“Minimalism,” as defined by Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus, is about decluttering life. Their book Minimalism describes the authors as best friends who “walked away from their six-figure corporate careers, jettisoned most of their material possessions, and started focusing on what’s truly important.”
“Minimalism is about getting rid of excess so that you can focus on what you really value and what is important to you,” explains Gabby Steinbrenner, who organizes a local group called Milwaukee Minimalists. “As a society we spend so much time taking care of our stuff and working to pay for it that we don’t have time for our families, hobbies, travel, etc. We are always chasing the next best thing and are never happy. We feel like buying stuff will make us happy, and it does for a little bit, but when the high goes away, we have to buy more stuff. We always want more.”
The Milwaukee Minimalists were founded by Rita May, who was inspired after attending a book signing at Boswell Books with the authors of Minimalism.
“I believe if more people adopted just a few of the concepts that Ryan and Joshua expound, they may find their lives taking new directions,” May explains. “The book confirmed my own intentional removal of distractions from what I want to do in life. I know I don’t want to spend my time moving my things from one place to another.”
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May passed the torch to Steinbrenner, who organizes a monthly group meeting and has arranged a screening of a documentary by the Minimalism authors for June 1. Steinbrenner became interested in the group after listening to The Minimalists podcast (by the authors of the Minimalism book) on her hour long commute to work. She had, in recent years, found herself struggling with her relationship, short on time with her children, trying to help care for her father, (who was diagnosed with cancer) and her own health issues.
“I found out many of my symptoms were due to stress, and I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue,” Steinbrenner says. Minimalism was just what she needed. She began reevaluating her life and embarked on a journey into minimalism, but admits she still “has way too much stuff, it’s still a work in progress.”
“It is about what works for each person as an individual,” Steinbrenner says. “That’s what I love about minimalism, it’s different for every person. There is no dictionary definition that you have to live in a tiny house and only own 100 items. If someone is considering minimalism but not sure, start small. You can do just a room or a closet to start. See if it’s for you or not.”
Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things is being screened by the Milwaukee Minimalists on June 1 at 7:30pm at South Shore Cinema, advance purchase of the tickets is required. The group next meets on June 5. You can find more info on their Meetup page here:
www.meetup.com/Milwaukee-Minimalists
