Some Online Editing

The Iron Lady at Dusk // (Unrelated) Personal Picture

One of the benefits of downsizing, editing and culling is to have more time and energy to dedicate to what's left in our lives. That goes with material items of course, but also what to do with how we spend our time. Today, after some thought and planning, I have made a bit of digital editing. Here are a few thoughts if you'd like to do the same.

A fake?

Dusk lavender, Provence 2013, personal picture.

Sometimes, life runs by and there is barely enough energy to keep up. And sometimes, the stream slows down, and all the little questions and reflections we didn't have time to notice squash us in the face like little rocks and leaves and sticks following us downstream when life was at full speed. Have you ever questioned your legitimity as an aspiring minimalist? I have, and here are a few thoughts about this.

Favorites #1: June 2015

Image sources: Insight timer, imdb, Jo Malone, Deezer, my instagram

Here is a completely non original post idea today: a list of favourites for the month. Because these are among my favourite articles and videos as a reader. Because there are some discoveries I'd like to share with you. Because I'm grateful for enjoying these in my life.

On Change, Goals and Elevators

Downtown LA theater // Personal picture

I recently listened to a TED radio show about time, and was intrigued by one of the themes, animated by psychologist Daniel Gilbert: when do we become the "final" version of ourselves? Do we become who we are meant to be when we reach our life goals? Accomplish our dreams? Perhaps we change constantly over time, and one day realize just how far we've gone, like that evening, as I was stuck in the elevator, somewhere in downtown LA.

Pieces of Travel Thoughts

"Let's not crash here" // Personal pic, June 2015 - Over Northern Canada

Have you ever noticed how the mind races and random thoughts float around when you travel, or explore a totally unknown land? As if the unfamiliarity of it all awakened the brain and made us more mindful of everything and anything passing our eyes, and mind. As the yearly E3 show starts for me - which means you are unlikely to hear of me next week - here are a few of these floating thoughts for you today.

Food For Thought // #14

Personal picture

I hope everything is well for you all. I have a few ideas in store for planned posts to scatter across the month of June as we prepare at work for the E3 event - in the meantime, here are some food for thought  links I gathered these past two months. Hopefully you'll find inspiration and sources for discussion in there.

One Year Later: Simple Consumption

Personal picture // Summer 2014 in Provence

Does it make sense to speak about "simple consumption" when minimalism and simple living is about consuming less and focusing on other life areas? Well, just like a shopping fast is rather a recasting, most people who lead a simple life in our society still need to purchase some items. One year after I decided to start a six month fast experiment, here are a few ideas on what "consumption" bas become in a simple life.

Beauty, Confidence, and Social standards

Completely unrelated image from a Provence market // Personal picture

It's been some time since I last discussed body image and other self confidence related matters. I find it interesting that engaging in a journey of simplicity may lead to questioning beauty standards and what a healthy self confidence is about. Today, I'd like to ramble about the paradoxical social standards we have about beauty and self confidence, if you may let me induldge in this slip of the no-complaint mini challenge.

Shopping Recasting: A Quick Guide

Personal picture // May 2012

As some of you may know, I have experimented a "shopping fast" for the last six months of 2014. This was a very enriching experience, for consumption habits and beyond, so I thought you might be interested in a short guide to help you get started on your own experiment, if you feel so inclined.

Minimalist Bits

Personal picture - a test at macro with the iPhone 4 in 2012.

Limitations foster creativity, and I've had a number of new, smaller post ideas on the week-end before I received my new appartment's keys, planning a number of post drafts which I didn't have quite the time to finalize in April. This time, I'm coming back with a post similar to the Update Bits, but focused on minimalist topics. Hope you like it.

Update Bits #2

Me in 2009 - browsing the market at l'Isle sur la Sorgue.

As many of you seemed to have liked the Update Bits, here is a second edition, with a few random topics I wanted to write a few words on. Besides, it is a good format of article to tiptoe back on the blog after two weeks without internet. If you have any specific topic you'd like to hear about in future update bits, please let me know!

Level Up Mini-Challenge: No Complaints

Auvergne in summer, 2009. Personal picture.

The French actor and humorist Jamel Debbouze was invited to a radio show the other day, to speak about his latest film. I heard him say: "We live in a country with freedom and safety, and free health care, yet Frenchmen are known to be depressed. But why?" This inspired me to go on a "No Complaint" challenge. You know what? It's damn hard. See, complaint #1 in the third sentence...

Minimalist Inspirations

Personal picture.

Since I have little time for detailed posts these days, here is a sort of "Food for Thought" list of links around the theme of simplicity. So that you can go read them while I'm MIA (not that you need me to find things to do on the interwebs).

Seven Joyful Things

Personal picture.

I found a positive side to being busy with appartment hunting and moving and and being frustrated with having less time to dedicate to the Nife: coming up with new, shorter post ideas to write and plan over the week-end. Creativity blossoms from limitations, is it? Today, an idea sprouted during a pre-move item editing: seven things that bring me joy.

3 Months Later

Violin & Sheet // Personal Picture

3 months have passed since my Shopping Fast experiment ended. When you  pay close attention to puchases for six months, there is always some apprehension as to how the new habits will turn out - similarly to a food diet in a way. Here are a few observations and learnings from my own experience, 3 months later.

Gratitude Bits

Source: tumblr

As I still have little time left to prepare full posts for the Nife - anyone who has ever moved will understand, I imagine - I would like to offer today, a few events, moments, things I feel grateful for these days. Hopefully, this will inspire you to look around and find gratitude in your life as well.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Source: shutterstock // via IFL science

Since I first questioned my consumption habits - moving back from Japan - eight years passed. Since I suddenly decided to give up my feminine style armor and started actively simplifying my life, four years passed. These days, I'm noticing changes, slight and gradual, which are starting to really show. Today (and you'll see why I chose the solar eclipse day to write about this), I'd like to talk about hobbies and projects, and how simplification helped me reconnect with what matters.

Update Bits

Red flowers & spicy cake // personal picture

 Here are a few small random things I wanted to share with you lately, none of which really deserving an entire post, but interesting to point out within my simplification journey. And hopefully, interesting to yours too.

29 things I learned

Source: Ubisoft

As we grow and age, life happens, and we learn things in the process. Hopefully. I have seen such posts in other blogs, listing some life learnings for the blogger's birthday, and I have decided to do the same today, as I turn 29, this last precious year of the defining decade.

Body Care, Simplified

Clean face towel / orange blossom floral water / organic argan oil / home made deodorant / coconut oil

Eight months after the beginning of my shopping fast experiment, dealing with my beauty product stocks and researching natural alternatives, here is a short overview of my current body care routine, along with a quick explanation of how I got there, in case you are also looking to simplify your beauty routine.