Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Doctrines of Essentialism

I spend a lot of time on subjects of aesthetics and design. I like looking at architecture and consumer products. I also like music, art, and literature. In addition, there is the area of personal development. Within these fields, I find a war between maximalism and minimalism. Is less more? Or is more of everything a good thing?

Take a remote control for your TV. I hate modern TV's. There are a hundred buttons and features such that you become paralyzed by the panopoly of choices. Clearly, braintards (autistic geniuses who design for their own amusement instead of the real world) are the ones behind this colossal tomfuckery. This is the error of maximalism. It is the belief that you can never go wrong by including everything you can possibly think of throwing in there. More is more. But witness a person trying to figure out how to switch his TV over to watching DVD's. It makes any sane person want to club a nerd to death.

The reaction to this maximalist way of thinking is a reversion to minimalism. This would be letting Apple design a TV remote. It would have one button. You would press the middle to turn it on. Left and right would control volume. Up and down would change the channel. Naturally, you wouldn't be able to watch a DVD because Steve Jobs doesn't believe in DVD's. This is the error of minimalism. It isn't simplicity. It is austerity.

Essentialism cuts through the middle of these extremes. An essentialist remote would have an on/off switch, a volume control, a channel changer, numbered buttons to get to channels faster, and a button to let you switch to a DVD player or a video game. The purpose of a remote is to make getting to your destination easier not harder. The minimalist/maximalist approach to things makes it harder. You shouldn't have to choose overload or austerity.

The same thing applies to architecture and interior design. You have austere designs where everything is elegant and sterile vs. utter clutter. Minimalism erases all personality. Minimalists prefer the uniform. They like one size fits all. Meanwhile, the maximalists overload your sense and sensibilities. Essentialism aims at simplicity. There are pictures on the wall. You can close the windows. The furniture is comfortable. But you can actually clean the place. It is warm and inviting.

Here are examples of the difference:

MAXIMALISM


The sheer overload of this room nauseates me. There is way too much shit going on here. Everything clashes. I want to take a garbage bag and go through and toss shit out. Yet, many people live like this acquiring shit and stuffing their homes with it. So, some people go to the opposite extreme.


MINIMALISM



No one lives like this. Granted, this bedroom is gorgeous, but it is cold and austere. Living like this would be like living in a museum. Toss your shoes on this floor, and it is over. So, what's the antidote?

ESSENTIALISM




Notice the difference? The essentialist design is simple but not boring. It is warm not sterile. This is a room you want to spend time in. It has personality and life to it. But it is also unique. All minimalist designs look the same. Essentialism does not.

A maximalist builds a McMansion and crams it with bad taste. A minimalist builds a white cube and sterilizes it. An essentialist buys an old factory, guts out the interior, puts in wood flooring and leaves the exposed brick, buys some comfortable furniture, and hangs a few pictures on the wall. Essentialists recycle. They use what is there but also eliminate what is not necessary.

Essentialism is hard to grasp much like the Golden Mean. It is finding that middle path. But there are certain doctrines you can keep in mind when aiming for the essential:

1. NECESSITY

Form follows function. You should have what is necessary for the function of a thing--no more and no less.

2. SIMPLICITY

There should be no overload of the senses or indulgence in something merely for the sake of having it. Good design is not just about what you put in but also what you choose to leave out. Subtraction is an element of creativity.

3. PERSONALITY

The design of a thing should also be expressive and human. There should be warmth and feeling in a design. People like to personalize what is theirs. Personality gives uniqueness.

4. REALITY

The design of a thing should not attempt to duplicate the Platonic Forms but blend with the rest of the world. Wood is superior to plastic. Brick is superior to plaster. A found object is just as good as a new object.

I consider myself to be an essentialist. I aim for this middle way. Ironically, I get accused of being a minimalist in much the same way as I am accused of being a pessimist (or optimist depending on the situation.) These are the accusations of extremophiles who see things only in superlatives. If you aren't a maximalist, you must be a minimalist. If you aren't a minimalist, then you must be a maximalist.

There is no accounting for taste since these things are person relative. I just know what I like, and I strive to hit this sweet spot of essentialism in all that I do whether it is writing or my work or my lifestyle. I think all great art and projects attain this essentialist sweet spot.


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