Evelyn Anim
The Nomadic Abstract Artist
A MINIMALIST LIFE IS A LIFE OF JOY!
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Below I detail how the universe stripped me bare and freed me in so many ways! The universe has taught me and is still teaching me a new way of abundance. The new way of abundance focuses on freedom with less possessions, less reliance on money and more on utlising free resources as well as bartering, exchanging and swapping.
A minimal life is a life of joy!
Living a minimalist nomadic life is the most freedom I have ever experienced in my life!
I arrived with a huge heavy suitcase and bit by bit I now have a medium rucksack bag and medium shoulder handbag do I am literally lighter! It's now so much easier to move around.
Living a life of 'work exchange' has allowed me to go minimal!
Working the reception in a hostel and or by house sitting/pet sitting I've been able to live an amazing minimal lifestyle.
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First off having no rent or bills is one of the first steps in going minimal. Of course a minimalist work exchange lifestyle takes getting use to!
By not renting I not only save money on rent and bills but also on the need to buy plates, bowls, pots, pans or cutlery etc whic means less to carry around with.
The hostels and the houses I have stayed in already have....
-Pots, pans, bowls plates,cups and cutlery amongst others
Kitchen equipment like cookers, ovens, fridge freezers, blenders etc
-Communal living areas with sofas, chairs, tables and hammocks
-Showers and toilets
-Games
-Book exchange library
-Clothing exchange
-TV/Movie room (not many hostels have this)
One of the great thing about hostels and some house sits is the fact that there are cleaners to maintain the hostel so all my hostel positions have had minimal cleaning as part of the work.
So I've gotten rid of rent, bills and the time spent cleaning!
PORTABLE ART
I've adapated and most of my art is portable!
My portable art includes various ways of expressing my artistic abilities.
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T​emporary Environmental Art
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Saves me carrying, paint brushes, paints and canvases around with me. It also means I don't need to worry about storage and I save money too and create zero waste.
My creativity is therefore portable...I can express my artisty anywhere!
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Abstract art on external surfaces
With thiway of expressing my artistic abilities i utilise existing surfaces like Landscape boulders, bordr walls and garage doors, see art services pages for full range of services I can paint on.
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BANKING
Bank account...none!
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Everything is done in cash which is not for the faint hearted. I deal with a minimal amount of cash so it works for me as I don't have tons of cash to have to keep secure!
The benefits of dealing with just cash...
-Less admin, fees and stress!
-Less waste as I am not constantly filling in paper slips or being given printed receipts
-No long boring queues
-Money saved on making phone calls for telephone banking.
-No bank cards to be cloned or bank account to be hacked.
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GADGETS
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My technological products consist of just a simple android phone and an old but functional Acer one laptop. Both are old and simple so not devices anyone wanted to particularly steal.
I get to use the hostels laptop.
At one of the house sits I was lucky to have been given an up with Netflix and I tunes for the duration of my house sit.
NATURAL HYGIENE PRACTICES
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http://robgreenfield.tv/hygiene/
https://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-cosmetics/
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
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My hygiene practices make more sense once you've read the links above which discuss the many harmful and toxic ingredients in beauty products.
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No shampoo or conditioner - water wash only -.I wash my hair and body with just water!
No deodorant - I stopped using deodorant when I became vegan (January 2017) but now I'm au naturale! My simple vegan diet means that my body does not produce the odour it did when I was vegetarian and was eating eggs and dairy!
No razors or shaving cream - I don't remove underarm or bikini line hair even in Puerto Viejo where it was super humid. I am a true hippy and so decided to embrace this.
If course I'm not brave enough to walk along the beach with my hairy bikini line!If I want to go on the beach I wear cycling shorts and a bikini top.
I sometimes pluck the longer leg hairs but most of it grows light so those ones I leave it alone.
No shower gel or soap - water wash only...body brush, sand, rock to remove dead skin
No body cream - Only works when I am in Puerto Viejo. Its humid there so my skin doesn't need body cream.
No lip balm (if in places like Puerto Viejo) - humid weather means lips don't crack so not needed
I sometimes use coconut oil as it not only moisturises but also repelled mosquitoes. Body cream is a must in the central valley areas as my skin really dries out.
NO MORE 9-5 - A NEW LIFE OF SERVICE
Working 25 hours a week it frees up my time to do other things like volunteer elsewhere
as well as have a more holistic life. When I was living in Puerto Viejo I volunteered with El Puente x3 days a week which always fitted around my volunteering at hostels.
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On my days off and other free time I like to...
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-Go for long walks
-Walk along a variety of beaches (Puerto Viejo)
-Meditate
-Read books
-Create temporary environmental art
LUXURY HOSTEL - ZERO COST LIVING!
So currently (November 2019) I am working 25 hours a week and I have my lunch and breakfast included. The hostel is called Fauna Luxury Hostel in Escazu which is an upscale area close oto San Jose. I am staying in a luxury dorm which has a balcony, ensuite bathroom and free soap and shower gel dispenser. The cleaners also tend to the dorm a couple of times a week. The dorm also has lockers and the balcony has a huge comfy bean bag and a table and chair.
FEEL SAFER
I walk around with no credit cards and most pf the time no money or just small amount of coins for snacks.
I have a Basic phone...no iPad or latest gadgets!
FREEDOM FROM STUFF
*Less stuff to maintain
*Less items to get damaged
*Less items to go missing or get stolen
*Less stuff to carry around
*Less insurance needed or in most cases no insurance needed!
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CLOTHING
When I was living in San Jose I learned how to replace worn out clothing and update my wardrobe for very little money. Some thrift stores called 'Ropa Americana' sell good quality used jeans in very good condition for as little as 500 colones ($1)!
It gets better because i found one particular chain of thrift stores called Sinai who dea an offer every couple of months where you get x10 pieces of clothing for just 1,000 Colones which is approx. $2 !
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I didn't take pictures of the Sinai haul but I did document my first two thrift store shopping experiences in Costa Rica.
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Packing clothes when on the move
I use a combination of techniques to maximise the space in my bags. Some techniques also minimise creasing. I'm so glad I learned these techniques as its allowed me to have have a more organised bag and to really think about the stuff I am carrying around with me. In short it helps me to live more minimally
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There are a heap of benefits to creating clothing burritos!
Visit links below when you finish reading for a host of tips and tricks to maximise the space in your luggage or rucksack.
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Variety is the spice of life!
Living with a minimal amount of clothes can be boring so the way I stop craving the urge to buy new clothes is to customise my existing clothes.
There are 3 main ways that I do this.
1) Paint my clothes using nail varnish...you can of course use fabric paints but I like the glossiness and metallic colours
2) Bleach areas of my tops and other clothing in a tie dye effect
3) Create fabric brooches- pieces of fabric tied together and pinned on with a safety pin...
super simple. Of course you can make fancier/more professional looking versions.
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Also mix and matching and wearing clothes differently each time. With cut-off jeans I
sometimes roll them up instead of always rolled up so I get two looks instead of one. I
also tie and tuck away the bottom of loose tops and or tie knots into the straps for a new look from the same top!
LAUNDRY
In Puerto Viejo the sun was so strong that I was able to handwash clothes and then dry in the sun. In most case on really hot days the clothes were dry the same day! This ideal for places were there are no laundry services or limited laundry options which saves time waiting for a free spot in the laundry line.
Also in hot humid weather clothes not only dry quickly but they stay wrinkle free so I never ironed my clothes when I was living in Puerto Viejo.