maybe i am minimalist after all

I’ve long maintained that while I share some of its philosophies, I’m not really minimalist, at least according to any popular understanding of the term. First, I admire less and less the minimalism of aesthetic today’s world has been worshiping more and more. Whitespace can be lovely, in moderation, but I like a little texture. A little detail. A little noise. The commercialized minimalist aesthetic feels… empty. A void. A canvas someone forgot to paint on. Maybe that’s why people like me plaster laptop lids and water bottles in stickers. Minimalism shouldn’t hinder the expression of identity—rather, it is an outlet for that expression. One of the first applications of “minimalism” I remember is of people trying to own only the essentials—sometimes limiting themselves to an arbitrary number of belongings. I appreciate the sentiment behind this, and done with the right intentions it can become a practice I admire. Many times when visiting relatives I notice the sheer amount of…