THE TIMES ON "DE-STUFFIFICATION"

This article by Stephanie Rosenbloom, "But Will It Make You Happy?" appeared in the New York Times yesterday. Seems fitting that it was published in a paper housed in one of the world's great capitals of overconsumption.

Thoughtfully brought to my attention by my friend cj Madigan, the piece looks at simplification in this time of economic challenge. I appreciated the fact that it moves from a story about physical decluttering to a nuanced exploration of deeper issues, including research not just on what people buy but on how satisfying those purchases are.

I share it not because I believe that we need to toss out all our stuff, but as an invitation to continue thinking consciously and clearly about the role things--as opposed to experiences, for example--play in the creative life.

It was also heartening to see the current recession spoken of in a positive context, with a focus on some of the things it has brought the country as well as what has been lost.

SIMPLIFICATION FOR STUFF-LOVERS

The Zen Habits blog by Leo Babauta is one of the more successful blogs there is, currently visited by over 185,000 readers and often counted among the country's top one hundred blogs. It collects all sorts of interesting perspectives on life clarity and choice. (It's not exclusively or even Zen, despite the title.) A recent browse there turned up a nice guest blog by Barrie Davenport of Live Bold and Bloom titled "How to simplify when you love your stuff." If you're a creative person with clutter on your mind or in your closets, take a moment to click here to read the piece. It's a nice perspective on the theme I spoke of in my June 4 post, "Simple is not the same as minimal," containing some interesting questions to ask yourself about your stuff and some welcome reassurance that serenity, simplicity, and an uncluttered spare room are indeed posssible even when you just can't live without your collection of 1940s pincushions (or whatever your personal possession passion happens to be).