Sunday, September 22, 2013

Slower & Simpler - Simplicity, Blogs & A Year Completed

My first year on Lopez Island is over.  Wow.  So "A Fiber Artist on Lopez Island" is the blog's new name.  Expect the writing to still be random, hopefully occasionally inspiring, and with my usual and somewhat quirky sense of humor.  Oh, and possibly posting just a bit later in the morning every day (Lopez is known as "Slow-pez, afterall.)   To sum up the first year?  Absolutely better in every way than I ever imagined it could be.  I truly am living my dream.

And what could be simpler than to share my favorite blog on simplicity (http://bemorewithless.com/simplicityblogs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BeMoreWithLess+%28Be+More+with+Less%29)  ...listing their favorite blogs on that same topic??  And it even has a note at the end about "how to simplify your blog reading habits", which seems to me a bit circular and catch 22-ish, but there you go! 

6 Blogs to Inspire Simplicity and Minimalism

I’m not the avid blog reader I once was, but I do love discovering people writing about simplicity and minimalism. I especially love sharing their work with you. On my search for blogs that were new to me, I chose these six to share based on the following parameters:
  • no advertising
  • clean design
  • inspirational stories
  • practical advice

6 Blogs to inspire simplicity and minimalism

1. The Other Side of Complexity

My name is Mike Burns.  It’s important to me that I love the people around me well. I want to add value to people’s lives and pass on helpful ideas about life, contribution and relationships. Life isn’t always exactly how we thought it would be.  It can get complicated.  I don’t want to surrender.  I want to work through life’s complexities to find what many people call “simplicity on the other side of complexity”.

2. 20 Liter Life

A space for Franklin and Vince to chronicle and share our experiences and thoughts as we endeavor towards a life of minimalism, sustainability, and personal growth. We created it so that our friends and family can stay connected with our travels, but we also hope to contribute to the wealth of knowledge that is out there for people looking to simplify, explore, and create. Here we can share stories, photos, and videos, while also giving our two-cents on travel, minimalism, self-discipline, health, fitness, and our philosophy of living damn good.

3. Minimal Millennial

Hello! My name is Ennaree, or Enna, if you prefer. I’m working towards simplifying my life and improving my personal health, wealth and happiness, and I’m excited to share what I’m learning with you! I want to reach out to Millennials especially, since I belong to this generation. From what I’ve seen, we are a mixed bag of consumers and minimalists, victims and heroes, artists and drones, and I want to share my personal insights on how to lead productive, creative, and meaningful lives.

4. Twenty One Delights

It all started with a list of 21 things that I love. Chronicling my journey toward a simpler, more meaningful life, Twenty-One Delights is about making room for the things that matter most. I’m Joelle Birano. I live in Hawaii with my husband and 2 daughters. This blog chronicles my commitment to de-cluttering my life, physically and emotionally, and rebuilding myself to be more productive, more focused, more content and better able to recognize and pursue the things in life that truly matter. If my journey can inspire and help someone along the way, even better.

5. Zen Presence

Zen Presence is about life.  It is about awakening to what is important in your life.  It is about mindful living, identifying your values, and what adds value to your life.  It is about slowing down enough to experience life first hand.  Finally, it is about helping others to do the same.

6. Simplifying at Home

My name is Ellen and I’m a wife, working mother and soon to be former home owner. Over the course of a year I slowly began to realize how far I was living from what I said were my priorities and values. There were bad habits–spending too much money on restaurant meals and convenience foods because who has time to cook, and then bemoaning my bad diet, which was compounded by a sedentary lifestyle because the only way to fit the gym in after eight hours in a cubicle is to get up early or stay up late and I had no energy (because of my sedentary lifestyle and bad diet). And there was guilt–all that convenience packaging, not keeping up with my friends and family, mostly following the law but otherwise not being much of a citizen or good community member. And there was the feeling that my life was a lot of work and not a lot of fun. Does that sound melodramatic? Good. I want to set things up for a Hollywood ending.

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