A Few Floating Thoughts

Source: flickr

The end of year is always a tough one in the entertainment business, holiday gifts and all. Leaving me less time to think and blog, this also made me realize that sometimes, an idea needs time to silently  blossom into my mind before things actually start to make sense. I also happen to close this busy work period with an actual holiday travel, so here are a few floating thoughts I'd like to leave you with before I leave sans le laptop.

Finally, travel!

I'm off for Thailand tomorrow! I don't think I actually mentioned it "online" before, apart from that teasy cat & suitcase picture. It was a bit of a last minute decision, and time flows by so fast when work is busy, I still hardly can believe our flight leaves tomorrow. The idea isn't to boast here, but rather to comment on one thing: it does make me feel much more excited and overjoyed than any Moroccan rug or exotic jewelry. Figuring out what I really want really seems to make me feel happier after all.

Some articles that made me think

"The minimalism paradox" by the Minimalists -  A simple and efficient summary of the place of objects in a minimalist's life. Very spot on with the reflection I've been conducting lately. Minimalism isn't about avoiding objects, but about avoiding excess. In a way, it's about a balance - having enough to fulfill needs, make life easier and more enjoyable, without drifting either toward excess, nor toward obsessive purges.

"Why Not Admit We Didn't Wake Up Like This" on the Cut - This article addresses specifically the question of the "effortless look" and how some celebrities appear like their life is put together without specific effort, which can make the rest of us feel inadequate for not being able to do the same (without effort). It poses the question of the image we send through social network - but it also made me think of the journey to simplicity, and the effort it also requires. Do minimalist blogs make it look effortless? Does it discourage readers when they realize it isn't that easy to make it simple?


"Perfect Item #9" on The Beauty and the Geek, and subsequent comments - this one is in French, and I stumbled upon this blog via a link to this article. To summarize for non-French speakers, this French style blogger has a small boutique where she promotes local creators by buying their stock and selling it online, making them benefit from her visibility and readership. This latest object she put online is a hand-sewn wool cardigan costing 380€, and that price generated an amount of comments from disgruntled readers who can't afford it and find it indecent to propose that kind of prices.

It reminded me of a post on Empty Emptor about middle class women angry at Céline's price rises (which I can't link to as the posts are now down). I found these reactions interesting to read, as it says a lot about people's values and world views - even if it only concerns a piece of clothing. It is also an interesting starting point to discuss what an "adequate price" is. Is 380€, "the price of a washing machine" as some commenters put it, an indecent price for a knit, even though the wool is sourced in France and the piece itself made in France as well, in ethical working conditions? Did the high street prices distort our vision of how much a piece of craftsmanship should cost? Is it possible to access ethical options without spending a washing machine's worth of money?

As a side note, stumbling upon this blog again (which I briefly followed back in 2011) made me realize the "simplicity" bug is catching famous French fashion bloggers as well. Which makes the "Is minimalism a trend or a wake-up call" question all the more relevant.

The Things I'm Grateful For

I've taken on the habit to write one thing I'm grateful for today, every day. Looking back at my past entries, I find interesting to see how diverse the sources of gratitude can be. From a drink with an old friend to tasting Irish Whiskey, hunting for organic beauty miniatures for travel or inaugurating a new diary notebook. Some involve material objects, some don't. But many involve sharing and connecting with other people, which introvert me is surprised to discover.

Other Things I Wanted to Share

Alt-J has produced a new album: this is all yours. I've been listening to it non-stop. Did I mention how much I love this band? Of course I did.

I heart Intelligence. I discovered this site via a facebook share, and I really like the editorial so far - on growth, self actualization, an alternative vision on things that matter. Not without reminding of Huffington Post's Third Metric.

Speaking of new metrics of success, this TED talk about the "Social Progess Index" is awesome. If only we could generalize that type of metric instead of obsessing about GDP...