Out with the cookie cutter Hobby Lobby “art!”
In with real art by real artists!
If I’m being honest, I absolutely got sucked in by the minimalist fad. I threw out all my junk a la Marie Kondo without a second glance!
But something has changed over the last few years. It could be linked with my general despise of the “clean girl aesthetic” or the second term of our country’s worst president in history.
Either way, I realized just how little joy the beige, minimalist trend gave me. In fact, I would argue that having less didn’t make me any happier or any less stressed. My house was still cluttered, and I’ve found myself on more than one occasion wondering “Where did that one book/art/clothing item go?” only to realize I donated it or threw it out in the great purge of 2011.
I certainly haven’t swung completely the opposite way. I don’t think that buying all the things will make me happier or more fulfilled in life.
But there’s something to be said for having beautiful art in your home. Or books to loan to friends and coworkers. Or trendy clothes that will, inevitably, come back into style.
So come with me as we explore why I’m rejecting minimalism in favor of more art, humanness, and “things” in my home in 2025.
*Disclaimer: I am human. I write from the heart and from experience: not to suit any algorithm or perfectly curated feed. I have chosen to continue to write a blog in the days of Reddit and Substack because it means that I OWN my articles and ability to finance my writing. I am in the process of removing all affiliate links from my site and minimizing ads so that you may focus on the article itself. Enjoy!
What Is Minimalism?
The word “minimalism” originated in the 50s as an art movement, spurring works by artists like Frank Stella or musicians like John Cage and Steve Reich. But what we think of as minimalism today is something totally different.
Joshua Becker, one of the founders of the minimalist movement, defines minimalism as, “intentionally living with only the things I really need—those items that support my purpose.” He goes on to say that it’s not an “end goal,” but rather a pathway to contentment.
However, minimalism doesn’t end with simply being an intentional consumer. He, with Ryan Nicodemus, has greatly minimized his life, and he often touts that he owns fewer than 20 items. (At least, at one point all his belongings could fit in a backpack.)
That’s why minimalism can often be associated with an extreme level of decluttering and minimizing possessions.
The Decluttering Fad of the Early 2010s
Joshua Becker and Ryan Nicodemus were operating under the trend of minimalism in 2010 when they launched their website. Right around the same time, Japanese sensation Marie Kondo was taking the world by storm with her hit book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.“
If you weren’t living under a rock around this time, you probably read the book and maybe even participated in an extreme level of decluttering around that time.
Personally, I got rid of almost half of my possessions in the summer of 2011, most of which were in a storage unit because my then-husband and I were living with his parents. (It was mostly a positive experience, considering a lot of what I had was crap electronics that didn’t work any more or old Puzz-3D puzzles from the 90s.)
Other movements, like Swedish death cleaning, were born from the original minimalist movement. Even if they had been around for years and years, they were able to enter mainstream culture due to the success of minimalism.
Problems with Minimalism
As Levi Hildebrant points out in his video essay, minimalism is marketed toward upper middle class white people with privilege and expendable income. It’s not inclusive. Its mere existence excludes trends from other, non-white cultures or people from lower-income households.
Check out the video here:
As someone who lives in the American southwest, I can attest to Mexican culture being more colorful and perhaps even “maximalist.” You see it in African prints, Indian styles, and other cultures from all over the world.
Another criticism of the minimalist movement is the gatekeeping. This type of social gatekeeping is the effort by some or all in a community to exclude or criticize others by saying that they’re not “minimalist enough.”
It leads members of the movement to overexert themselves to prove their dedication to the movement, often to the point of burnout and eventual exiting of the community. Donna on YouTube mentions that many, potentially even Josh and Ryan, the creators of minimalism, are just playing to the social media algorithm.
I’m not saying I hate minimalism, but as you can see here, there are so many problems with this concept.
6 Reasons I’m Rejecting Minimalism
Yep, I used to be all in on the trend (see old post examples here and here), but now I’m embracing that I don’t like minimalism anymore. Minimalism doesn’t work for me, and here’s six very powerful reasons why.
