I had another thought on Minimal-ish - and strangely enough, it connects to religion. 

Recently I wrote that I thought we ought to stop saying Minimal-ish because it was creating a false sense that Minimalism was a specific way of living with nothing but the bare essentials. I spoke about how Minimalism in art has somehow been intertwined with Minimalism in the home - I feel the two might share a name but should not be considered the same. 

A minimalist piece of art might be a completely white canvas because it strips back everything that is not essential. However this is not the same design principal that propels Minimalist Home Design. Minimalism in the home is a goal toward removing those non-essential items that lead to a cluttered home... but we're human. We cannot remove everything, we can only strive to remove as much as possible. It doesn't mean sleeping on the floor and removing all joy from your home - but it is a Goal we strive for. The goal is to challenge yourself to live with less, not to live with nothing. 

And so I feel like one should call themselves a minimalist, even if their home is not an empty, white box. A Minimalist strives to reduce clutter, strives to live with less, strives toward living as intentionally as possible. 

Whether you like this mindset or want to follow my previous post about "Intentionalism", I feel this goal applies. In the same way that not all minimalist art looks the same, a minimalist human will not either. Both are curated by a human, so embrace calling yourself a minimalist in either instance.

EDIT: I forgot to include the connection to religion, so here it is. As an atheist, I generally disapprove of organized religion, but I can still understand the benefits in some aspects. I love the idea of a community coming together over shared values to spend time telling stories and singing songs. At it's core, that's what a lot of Western Religion is (can you tell I was raised Catholic?). While I don't approve of the worshipping an all-knowing entity that we cannot prove exists or letting old white men tell us that this entity wants us to do horrible things to people who don't agree with us, the communal nature of church is a good vibe. But also at its core is the belief that making it your goal to follow certain practices and certain traditions is important to a lead a fulfilling and peaceful life. In a more relaxed interpretation of this tendancy, one understands that this is a goal, but not always a definition. My mom may not regularly attend church on Sundays, but still identifies as Catholic. Is she Catholic-ish if she takes communion, but only on special occassions? I don't think so. I'm sure someone does, but as long as you strive to follow the guiding principles that Catholicism teaches its followers, one can still call themself a Catholic. 

And so I get it. You need not be a prophet in order to identify as a Christian, and so I feel you need not get rid of all your worldly possessions to identify as a Minimalist. 

Funnily enough, a lot of prophets do get rid of all of their worldly possessions, so it feels even more like an apt metaphor.