Kondo-Culture: The Fall of the House of 'Stuff'

The recent decline of objects goes beyond decluttering, so why are we suddenly so keen on getting rid of things? And what role do objects play in our increasingly digital world? This essay follows the rise and fall of 'stuff', through art, philosophy and Marie Kondo.

This video was made with the help of @ElizabethLovatt's twitter feed, which provided much inspiration and many sources:
Go follow for insightful thoughts on literature, games and life!

Films used:
Salvation by Noah Harris and Andy Biddle
Artist Talk: Sara Cwynar at the Art Institute of Chicago (contains extract from Rose Gold)
Moving Parts by Andrew B. Myers
Mona Lisa Selfie by Daniel McKee

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[milkteamachine]

Great video. I think a lot of people miss the core point of what makes Marie Kondo's method so valuable, she stresses focusing on what you want to keep instead what you want to get rid of, and being grateful and mindful of every object you have in your life. It's not actually about folding your clothes and arranging things neatly, but the care it represents.

[pallasitematrix]

I think that the minimalism trend has been on the rise for a while now: I've been watching a lot of youtube videos over the last year or so, anyway. But the reason her way is so appealing, is because she doesn't advocate to just get rid of everything and live on the bare minimum. Learning what things you want to take with you into the future is an important part of her process... I feel like it really is about being more discerning about what you do and don't want, and not just about creating a space that looks a certain way.

[LimeyLassen]

"Hoarding has transcended physical space"
I'm feeling really conscious of my meticulous Myanimelist profile now.

[Atroonks]

I wouldn't call Marie Kondo's method minimalist. Its about keeping only things in your home that you love, its really that simple. If you have a ton a books, keep only the ones you truly like. If you actually do love them all, keep them all. I did the Marie Kondo method on my makeup collection, and while I did get rid of a couple of things I was holding onto 'just because', I still have a rather sizable collection, because I love my makeup collection. I feel like some people become defensive when confronted with their hoarding tendencies.

[gayfish]

I would love to hear a disabled take on this, because as a wheelchair user with chronic pain I am constantly reminded of living in a body and of the objects I use to inhabit the world with less difficulty and less pain. Being able to ignore your body is a privilege, it means your body doesn't cause you constant distress and the world around you is mostly designed for you to navigate it. I am constantly reminded of being other, of being dependent on objects, when I have to make the decision between propelling myself forward with my hands an carrying something. Looking at tiny houses makes me sick to my stomach because all I can think of is how much it would hurt my knees to climb up to a loft bed, and how many of those jutting corners and thin walkways would leave me bruised when I inevitably bang into them. There is so much to be said about how abled centric the design and cultural perception of objects and spaces is, and I personally don't have the time or energy to say it, but oh boy does it need to be said.

[LunaLynnLovegood]

"This is nice... and it's a part of me now" VERY ACCURATE

[ma-ri-ko]

Mari Kondo specifically draws her relationship to objects from Shinto spirituality as well. Everything we have uses precious resources given to us by the Earth we live on, therefore every object is imbued with a fractal of the Earth’s consciousness and soul. “Ownership” is relationship, and her approach to decluttering centers on cultivating appropriate relationships in your life. Holding yourself accountable for properly using and taking care of the things you have means passing on the things that make it overwhelming to be in right relationship with the objects in your life; if the volume of laundry that needs doing means that laundry doesn’t get done, it’s much better to only keep the things that make you feel good about taking care of them.

We find this idea in many indigenous cultures as well. The term “Indian giving” comes from the white colonists of North America being shocked that Native Americans would take back gifts that were not being used in a good way, as the concepts of “ownership” were very different. Things made by your hand, with your prayers and the gifts of the materials used to make an object, needed to be used well in order to live up to their purpose. White settlers saw a gift, and owning objects in general, as having unequivocal say over the use and fate of that object. Relationship vs Dominion.