1. Capitalism packages “trends” nice and neat, but they don’t reflect who I am
Part of my choice to reject minimalism is in response to what’s going on in the world at the moment. The world feels like it’s crumbling to bits, and all I can do is say…
“But wait! That’s not what I signed up for!”
I didn’t sign up for fads and trends that put more dollars into the pockets of the uber-rich. I didn’t consent to computers coming into my home trying to sell me “stuff” because it thinks I want to be like everyone else.
Beige, neutral, sterile home decor does not bring me joy, and it never will! Even “minimalism” is packaged as something good to achieve with the knowledge that these people will inevitably get rid of stuff they’re going to need again in the future.
Thus, they just sell more!
It’s disgusting, and I don’t feel like participating any more, so I’m opting out and keeping the things I want.
Art, color, and counter culture all feel like ways that I can assert and own my sovereignty and claim my humanness in the face of the modern world.
2. I will not feel guilty for needing certain things in my life
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you do need things! No matter what Joshua and what’s-his-face from Dayton try to sell you, they need things too!
It is OKAY for you to establish a balance between convenience and sustainability. We’re all living in this hellhole and the only complicit people are the ones wringing the masses for every last penny.
(This is why I still occasionally shop at Amazon when I can’t find something anywhere else while Amazon goes directly against my values.)
3. I refuse to feel guilty about wanting certain things in my life
I almost feel like the fad of minimalism is banking on Catholic/Christian guilt. Guilt for existing is something that most of us who grew up in this society (cult) experience.
As Kasia Urbaniak says, we have no say in what we want.
“It’s when we’re operating from a deeply embodied place of true hunger, of true longing, of true passion, of true need, of true vitality that getting what we want serves the whole universe and creates a world that’s custom-tailored to who you truly are right now. “
Wanting things makes us human. Truly desiring something can make us powerful.
I’m not saying we have to get everything we want, but I don’t believe we should experience guilt for saying, “Hey, this would be a nice thing to have!”
So explore your feelings around your mere desire for something and see if guilt comes up for you.
4. I feel more joy with color and cool things in my home
As I’ve already said, I really like art. I like quirky things, colorful, black and white, large, small, 3D or prints. I think as humans, our ability to express ourselves in so many ways is beautiful and should be celebrated. I’ll show you a lot of the other “cool things” I have in my home in the next section, so keep reading if you’re also interested in art.
According to Lik Fine Art, “Hanging up fine art and bringing some color and life into the home goes a long way to combatting these negative emotions, raising spirits, and speeding up the healing process.”
Who’s surprised? (Not me!)
5. Maintaining a minimalist home is unattainable
Yet another reason that minimalism doesn’t work for me is that it is simply exhausting.
Constant decluttering of children’s school work and toys requires daily maintenance. The dirt of our Southwestern yard getting inside is not conducive to having white or beige couches or rugs.
Minimalist aesthetic is not only boring, but my husband and I simply cannot maintain it with the hours in the day that we have. If we had a housekeeper, then maybe. As our life stands right now, color helps hide the fact that we are a happy, healthy family with other, more important things to do.
6. I believe in inclusivity
As mentioned above, minimalism is for rich, white people. I might be white, but I’m not beige, and I’m certainly not rich.
I believe in including as many people as possible, and the fact that this community of people have lost sight of the “intentionality” of the original idea and exclude others… I’m not here for that.
6 “Things” to Add Meaning and Quality to Your Life
Look, I’m not bashing you if you have Hobby Lobby art up in your home. (I still do, too… shhh!!!)
But there’ are better choices out there than putting up the same’s more out there than the hackneyed “Live Laugh Love” frame that every single millennial has up in their kitchen. Things that reflect who you are on the inside.
So, if you feel compelled, keep some (or all) of these things in your home if they bring you joy!
1. Family Heirlooms
Some of my most prized possessions are things from my grandmothers. I have my paternal grandma’s piano, and a piece of stained glass art from my maternal grandma.
