AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES: @george-dee
Hello and welcome to the MINIMALIST interview series, an initiative to turn the spotlight on the genuine, practising minimalists in our midst.
Aspiring minimalist @honeydue here.
Though I'm drawn to the minimalist ethos, I'm aware I've got a long way to go before I can call myself a true minimalist.
This is why I love this community. It allows me to interact with and learn from people who've embraced the minimalist lifestyle. I want to know how they got here. What drove them to minimalism, and what the challenges and rewards have been? What's the point of this platform if we can't learn from and help one another in our journeys?
Driven by a desperate curiosity of what else might be out there, aside from the bland, consumerist, traditional life path, I put down some questions I'm secretly dying to ask my favourite minimalists. And @millycf1976 has been lovely enough to allow it.
So whether you're at a crossroads in life or just curious about what else is out there, maybe you find some value in our interview series. Enjoy!
For our The Minimalist Author Spotlight No. 7, we turn to @george-dee, a friend of this community. Let's tune in to hear more about her journey towards being an authentic and practising minimalist.
I don't think @george-dee needs much of an introduction, being as active a member as he is in our community. Still, here goes. @george-dee is a nature lover at heart with a big passion for cooking and enjoying the simple things that make life so rewarding. He is a talented writer, which explains why talking to him was such fun!
: While minimalism may appear cut and dry from the outside, we know it takes many different forms. To start things off, could you explain what minimalism means to you, specifically?
@george-dee: Minimalism is a way of life for me, it's a practice that has changed my life in so many ways. It's not just about living with less, it is about being myself without the fear of being rejected or falling out of society because of their beliefs and trends.
Minimalism is a path to freedom and happiness, it's actually one of the best that has happened to me.
: We love a good origin story. How did you first get started with minimalism? What were some deciding factors? Was it a gradual shift or an abrupt change? Tell us a bit about that.
@george-dee: Minimalism started for me as a kid, and it wasn't the best of experiences back then. My family had a terrible financial issue sometimes in the year 2000, and we had to relocate from the big city to a new rural environment. I was young, but not too young to remember the transition from the old life to a new one.
We literally had nothing to start with, but mom never showed any weakness. After securing an apartment, mom started growing food, and we survived on her produce before things started getting better.
Years passed, and we were back on our feet. We tried blending into the buzzing lifestyle again and it was easy for everyone except me. It was stressful and I couldn't cope. I preferred to still grow my vegetables, raise birds, fix my things when they got damaged, and did a lot more.
I preferred to live with fewer clothes and furnitures in my room. I always wanted my space to be tidy to the point where I can see every corner at a glance but I never knew my lifestyle had a name. I grew that way because it's comfortable and easy.
A lot of people called me old school, while some thought I was being stingy, but they failed to realize that my lifestyle made me a lot happy.
: Drastic changes bring about new wisdom. What was one thing you learned, after embracing minimalism, that perhaps surprised you?
@george-dee: I always wanted a different life while we were struggling; I envied a lot of kids in the neighborhood back then. I wanted a lot of things they had because I thought it would make me happy, but when I finally got them, it didn't make me as happy as I always imagined.
I succeeded in convincing myself that happiness will come when I have more shoes, clothes, and friends, but it was a blatant lie. The more I got them, the more I felt irritated seeing them laying around in my bedroom. I eventually made the decision to live as simply as possible but never expected myself to be this happy.
I had this different sense of satisfaction with the few things I kept and this was something I couldn't get when I had a lot, I honestly wasn't expecting it.
: How has your alternative lifestyle affected your role in your community? Was it a reason for conflict, help you make new friends, etc.?
@george-dee: Honestly, it wasn't cool, but it didn't bother me. It's my happiness, not others happiness, so I didn't put what people think about my new lifestyle into consideration.
Constantly turning down my friend's idea and giving them mine caused us to argue a lot of times. Slowly, some friends withdrew and just a few of them felt I was making sense. Although they didn't see my lifestyle as the best, they weren't against it, and our friendship is about 17 years now, if I am not mistaken.
I met a few friends, but in the least expected way. I remembered giving a handwritten letter to a friend on her birthday, which she didn't appreciate, but one of her friends liked it and insisted on meeting me. We chat, and she just loved my lifestyle, which was the beginning of our friendship.
The gossip and dark jokes they made never bothered me, I was pretty fine being myself.