I enjoyed your video and specifically what it had to say about corporate culture and the idea of advertising the self. I think we are at a turning point where we are again choosing relationship or dominion as a way of interacting with the world. The outlets we have for this are proscribed by a larger consumerist culture, and I very much look forward to a time where that isn’t the case and we can more fully inhabit our bodies and experiences

[Guppyg]

Her philosophy doesn't teach being a minimalist snob. It teaches loving the things you have and taking care of your living space.

[Digitalhunny]

Designer here. Shhh, Insider secret:
Colours are chosen each year by a small group of people. This group chooses & decides what colours are going to be "in style" for that year. First the colours go to high end groups. These groups create textiles, fabric, wallpaper, carpeting & such. The _following_ year they'll be found in stores mass produced. This is why you might _love_ a colour &/or colour combo BUT never find anything in stores to match it with. For example if you are on a peach kick for your bathroom, you are _not_ going to find accessories at the big box stores in peach right now 2019. You'd have to choose something neutral. The colours that retail carry are from the "in" colours that have been pre-selected.
Oh, once those pre-selected colours hit Wal-Mart type stores they are "old", "yesterday" or "so last year" in the high end world. LOL
Hope this helps someone. Have a great day y'all. 🌼

[justsomebabyghosts]

Every time I watch your video essays i'm so blown away with how much care and in-depth philosophical thinking you can incorporate. Its like watching a symphony orchestra, the images we're watching and the sounds are so together that they portray perfect meaning and understanding while still entertaining some aspects of humor or satire. Not only this but your philosophical arguments are always grounded in a sense of reality, that what can be taught online can have any impact on our physical lives.True art is not without these things and as i watch more of your essays I really appreciate their core ideas and the time you put into them.

[zsuzsufunkenstein]

It's totally normal to download random images that pile up beyond the point of recognition of why you downloaded them!

[coolgoldend]

i volunteer at a local opshop and the old people whove worked there for years say this year we gotten the most donations ever. it's a similar trend to over opshops around us. they're saying its because of Marie Kondo lol, everyone is cleaning out their houses now.

[schodes]

Great video Grace, loved it. So much effort and thought. The acceptance of transience/not commodifying *the appearance of experience* is, I think, the harder step people will have to take after de-materializing, and you definitely point that out here.

[mairedaly]

I honestly think we're trying to get rid of stuff because homes have become investments and many can't afford a home. Are we thinking...
1) If I spend less money on crap and focus on securing a place to live, I may be able to afford a place.
2) Due to the lack of security of tenure, 'I can't keep hauling this crap to a new address every 4 years'.

[JohnPollett]

I enjoyed this video, I just have a note about Marie Kondo's stance towards books. It has come up a lot, and her simple answer is, "If having the books sparks joy, keep them." She's just against keeping things for the sake of having them. people will always collect things, and be proud of their collections. I have a number of books myself, but having seen her show and listened to her message, I found quite a few that I was just holding on to for no real reason. Several of the books I have are from college or just random study and were even outdated in their methods. Those were much easier to get rid of, haha.

[Bianca_Toeps]

Everyone was writing tweet essays on Marie Kondo and books, but didn't bother to actually read and understand what she said. It was hilarious.

[manabluerose]

It makes me sad when people misunderstand Marie Kondo's methods. She clearly states to never give up on the items you truly love, only tries to help people see they are keeping too much, and that item already gave them joy.

[TF_Tony]

I think minimalism also appeals to the increasingly complex world views and lifestyles we have developed. If I feel overwhelmed by a situation, before I declutter my mind, I declutter my immediate surroundings, easing me into the more time-consuming process of making sense of the world.

[scorpiocusp]

I'm really glad I was recommended this video, I've subscribed now.

When I first got into minimalism, there was this need to buy all these minimalist, organizational things. I was definitely attracted to the idea of it, the clean home, all those things. But in the past year I've been really strapped for money, and have had to stop buying things that are non-essential. It's only that experience that's really made me understand my desire to stop being consumerist. I just hope that when my finances do improve I won't fall back down the hole.

[Jolipolie]

I've been somewhat of a minimalist since my early teen years because of very frequent moves, so I always felt at home in this trend. I'm glad we have a digital space where others can satisfy that collecting itch without excessive physical space.