Feeling small

Less is more. Small is cute. And animal paintings never go out of style.

see the new grey jacket hanging on my bag

This is what I keep on saying to myself now that the SALE-signs are appearing in the store windows. Just because something is on sale doesn't mean I have to go and buy it. The last time I bought a new garment was in August when I was in Galway (Ireland) for a vacation, and for some reason hadn't packed a single jacket with me. Galway's a fairly rainy and windy city, so a nice jacket with a hood was more than necessary. I've learned that I can do with less, and actually it makes your life a lot easier as well when you don't have shelves and closets full of shit you never use.

Recently I've also noticed that I still have clothes in my closet that I bought 10-15 years ago (and that's not an exaggeration) from H&M and that they're one string away from having a hole in them or simply full of lint. Therefore I've decided that all garments that are falling apart or starting to look bad in general are going to goodwill. And I won't go and buy other clothes from H&M to replace these throw-aways either. No sirree. I'm going to carefully select a few garments of quality that are easily combined with the stuff that I already have. If possible, I'll favor natural fabrics such as wool or cotton.

I like small things. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for small guys (as in NOT tall). My cat is rather small and I love the fact that she'll always stay looking like a little kitten. My vet said to me that she's a dwarf-cat, but luckily she's grown a bit since. Huh, I guess she was a late bloomer. Often small means simple, because there's not much room for maneuver (not talking about people or cat's anymore), and that's why I like jewelry so much. Little simple things to hang on yourself to give you joy.

I also buy my paintings small. I find that small paintings are more interesting visually than the bigger ones. I can appreciate a huge Picasso or Van Gogh, but not on my wall. It's too much for me. Instead I buy small paintings, often made by someone that I know. Recently I've also bought paintings with animals on them. I have one painting of a bear (I thought it was a cat, but then who cares right), I'm waiting for the postman to carry me a painting of a fox (the label said "werewolf" but again who cares right), and I've been desperately looking for a painting of a little bunny hiding in the grass. Thought I'd found the perfect one today, only to find out that it had just been sold. Oh well, my bunny's waiting for me somewhere. Of course I have my two paintings of Mr. Poirot the cross dresser, which will undoubtedly never go out of style.

mr Poirot as Snow White

When I was in Finland for Christmas, I left my carry-on bag there and bought a backpack from Fjällräven that I know will last me a lifetime and is easier to carry (see link here ). Happy as a clam I waltzed around the airport at Helsinki, and even got to cut in line at the security check seeing that "I had little stuff" (words of the airport official, not mine).

So you see folks, buy less, buy small, enjoy the little things in life. See how not having all that clutter around makes you see things more clearly, and breathe easier. Make room for what's really important. You.