Minimalism

RX10 II

Life if complicated.

Or is it?  Perhaps, life is what you make it. I think I heard someone say that once.

So which is it?  Which statement is true?

In order to find out I’ll most definitely need to do some research. Maybe compile a list of the 10 most successful people, and correlate it with the simplicity of their lives. But is 10 too small of a sample size? To be more statistically valid I’d need a larger data pool.  Let’s expand the sample to 20.  No, it should be at least 30. And I’ll need to define the criteria for ‘success’. Success in the public eye isn’t necessarily the same as personal success. And then there’s the issue of simplicity. What defines simplicity? And what of those who seemingly find complex things simple? In the case of both success and simplicity I can see that there are a large number of individual variables to be factored. Data sources would include Google and Wiki of course. Biographical texts. Third-party and historical accounts. Likely similar studies have been done which may help validate the findings. I should be able to wrap-up the study in about a year – I want to be reasonably thorough. I’ll allow for peer review the following 6 months, then plan on a 6 month period of re-evaluation and revisions. At the conclusion of the 2-year period there could well be some new developments or findings to be factored in – the study needs to remain current and relevant.

Wait – what was the question again?

Life is complicated – unless you’re a cat? RX1 f2.0 1/80th, ISO4000

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Cluttered rooms. Cluttered houses.  Cluttered minds, cluttered lives… we live in a cluttered world.

At best, clutter is a distraction. At worst, I think it could be slowly killing us.  Killing productivity. Killing creativity. Killing the appreciation of things of true value. Killing our most precious resource: time. Killing the planet.

RX10 II at 38mm

An emissions cap is a government standard which dictates the maximum amount of a particular pollutant which can be produced.  What I think The World really needs is a clutter cap… let’s call it a ‘Crap Cap’.

RX1 F7.1, 1/250th

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At first, I thought it was just me.  Me and the readership of ‘Good Housekeeping’.

But on a recent staycation day, after completing the series ‘Tales By Light’ (a show which follows a number of photographers on their adventures around the world – worth viewing – check it out!) Netflix recommended ‘Minimalism‘ which I thought might be about minimalist photography and art.  I love minimalist photography.  The show is not about minimalism in photography. But it was interesting none-the-less and it showed me that there are others who feel the same way (it’s not just me and the readership of Good Housekeeping – there are also two other people known as ‘The Minimalists‘ … bringing to total count to a minimalistic 17).

RX1 ISO100

Sony RX10 II

 

Sony RX10 II

 

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Tiny Houses are a growing trend. I don’t think Tiny Houses are the answer.

In fact, I’m pretty certain that Tiny Houses are evil.  Chucky lived in a Tiny Bachelor Pad, before upgrading to a Tiny Starter Home, with his tiny bride.

Tiny Houses promote population density – putting too-great a strain on the limited natural resources of a region. Instead, people should be mandated to live in mansions on large estates with rolling lawns, vast gardens, and maybe a maze hedge or two.  This is the opposite of population density, and clearly the responsible thing to do for the sake of the planet.

A6300 F5 ISO100 1/60th

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Canada, often considered one of the most polite of nations, is also one of the least densely populated.

 

Coincidence?  I think not.  Sorry.

RX10 II

Of course there are areas and nations that are already simply too densely populated to be able to draw adequate resources from their local region.

Is Trump’s plan to build a wall around Manhattan, containing this and other such areas, a viable solution?

And what would happen if the President’s plane were to crash on the other side of the wall?  One can only imagine.

RX10 II

 

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What do these thoughts have to do with photography and camera gear?

If you’re familiar with ‘GAS’ (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) then I think you probably know where I’m going with this. More-and-more lately I’ve been feeling less-and-less of a need to upgrade my gear to the latest-and-greatest.  I’ve also been giving much more thought to a one-lens, one-camera approach (Sony RX1 or RX10), or possibly a very minimalistic kit (A9 + 25mm+55mm? A6300+10-18mm+50mm??)  And in so doing, I felt compelled to write a 775 word article…

 

RX1 by RX10 II

 

Maybe minimalism isn’t for me.

 

 

RX10 II

End