Why and How I “curate” things in my life rather than just simply declutter and get rid of items I do not use often!
Why and How I “curate” things in my life rather than just simply declutter and get rid of items I do not use often!
I do not consider myself to be a minimalist but I am a real advocate for minimising things in order to simplify your life and it is something that I have been very mindful of since I have come to learn more about minimalism, decluttering, consumerism and the benefits of simplifying your life back in 2015. Since then it has been a long journey of consciously or often at times unconsciously always preferring to simplify things in my life to make sure I have some form of system and intentionality. One of the ways I like to practice mindfulness around how i simplify things in my life is by the act of “curating”. To me “curating” is a word I use to describe the process in which I turn things in my life in to categories and sort of make an unofficial list of what items go under that.
For example, I have “curated” my makeup collection by categories such as:
1: Everyday essentials category - This includes the very foundation of my core makeup look and items that are my most used everyday essentials that are the bare minimum I absolutely will use for any make up look I could potentially do at any given time you decide to apply makeup. Things such as make up application tools falls under that category along with any other products that I will need for my basic everyday make up look.
2: Going out make up look category - In this category I have consciously “curated” a list of items to be put aside knowing that I do not actually need these items on a daily basis and it is indeed the type of products I mostly reach for when I am going out and looking to add on more to my look than just my everyday essentials. e.g. It is not everyday I wear lipstick, fill in my eyebrows, “Bake” my face with loose powder to set concealer or use a setting spray to set my whole makeup look. For me these type of makeup look is quite often saved for a night out or attending a party as such so I have made sure to consciously “curate” list of items in this category so don’t hoard more than I need but neither do I completely get rid of these things just because I don’t use it everyday. It is important for me to strike a balance.
3: Party/Ethnic party look category - The “Ethnic look” category I know will not be applicable to a lot of people and in fact might not even be necessary to include in a separate list but going with the theme of being consciously and mindful of what you own and how you use your things, I have personally “curated” a separate list for make up items I know I only ever reach for only when I am getting dressed for an event where I will be wearing ethnic outfit (by this I mean south east asian style, so think like colourful sarees etc). I personally never reach for colourful eyeshadow look unless every now and then If I decide to match my ethnic outfit and want to add in some “Extra flare”. However, of course this could also apply to just general “Party” look for most other people where one could wish to go for a much bolder makeup look than they would generally but I still only find myself doing this when I am only dressing up in ethnic clothes. So this means items such as colourful eyeshadow pallets, fake lashes and bold lip colours such as bright red lipstick only ever comes out in this instance and as knowing this I have created a “curated” list for these things and usually keep it stored in a separate location so my everyday makeup collection is not cluttered with things I don’t reach for daily but if and when I do require to use my “Extra” make up products I know exactly what I have and where it is stored.
Based on the make up collection example I just shared, It is clearly evident that this method is by no means a minimalist approved approach whatsoever and neither is it such a “simple and minimal” take on how much things you keep in your life. However through years of experience in trying different methods of simplifying my life and looking for a balance between what personally works for me, I have come to realise that the process of “Curating” worked much better for me in which I don’t limit myself by the number of items I have or feel like I must have in order to fit a title of being someone who is “minimal” but rather this allows me to be someone who is intentional and thoughtful around what they have and keep in their life. I can still keep something in my life even if I don’t wear it everyday or “haven’t used it in a year therefore must get rid of it” as long as I know i have intentionally put in some thoughts and purpose behind why I decided to keep the item in my life and therefore “Curate” it based on the need or purpose it will serve.
This method is also a great way to reduce wastage, regret for letting go of things that you may find yourself needing to purchase again in the near future and also being very sure of whether or not an item is actually of any value to your or not by being able to revisit your “curated items” from certain categories and being to assess clearly whether the saved item serve is it’s intended purpose or not and by that analysis you can make far more accurate judgement on whether you should declutter something or not with more clarity.
Another benefit of “curating” your belonging in to categories is that it allows you to judge the item in your life based on the intended purpose it was perhaps initially purchased for or could potentially be used in another way rather than simply decluttering just because you think at this stage in your life you no longer need it. However keep in mind that certain things in your possession could indeed be needed to be decluttered and removed from your space. It is essential to be mindful, strategic and very realistic about every item you own. For example, A pair of jeans that is now perhaps 2 size small for you could be not much of a realistic item to “curate” in your jean collection and hoard for no reason when ideally you could honestly declutter that item and bring forth something new in life that is more fitting and suitable to the present version of you. To “curate” things in to categories rather than simply declutter and minimise to fit certain number of items does not mean you “curate” for the sake of finding an excuse to hoard things.
Going back to the topic of judging items in your life based on the intended purpose it was perhaps initially purchased for or could potentially be used in another way, An example I can recall of this instance was when I purchased a sleeveless white crew neck workout t-shirt recently thinking it would be perfect for me to wear to the gym. Once i brought in the item at home and actually wore it to the gym, after the second time wearing it I realised I actually do not like the shirt paired with my workout tights at all as it fit a little awkward around my waist and the shirt is a weird length personally for me as it goes beyond my hips and I kept finding myself readjusting the it all the time whilst trying to run at the gym. Now at this stage I could no longer return the shirt even though fully knowing myself that there is a 90% chance that I will indeed never ever reach for this shirt again to pair with my workout outfit. That is when I got thinking… What is another way I could potentially style this top? Because honestly I could just declutter it but that to me it felt incredibly wasteful and at the end of the day the t-shirt still had the perfect look I was initially looking for in terms of the material, neck style and sleeve length. So I got to browsing rest of closet and everyday outfits and realised it looks awesome paired when tucked in with my black pair of flared pants or styled with some linen shorts and a linen shirt for the perfect casual breezy summer look! So yes indeed now this item has become an essential part of my curated list of summer items. If I was to keep the item for initially what it was purchased for, which was to be a workout top I would have honestly probably never wore it again and eventually declutter with mindset of “if it hasn’t been used in the last 12 months than it has to be gone” mentality. I am glad now I have consciously “curated” the item in a category where it fits perfectly knowing that I could style it in a way that make sense for me and if I ever need a white sleeveless t-shirt to tuck in with my high waisted bottoms, I could always reach for this top.
There is so much more I could discuss about this whole concept of “curating” and I am looking forward to sharing more content and thought process around exploring this concept. If you are someone who has managed to get to the end of this post, I would love to hear your thoughts around this concept. Keep in mind I am sure there is so much more I could clarify and explain further that was probably not covered in just this one initial blog post. At the end of the day what really matters is whichever pathway we are taking to simplify and organise our life it just has to be something that we personally feel resonates with where we are currently in life and being as conscious/ intentional as we possibly can by making sure we assess, analyses and take strategic approach to the items we keep or declutter from our space.
**Important side note: I guess we could call this method similar to the “Capsule” method which originated from the idea of creating a capsule wardrobe however deferential factor being that capsuling seems to be purposely intended for a certain number of pieces that you intend to use for a period of time whereas “curating” is more of categorising items based on when/where/how you intend to use it and group it together.
Much love,
Dia 🖤