I display some china that was also passed down from one of my grandmothers on a shelf in my dining area, and according to my family, it’s super expensive.
Even if you choose to purchase something in the hopes that it will become a family heirloom, I think that adds value and meaning into our home that is irreplaceable.
2. Real artwork
This subsection might be a long one because of minimalist decorating trends. Rejecting minimalism has led me to rediscover Etsy after a long time away, and I can tell you: there’s still a lot of really great art being sold on Etsy.
Yes, it was overrun by crappy, mass-produced stuff a while back, but I actually think it’s getting better. I’m seeing more artisan stuff on my homefeed as well as in searches. So let me share a few of the awesome art pieces I’ve gotten from there recently.
The Koi Pond artwork was by ZoeArtGarden* on Etsy, and I adore it! (Digital version is completely affordable!)
The Coffee Raven Linocut is by Riley Sophia* on Etsy. They are printed and mailed with free shipping, and also completely affordable!
*Not an affiliate link. Sharing because I love it!
I also got this amazing statue on Etsy from Fantastic Bizarre.* It’s a recreation of an Auguste Rodin statue “The Kiss” and it was done by Canadian artist Joe Arcese.
Last, this awesome sun mirror*!
3. Handmade items (made by you!)
Look, if you’re not a professional artist, it can sometimes feel like you’re displaying subpar art in your house. (Especially if you’re a perfectionist like me!) But feeling the pride that you made something when you walk in the door after a long day is a feeling that can’t be replaced by anything!
In my office, I have an abstract painting I did a few years ago, as well as a billion copies of my novel.
Okay… maybe not a billion, but it feels like it!
Have the courage to make bad art. (Whether you’re an artist or not.) Not everything has to be marketed or sold.
Being proud of something you’ve made yourself shows that you’re a real human, not some robot pawn designed to max out capitalism.
(Oh, and if you’re interested in my new adult romantic fantasy book, check that out as well! 😉 The Wayfarer Prince*.)
4. Handmade items (by children!)
Baby handprint art or things made by children is one trend I can get behind! I will never criticize another millennial for keeping memories from when children are young!
They’re only that age once, and it’s fleeting!
Show your children (or grandchildren, or nieces and nephews) that you’re proud of them and their accomplishments by keeping their work up in your house. You have no idea how that might stick with them in their future.
5. Books
I’m not saying that you need to buy every single book you want to read. There are a lot of booktokers who have a vast library in their homes. I can’t speak for any of them, but I bet, I BET, that if they weren’t trying to keep up with social media, that they wouldn’t have that many books in their home.
So yes, you need to find the balance between keeping the books you love that bring you joy and saving space in your home for other things!
But Marie Kondo’s advice that you should ideally only have around 30 books is bollocks. (She’s even said so herself! Check out the article!)
6. Clothes
God, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten rid of an item of clothing only to go, “I wish I still had that skirt/shirt/dress!” a few years later!
Especially if you’re choosing good quality items that will have good fit and style regardless of trends, there should be no reason to throw them out! Keep them in storage if you think you might not want to wear that item for a little while.
After a couple years, get out all your clothes in storage and see if you truly want to get rid of them, or if you want to revisit wearing them.
Conclusion
I’m finally a recovering minimalist. Yes, it’s good to watch your spending and to watch the clutter and space you have in your home. Yes, it’s good to be an intentional consumer. I don’t think it’s good to hoard or collect or become so inundated with “stuff” that your life gets stuck.
But “things” can actually bring a lot of meaning and joy to our lives, and I’m now okay with having stuff. Minimalism as a fad is hopefully on its way out.
Whether you yourself choose to reject minimalism is up to you, but that’s the path that I’ve taken. I’m done trying to make my floor clean and purge as much stuff as I can.
I’m rejecting minimalism in this bizarre world we live in in 2025, and I hope you’ll join me in filling your life with color, and art, and joy!
