A Reductivist...A What?

Did the title of this blog post get your attention just from the word I user to describe it: Reductivist?

This word got my attention while reading the Architectural Digest feature written by Carolyn Roehm about her mentors Oscar de la Renta and Bill Blass.

In her description of Bill Blass, she described his aesthetic as being one of a Reductivist: "Bill, on the other hand, was a reductivist, and his house in Connecticut and apartment in New York City...—taught me how luxury could be lean without being cold."

A what?

Reductivist:  an art movement in sculpture and painting that began in the 1950s and emphasized extreme simplification of form and color

From Architectural Digest/Carolyn Roehm

Even though the definition emphasizes "extreme simplification", I was captured by the context being about intentional restraint...not about what you add but about what you don't add.

Developing this type of intentional restraint, especially when you have plenty of resources, takes an insurmountable amount of discipline!

And in our world of adding more storage facilities and buying bigger and bigger homes due to how much excess stuff we have, I really believe being a Reductivist is admirable and brilliant!

Thoughts on the Life of a Reductivist:
Instead of buying that holiday item that's used for three months of the year and in storage nine months of the year...buy something classic and multi-functional.

Instead of another cheap handbag that will need replacing in a few months, purchase the most elegant well made handbag you can afford.

Instead of continuing to add items in your bedroom that's creating a clutter nightmare, determine what is of the most useful that's been used in the past year and then get rid of the rest.

Instead of adding more surface level friendships to your life that require upkeep, decide which people you sense a strong connection to and spend quality time developing deep rooted relationships with them. (This is a key to well-being)

Instead of wearing yourself and your family out on activities and commitments, create a family plan of what's the most important to you to be happy and only commit to events centered around those things. (FYI: this is hard but you can do it!)

These are just a few musings and will differ for each person. The key is to be inspired by the life of Bill Blass through the eyes of Carolyn Roehm and let it empower you to create an authentic life by practicing the art of a Reductivist.

Authenticity... It's the Curva-Lish way!