#137 My Minimalist Series (3) | 简（三）

^{👆 me running like crazy with the Bolivian flag at Uyuni salt flat 😃}

This post is a bit different from the travel or photography posts I normally do. It's kind of free writing to express my thoughts. But of course, it’s hard to escape my beloved elements of travel or photography. ;)

今天继续极简风的主题，抛弃通常的看图说话，来玩玩直抒胸臆。=)

Less is more.
Simplicity is king.
Quality, not quantity.
Collect moments, not things.
Eliminate instead of organize.

You might hear similar sayings hundreds of times? Same here.

I was fond of minimalism in the aesthetic sense from the beginning, without knowing this term, such as architectures or patterns with simple lines and shapes, and paintings or photos with enough negative space...

But the wider sense of minimalist style started to sink in, when I decided to quit my day job and sold my apartment while in mortgage. When I finally gave up everything I worked hard to have owned, but to study and work abroad and to travel the world, it came to me.

It's not that I wanted to follow any minimalism fad, it's because when I traveled a lot, I simply couldn't possess a lot. I had to discard all the unnecessary stuff to move around lightly. I started to realize it's perfectly possible to live out of a suitcase or/and a backpack. When I was on the road for less than 3 months, a small backpack was always enough.

^{👆 shot by me from Amtrak's California Zephyr train | USA}

I guess frequent travelers or expats know it - you don't need that much except for some essential items. Would you rather own the world and see a little, or own a little and see the world? When you own less, you see more; and when you feel more, you desire even less.

Eventually, the magical hands of minimalism started to reach all parts of my life, reminding me constantly to ask myself the questions:

"Do I really need this? "
"Can I reuse that instead of replacing it?"

^{👆 shot by me right after sunrise in the desert area | Bolivia}

So I consume less and less, but create more and more. Still, I'm not sure if I'm a 100% minimalist. Or does the word of "minimalism" really make that much sense?

Though I adore the clean Nordic style, I also love the effusive flow of colors and details everywhere when living in Latin America.

I value the serenity and solidarity in the empty wildness, with only basic necessities to survive; But at the same time, I enjoy the clashing of ideas with different minds, in a messy space filled with models and prototypes.

I cherish a little simple sandwich in a quiet Western town, while I miss as well the endless choices of food, along with the hustle and bustle from Asian streets.

Humans are never simple, aren't we?

^{👆 shot by me from a ship in Sydney | Australia}

At last, let me end with a few lines from The Minimalists blog I've been following for years:

Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom.
Freedom from fear.
Freedom from worry.
Freedom from overwhelm.
Freedom from guilt.
Freedom from depression.
Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around.
Real freedom.

^{All content by @itchyfeetdonica
图文 by Donica多
Photo shot with Canon EOS Kiss X3 & iPhone 7}

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Thank you for reading. Please tell me what you think in the comments. Until next time! =)

感谢阅读！你的关注/点赞/留言/转发就是对我最好的支持~ 下次见！:)

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Here are some of my travel shots. Check out my travel posts on Steemit World Map, and follow me for more adventures around the globe!

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!steemitworldmap -20.950212 lat -67.346191 long Uyuni, Bolivia d3scr