Minimalism has not always been the fashionable way of life depicted on Pinterest. In fact, some black minimalists grew up in a different interpretation of this principle.
Minimalism, for many individuals in black and brown communities, is not just an enlightened life-style change. They grew up that way.
However, some black females are embracing a minimalist aesthetic and using it as a tool of empowerment.
If you’re interested in who these women are, read on to learn about eight black minimalists who are happily living and thriving with less.
How is minimalism defined?
Minimalism is not a difficult subject. It originated as a concept in art and design, and it is the idea that having less is better. However, the lifestyle includes many more things than that.
Minimalists focus on the unnecessary things of life and remove them.
However, the notion of limiting one’s own belongings is not necessarily a personal choice but a consequence of factors.
Black people’s history with minimalism
If you searched for a minimalist image you could find pictures of white walls and grey furnishings and tables. Photos of attractive locations speak of the beauty of having less.
However, minimalism does not always have a positive aesthetic aspect depending on a person’s income level.
Minimalism as an outcome and not a choice
Tatiana Donaldson, who blogs about minimalist living, has a different perspective. She claims that minimalism often means barely making ends meet. She created a job at an early age by creating a list of essentials.
This was a list of items she would take along when she and her family had to move often. A sudden change in living conditions was the result of an unstable economic situation and political climate.
These racist policies, including redlining, segregation, and Jim Crow laws, kept black people from obtaining well-paying jobs and homes.
Despite these obstacles, there are many black minimalists who have risen to such a level that minimalism is now a rewarding option in their lives.
8 Black minimalists who are living full lives
Minimalism can look very different depending on the practitioner.
Here’s how these 8 black women create joy and freedom from minimalism.
1. Danae Smith
Danae Smith created her website The Wondrous Life to display the splendor and value of living slow and simple.
She thinks that magic and splendor are found in the common. On her blog, you can see her posts related to her monthly objectives.
She also has a podcast titled, “Let’s do coffee,” which focuses on conversations around her daily life.
2. Christine Platt
If you prefer to follow other black people in the black minimalist movement, you may already be acquainted with the Afrominimalist herself, Christine Platt. Platt chose not to conform to ordinary and drab designs, instead choosing to be unique and different.
Instead, she created a life that was less influenced by the African diaspora. In her bestselling book The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living with Less, she instructs readers on how to declutter their homes and get rid of things that aren’t adding value to their wellbeing.
You might also see her TED Talk titled You Can Be a Minimalist, Yes You!
3. Jhánneu
Jhä¡nneu is a black minimalist with a YouTube channel that features sustainability and productivity while also incorporating other aspects of a minimalist lifestyle.
You can find videos on her channel demonstrating how to get started with minimalism, including for newcomers. She has videos on minimalism skin care and cosmetics as well.
4. Jessica Young
Jessica Young shows the concept of minimalism as something that is applicable to different aspects of life on her blog Minimal Student. She has one post that discusses how minimalism leads to living a happy life.
That same post also mentions how minimalism removes the significance of material things for many people. Her blog even includes meditations and mantras about minimalism.
5. Jessica Malone
Jessica Malone founded Nacho Average Fro, a decluttering organization that helps entrepreneurs transition into more fulfilling lives. By helping people declutter, she encourages them to lead happier lives.
On her blog, she discusses an important aspect of minimalism by explaining the significance of decluttering the mind before one can make a lasting change by decluttering one’s living space.
6. Farai Harreld
Known as the Afro Herbalist, Farai Harreld is co-founder of BlackMinimalist.net.
With a focus on all things natural and eco-friendly, Harreld shares a variety of topics ranging from motherhood to fashion to gardening to sustainability with subscribers.
7. Yolanda V Acree
Yolanda V Acree is a minimalism expert and she has lived simply since 2009. She has been doing fine for the past nine years.
For Acree, minimalism is a way to visualize and create a life that is simple but meaningful. She is another founder of the Black Minimalists.
Along with being an author, she is a founder of Mindful Simplicity: Practical Strategies for Finding Harmony in Your Home, Work, and Life. It is a book to reducing stress in your life.
8. The Melanated Minimalist
Lisa Shunetter takes an lively approach to minimalism. She prefers to live simply but doesn’t allow herself to go without certain luxuries and pleasures. Such as having a stylish wardrobe, having two different types of cutlery and living a life with purpose.
Her YouTube page features lifestyle tips focused on helping melanated women live simpler lives. She emphasizes how there can be joy and fun in adhering to a minimalistic lifestyle.
How to use minimalism to enhance your financial situation
If you’ve ever read the list of black minimalists, you’ll have a good idea of how minimalism is life-changing. This lifestyle can also affect finances.
Identify your core values
Implementing minimalism typically involves identifying your personal values and eliminating items that do not match them. For your finances, you can make a similar conversion.
If you enjoy the safety and security of a good home and a friendly neighborhood, you can put your funds toward real estate ownership. If you enjoy traveling and new experiences, you can put more of your money into travel.
Put money towards experiences and less on material things
Minimalism means using fewer things. When you aren’t focused on collecting many new possessions, you’re going to spend less money buying new objects.
Your minimalist mindset means you focus more on experiences and place less value on physical items. Instead of purchasing an expensive new phone, you will instead invest in things that make you truly happy, not just temporarily happy.
How minimalism can enhance your overall well being
Minimalism will allow you to maximize your life.
Less stuff can equal less stress
Each time you pare down your activities to what has meaning and value for you, you feel lighter and happier. No longer will you waste time digging through your closet trying to find the right outfit to wear out of 47 garments.
You can get what you need because there are not a lot of things you don’t need in drawers that are typically hidden away.
Clear the clutter in your mind and space
Have you ever had the feeling that your mind was too cluttered to focus properly? If it’s difficult to concentrate or think clearly because there are too many thoughts racing through your brain, you may have mental clutter.
If you have mental clutter, you may have physical clutter. And having physical clutter means you don’t have a space to relax and concentrate.
Minimalism can help you clear your head and your space of stress and frustration.
More time and freedom
More stuff means less time you have to clean it. Too many clothes means more time doing laundry.
A surplus of foodstuffs means more time spent cleaning. More beauty products mean more trash and longer bathroom cleaning.
You now have more time to spare, allowing you to spend it how you choose instead of being required to maintain an inventory of hundreds of pairs of socks.
Appreciate what you have
Finally, minimalism will help you to appreciate what you have. Such things as an old coffeemaker that may take several minutes to brew but provides excellent coffee nonetheless. An older cell phone that meets all your requirements will work well.
There will always be something new and different, but that doesn’t mean what you have isn’t good enough.
Will you give minimalism a try?
Hopefully, you have noticed this list of black minimalists and have been inspired by the lifestyle’s adaptability to who you are and how you want to live. Remember that less is more.
Look around yourself and surround yourself with people and things that bring you joy and value. Everything else you can leave behind. You can take this a step further by becoming a financially frugal minimalist with a reduced spending budget.
