Ideas in Progression

A digital space where music, travel, and storytelling converge.

Tag: minimalism

  • Nomadic Life: How, Why and When?

    Nomadic Life: How, Why and When?

    By Someone Who Said Fuck Enough

    The How

    Right then. Here’s the blunt truth: I sold everything. And before you jump to conclusions – I’m not homeless. I’m houseless. There’s a difference, innit?

    Having a physical house doesn’t make sense anymore when you’re living on the road, moving through cities, breathing in experiences instead of dust collecting in unused rooms. But you still need that bit of paper trail, don’t you? The state loves its paperwork. I’ve got a fiscal address because apparently, the taxman must be fed even when you’re running free. Some battles you lose before you start.

    But I kept the car. Oh yeah, absolutely. That tin beast is my ticket across Europe when the trains are cancelled or too expensive. House-sitting? Pet-sitting? Need wheels. Plus, it holds all the bits you actually need when you’re living out of packing cubes.

    The When

    Let’s not bullshit ourselves – the nomadic lifestyle isn’t for everyone. I know it. I’ve seen people try it and crash spectacularly back into the consumer rat race. So, check down if you qualify for this nomadic lifestyle and start whenever you like. The sooner the better.

    Here’s why I qualify for this particular madness:

    My sanity and I, we’re on the same wavelength. That’s rare, ain’t it? No children hanging off my ankles demanding stability. We can work online – the internet’s our office, the whole damn planet. Material things mean fuck-all to us anymore. Social status? Laughable concept. Vanity was something I left burning in the rearview mirror a long time ago.

    The Why

    Simple, really: freedom. The bloody right to decide what matters.

    No more tight agendas screaming at us every five minutes. Days don’t matter. Time doesn’t matter. What matters is waking up and choosing where you go, who you meet, what you do, without asking permission from a boss or a mortgage company.

    That’s freedom, mate. Raw and unfiltered.

    The Tips

    Listen up, because this part’s practical:

    Donate. Repurpose. Sell. Make peace with stuff leaving your life. I created a WhatsApp group with family and friends – bloody genius idea, honestly. Worked like a charm. Some things sold, others went to good homes, and yeah, some ended up properly discarded. Not everything deserves a second act.

    Embrace minimalism. Or existentialism, whatever floats your boat (there’s more on that in another piece I’m hammering out). You’ll be shocked at how much garbage you’ve been carrying around for “just in case” moments that never come.

    Keep watching this space, yeah? I’m about to drop my nomadic minimalist method – in small packing cubes, err… articles, hah! Sometimes the tech fails but the mission stays solid.

    Collect memories. Not things. 🚐💨

  • The Cartography of Nothing:  Mapping a Life Without Borders

    The Architecture of Less

    For years, I dreamed of a life unbound by geography—a existence defined by movement, not an address. But let’s be honest: freedom isn’t cheap, and it certainly isn’t easy to fund while paying rent on an empty flat. So, I did the only logical thing: I liquidated my entire existence.

    Collect Memories, Not Things

    I had long considered myself a minimalist, well before this lifestyle became a curated social media trend. Yet, despite that mindset, I discovered that getting rid of everything you own is far harder than simply boxing it up and moving to a new place (in my case; no place)

    Dare To Be Different

    The 2019 transition wasn’t without tremors. As usual, my “family” offered zero support, entrenched in their conservative modus vivendi. – I wear the ‘black sheep’ badge with pride. Why adhere to the prescribed linear march? Corporate drudgery, a flashy car, a beachside flat, offspring. I harbour no judgment for those who find fulfilment in that script, but it was never mapped for my feet. My compass points elsewhere: no borders, new customs, acquiring cultural depth. Money is a tool, not a trophy. Vanity? Abandoned long ago.

    Nine-to-Five? Hard Pass

    I have no desire to fund a boss’s luxury fleet or endure petty micromanagement from “work mates”. Now, I dictate my own priorities. Minimalism, coupled with location-independent work and house-sitting, dissolved the rigid structures of calendar days, weekends, and fixed hours into irrelevance.

    The Fine Print of Fate

    A word of counsel for those eyeing the leap: invest in quality, not quantity. Ignore the frenzied consumerism of Black Friday; buy functional, enduring items. And boycott the monolithic convenience of online stores in favour of local, (in my case) European commerce. To me, the hyper-consumerist USA-model was always hardly a template worth following.

    This is my perspective. But be careful what you wish for: you might just like it.

    Yours in freedom,
    e.