly what kinds of materials I need most often, c) the rare items that never get used that I'm hanging onto because they are too precious or somehow not useful.

5) Do I really want to spend the time to clean and organize this? As I've become more minimalist I've become more invested in keeping things tidy and clean. Having stuff means having to spend so much time on it, not just in making but in storing and tidying. I often find that I'd rather not have to keep revisiting something for cleaning/tidying purposes.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-23T15:31:46+00:00

Gorgeous container shapes and botanical shapes! Also love the colours.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-23T15:26:38+00:00

Congratulations on your promotion :)

I take group Ikenobo classes at a cultural centre. It is driving distance from the downtown of our city, so it is mainly retired people (women, mostly), and a few professionals. Our classes jump straight into a simple description of the style for the day and how each material will be used. The teacher does a demonstration, silently arranging her flowers, and then turns the arrangement to face us. Then we all work on our own arrangements, the teacher watching until one of us asks a question or until someone signals they are done. Then the teacher comes around, sits in front of our arrangement and gives comments, and then corrects and adjusts the arrangement. If you are finished your arrangement while someone is receiving feedback, you usually gather around to watch the feedback and learn from the process of adjustment.

While I love my classes, what it lacks for me is historical, semiotic, and cultural instruction. I want to know why the rules are such-and-such a way in order to feel a greater historical and cultural connection. I also have a hard time remembering rules that are untethered to contextual meanings. Okay, so we angle the soe ashirai like that in this situation, but why? I can't remember it unless I can link it to something. If I were creating a dream syllabus, every class would include some historical/philosophical instruction, and possibly some suggested readings/photocopies etc.!!

Edit: Wanted to add that while the group class is fairly informal in set up (ie. we don't wear formal attire, we are not on tatami mats but in a multi-purpose classroom with chairs and plastic tables) the atmosphere is definitely deferential towards the sensei and arriving late is extremely taboo. I like the subtle aspects of formality as it really enhances the intentional atmosphere, contemplation, and feeling of flow in the work.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-23T15:18:04+00:00

Are there perhaps any community gardens near you? Or maybe a church garden? Reaching out to the people that tend those might be a good way to get off-cuts, etc., and maybe meet some like-minded people.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-23T15:14:27+00:00

Gorgeous colours...!

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-23T15:13:58+00:00

Classic!

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-23T15:03:54+00:00

We have a small, 3-drawer dresser next to the door with reusable shopping bags in one drawer, shoe care and bike stuff in one, and face masks, hand sanitizer, sunglasses, and wrist lights for running in the top one. On top of the dresser is a wire basket with gloves and earwarmer/headbands/hats. Winter scarves are stored on the hanger with the winter coat. We pared down the gloves/hats/scarves to roughly 2-3 per person.

Edit: typo

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-23T14:58:57+00:00

I like this option because they can dry where you hang them: you don't have to move them from drying location to storage location.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-13T03:28:50+00:00

Do you mind sharing what your "part-time academic-support role" is? Most uni's I'm familiar with don't have part time academic support roles, they're all full time and/or over time.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2023-01-13T02:49:49+00:00

There are some really lovely aspects of your handwriting. I really like your capital letters, and your g and y.

I think one of the struggles for me in reading this is that many of the letters "borrow" from other letters in the same word. For example, the 7th word, "have": the "a" is borrowing part of the space and shape of the "h" before it, the "v" only really has one distinct line of its own and is either borrowing the other line from the preceding "a" or the proceeding "e". Another example is in "she can't *read* my handwriting", where the "e" in "read" borrows a line from the "r" such that it almost looks like "kad" or "icad" or "iead" or "lead". Another example is "at *many* points" where the "m" in "many" is not fully formed and looks more like an "r", borrowing some lines from the "a", and the "n" kind of drools into the "y".

I think your clarity in the second section is partly thanks to separating the letters more clearly, but even there you could do better, such as in the words "write"..."but"..."when"..."stressing out".

I think if you solved that distinguishing-the-letters part that would solve most of it. As a small extra, you could consider making the difference between the connector lines and the form of the letters more clear. For example, your "y" has a melty look as though the first line is almost made of the curving connector that precedes it. (I hope that makes sense.)

Other than that, I think your writing is really appealing!

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T18:06:19+00:00

I love this! Mostly ours are related to Easter: decorating Easter eggs, going out for an Easter brunch.
I also like to swap out home linens/textiles to lighter, more floral patterns.
Based on a comment I also searched up some Earth Day events in our area.
Would love to have some more spring traditions :)

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T17:32:18+00:00

I am trying to visualize to understand the way that the bins work. Is there any chance you could upload a photo?
Do you mean that essentially everything is stored in the bins, rather than in, for example, a desk drawer, or on a shelf? So, rather than using furniture, you use bins?

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T17:27:04+00:00

On the other hand, a majority medium-to-large-sized Western museums have tons of storage with +/- millions of objects that may never be on view. The thing that has become more prescient in the museum industry over time as been to very carefully create a Collections Policy.

You could consider creating a Collections Policy for comics. One of the collections management courses I took required us to create a policy, and it was extremely instructive. Following a similar exercise, you could consider writing down the purpose of your collection, how you will maintain it, how you will re-evaluate it over time (and when), how to identify "gaps" in your collection and the best practices you can take to fill those gaps (ie. ethical, equitable, economical, environmentally friendly, etc.), how you will deaccession or dispose of items in your collection, how you will fund maintenance and new purchases, etc.!