: Who inspired you? Whether it was someone you knew (online or in the “real world”) or some personality you followed online, the author you’d read, etc., who was your no. 1 (human) reason to choose minimalism?
@george-dee: I mentioned earlier that I didn't know there was a name for my lifestyle, but that changed when I met Mrs. Phillips, a lecturer in the polytechnic I went to.
She seized my phone because it unexpectedly rang in the classroom, and we somehow got into a conversation when I went to get the phone. After expressing her displeasure about what happened in class, she complimented me for my grade in her course and also said a few things she noticed about me.
Mrs. Phillips is a pure minimalist, and the brief conversation I had with her gave me an idea about minimalism. I moved closer to her because there was a lot I could learn from her, and she became my mentor. We became quite close enough for me to pour out my struggles with emotional baggage, and she gave me a minimalist approach to solving it, which worked.
She made me understand a lot about the minimalist lifestyle, and I bless the day my phone rang during her lecture. (laugh)
: Minimalism can act a bit like a rolling snowball. One minute, you’re throwing out extra placemats, the next, you’re transitioning to a completely off-grid (perhaps nomadic) lifestyle. Does that statement apply to your personal experience, and how much of it was planned? In other words, did you start downsizing to go off-grid/travelling, or did you spiral deeper into that world, the more you embraced it?
@george-dee: I honestly want to travel around the world. I have connected with people who we share the same perspective above life, and meeting them in person will be a dream come true for me, but at the time when I embraced minimalism, seeing the world wasn't on my list.
Despite having less, I still had things I wanted to let go, and the more I understood minimalism, the easier it was for me. Decluttering became a normal thing and I don't think twice because it's definitely the right thing for me to do from time to time.
: Some people find it a scary leap to this alt lifestyle. There’s a concern that if we ditch modern, materialistic dogma, we’ll find ourselves isolated. What was your experience with that?
@george-dee: I really didn't ditch the modern world; I just had a different approach to it because living with less is a lot more fun to me than having excess. I have fun and celebrate in a simpler way, which makes more sense to me.
I have never felt isolated from the world and can't even relate to the disconnection because it's not like I am imprisoned. I spend time in nature, engage with my family on various levels, interact with people in my community, listen to music, and watch movies. I do everything a regular human should do, but my approach might be different.
I do things in a way I find comfortable, and that's okay with me.
: Minimalism and parenthood can often be a tricky mix. If you are raising (or raising) your children as minimalists, what were some things you wish you’d known? In what ways do you feel it improved your children’s experience growing up?
@george-dee: I don't have kids yet, but surely they are going to embrace the minimalist lifestyle, and I won't impose it on them. I have always known that a parent's lifestyle influences their children, and as long as we are happy as a family despite living as a minimalism, they can grow to understand that finding happiness, peace, and freedom has nothing to do with materialistic things.
We will engage a lot in my practice while that are growing, and I believe that's enough from my part as a father.
: Finally, a bit of a classic. What’s some practical advice you’d give someone just contemplating a minimalist/alternative lifestyle right now?
@george-dee: Just do what you think is best for you because it's pointless being a minimalist when you are not sure if that's what you really want for yourself. Minimalist requires dedication before you can feel the impacts of the lifestyle, so when you are doubting, you can't even notice the impact.
You can't regret choosing minimalism but you must be intentional about it else you will be discouraged by people who doesn't understand your lifestyle.
Define what you want, set your goals, and be intentional. If you really want it but you are struggling, look for a community that believes in living with less, and you are on the path to living a happier life.
Thank you so much to @george-dee, it was such a fun interview and I feel like I learned a lot (hope everyone else did, too!
While you're here, please take a moment to observe our updated community rules.
I never knew a time would come for me to share my journey from the early day when I learned about minimalism. Having a community to share this with makes me happy and further connects me to other awesome minimalists on Hive.
It was fun being interviewed and I am glad to put everything out there for people to learn not just about my journey but how much embracing the minimalist lifestyle has influenced me. A big shout out to @honeydue for the interview and @millycf1976 for the great work in the community.
Sending a big to the mods and members of the minimalist community.
It is such a delight to read and learn more about your journey into minimalism and all the inspirations that got you to this beautiful place.🙌 I believe you have grown here on Hive, and I wish you so much more self-discovery, inner peace, and freedom as you continue on your journey:)))