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As you all know, I’m on a journey towards becoming a more devout minimalist. The area in which I struggle the most has to do with possessions; Pete and I have a lot of stuff. I think our fear is that if we don’t surround ourselves with things, we’ll have nothing to do. I was listing minimalist hobbies the other day, though, and I was surprised by how many I could name—most of which require no “stuff” at all. Here’s a list of my favorite minimalist hobbies.
My Minimalist Hobbies
1. Writing—Even though I write for a living, it seems I’ve always got room in my head for a few more words…
2. Reading—We’ve got an extensive collection of books, and we live next door to a library, so we’re never short on reading material.
3. Walking/Running—I love walking around town or out by the river. Even in a small community, I still see things that surprise me on a daily basis.
4. Practicing yoga—There’s nothing better for clearing your head…
5. Going to the movies—I love going to see movies in our little hometown theater. Its art-deco aesthetic makes me feel like I’m part of a larger tradition, like I’m doing something really special every time I walk through the doors.
Pete and I loved this theater when we lived in Saint Paul.
While this list is just the beginning, I know there are a lot more minimalist hobbies I can look forward to enjoying in the future. What are some of yours?
Photography, especially now that digital makes it require so little paraphernalia, is something I’ve found that I can do to pass countless hours. It helps to have something a few steps up from a point and shoot. There is the initial investment, and sometimes people get carried away buying lots of toys to make it easier, but the enjoyment that can be derived from going for a walk with your camera and finding the perfect thing to snap a quick photo of can be worth the trouble. I’d recommend finding your favorite source of water and then seeing how many states (liquid, gas, solid) you can capture the water in. Those are some of my favorite pictures.
Digital photography is on my list of things to master in the near future. Any tips on user-friendly resources?
It depends on what you want to do with it. A handheld point and shoot will do for just snapshots of friends and the occasional landscape as long as the lighting isn’t challenging (dawn/dusk/overcast). You’ll want to move up to a camera body with a longer lens and some automatic features to help you out if you want to capture more. These cameras are for beginners and really get you used to the style of photography you see in more advanced SLR/DSLR cameras. They generally come with a manual to help you learn all the features it has and can be really versatile once you learn how to use it well. There are a ton of good photograph collage books in the library that you can study to figure out what kind of pictures you want to be taking. Next you should look at a photography class or some of the free youtube lessons. Jimbacsi has good videos on youtube. Now as for setting up, I would go with a camera that has a rechargeable battery pack, buy the largest memory card you can justify buying, and get a spike or tripod to take with you when you know you’re going to be taking lots of photos. The tripod helps get read of the blurriness that happens when your hand shakes. I can also help you with any of this stuff. Just let me know.
Thanks for the advice, Tony.