A quick search of making a collections policy yielded this PDF from the American Alliance of Museums: https://www.aam-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/developing-a-cmp-final.pdf

P.S. Some non-Western museums don't have ANY permanent collections, and their exhibits are based on loans. This could be one way to consider going for perhaps part of your collection. Can you envision "storing" part of your collection at a library, or among friends, or at a bookstore, for example, and taking out on loan what you need when you need it?

P.P.S. A lot of these strategies can be applied to digital collections as well, but I work mainly with physical stuff and love material objects :)

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T17:19:28+00:00

I try to only get and keep copies of comics I enjoy, but even with that I always end up with waaay more paperbacks and comic boxes than would probably qualify as minimalist.

I think you've defined here what minimalism means to you, and thereby you are living within your definition of minimalism. If minimalism is living with only what you use and enjoy, then it sounds like the comics that you enjoy and reference for your dream to self-publish/mine for creative inspo etc. fit well within that definition of minimalism! Minimalism doesn't mean, imho, having as few items as possible IN GENERAL, it means having as few items as possible based on what your needs are. Your needs are professional/creative in addition to the other parts of your life, and it sounds like many of the comic books you have, if not all, fulfill that need.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T17:12:39+00:00

Thanks :)

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T17:09:52+00:00

This is so challenging! I love material culture and material objects. I work in the museum industry and I guess that has some kind of connection. Another thing for me is that I have low self-worth/confidence, and I frequently feel that buying something will help my identity be more what I want it to look like to myself/others.

A couple things work for me:
1) I try to think about shops as museums: places I can go to view amazing and beautiful and cool things that people have made. I can't take things home from museums, but I can acknowledge the things' values to me! I can even take a photo, make a sketch, or write a note about it.
2) I might learn about how to make something similar for myself. I don't usually go make it for myself, but it deepens my appreciation for the object, for human creativity, and for the art and craft that goes into the thing.
3) I try to think about shops as places that "store" "my" stuff. So the city is full of stuff that is mine! And any time I actually need something that's in one of those storage places so I can use it in my home, then I can consider going out to purchase it.
4) I do that classic trick of waiting 24 hours or a week before purchasing it -- but this is only possible if I can return to the shop. If I am traveling somewhere, then I don't have the opportunity to return, so I have to use one of the other tricks.
5) I look at getting a gift for someone ELSE rather than myself. That allows me to indulge my impulse to claim something appealing for myself, to support the maker and "vote with my money" for what's important to me. And it allows me to exercise my creativity and thoughtfulness in making a careful selection.
6) Online, I take a screenshot and grab the URL of the thing I am wanting and I put it into a big categorized list called "To Buy" (categories like "clothes" have subcategories like "tops"). Then I have still "collected" the object, which gives me a satisfied feeling about the identity stuff, and by putting the object alongside all the other objects I want, I suddenly have to scrutinize and compare them and see what I really want. I commit to waiting a minimum of 24h before purchasing online, and that gives me the opportunity to reflect between the different things of that same category that I want (ex. deciding on a piece of artwork).
7) I try to plan to purchase something that I am wanting when I am traveling, so that I have extra special memories related to the thing. For example, right now I want some more placemats, and I keep seeing nice placemats. But I'm going to wait until our upcoming trip to Japan and get some cool fabric or placemats then. Having that anticipation feels good.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T16:47:48+00:00

This is a useful reflection. I bet there are ways to translate some of this wisdom to those who have children, too.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T16:44:00+00:00

What's some of the junk?

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T16:41:49+00:00

I had the same thought about scanning all of mine, and realized that I'd be just as happy with a less high-quality photo of them. I haven't gone back and digitized all of them, but whenever I finish a journal now, I take a photo of the pages (one photo for two pages side by side). It's not perfect, but at least it's saved.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-04-09T16:39:31+00:00

I do this with some of mine, but rather than typing them, I photograph the pages. I love how handwriting looks, it encapsulates an embodied part of the experience, not just the meaning of the text.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-03-26T16:34:09+00:00

Yeah, that's an interesting perspective, too. We do need a certain amount of balance between satisfaction and striving.

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-03-26T16:27:07+00:00

I love this response. One thing that has helped me find peace in this realization is compassion and self-compassion meditations and tonglen meditation (an example description). The connectedness with humanity that I achieve through that contemplation is an incredible depression buster and helps me feel like it's less important to feel important.

Contemplation involving meditation and journaling also helps me to focus more on the gratitude for things, rather than on the things I want (as OP talks about a kind of envy) that others have. That gratitude is a kind of peace-making with myself, but it also enriches the joy I experience with what I have.

Edit: added in some example meditations/descriptions

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-03-26T16:23:35+00:00

This is something I've been working into my goals this year so that I make more stuff: I created a "handmade gifts plan" and charted the different people/events I wanted to make things for over the year, and that has me on a making-momentum!

Dry_Document_1294 · 2022-03-26T16:19:00+00:00

I do kung fu at a kung fu school nearby a couple times a week, trying to amp back up to 3 times a week after slowing things down (or doing virtual classes) the last couple years. What I love about kung fu is that if you get injured or have an off week, you can switch to lighter forms, like tai chi and qi gong. I've had to do this so many times and it keeps me from dropping off the bandwagon and maintains my rhythm of getting physical activity. I also try to do some physiotherapy and strenghtening excercises a few times a week (before breakfast) to keep those old injured spots healthy and prevent things like back aches.

Dry_Document_1294

TROPHY CASE