Subscriber Q&A with Willow Nature Wood: “I saw that I was on the path to becoming just as bad of a hoarder as he was.”

Willow Nature Wood is a self-described “rustic poet”, full-time author, and recovering hoarder who has been exploring minimalism since 2018. She is also a Simple by Emmy subscriber who has a fascinating story about her minimalism journey I just had to share with you all! If you would like to be featured in an upcoming interview, please feel free to contact me.

Emily: When did you first learn about minimalism?

Willow: I first heard about minimalism in 2015 from a friend who was a minimalist. I admired that about her, and I felt it was something I needed to implement. I was a hoarder and maximalist, but seeing her place gave me a sense of calm. I knew that I needed to embrace minimalism the moment I felt the peace of her home. When I got to my home after the visit, though, I found I could not let go of any items. 

Emily: What inspired you to embrace a minimalist lifestyle that you learned about at that time?

Willow: In 2017, I became a live-in caregiver for an elderly gentleman. My patient was an extreme hoarder where it was hard to walk around the house safely without tripping over his possessions. I worked with him to start cleaning out his house, and he made a lot of progress over the time I was there. I even have visited him recently and his house is even cleaner. I’m proud of him.

When I left the job in 2018 and moved back home, I saw that I was on the path to becoming just as bad of a hoarder as he was. I was holding on to many knick-knacks, random things like a “Pick Up Your Dog Poop” sign which I found funny, and clothes I never wore since I transitioned to become a woman. Frightened by that prospect, I remembered my friend from 2015 and decided to embrace minimalism so I began to eliminate what I did not need.

Emily: What have been the biggest benefits of a minimalist lifestyle for you so far?

Willow: Over the two years since, I have slowly gotten rid of items I don’t need (as time goes on I find I need even less I need and so I declutter whenever I feel the need to), and now I have gotten rid of many of my possessions and have not added any new items into my home that aren’t needed. It’s freeing. Also, embracing minimalism and consuming less has allowed me to apply my efforts and thoughts elsewhere. Instead of being distracted by a pile of random knick-knacks on my desk that I thought captured my eccentricity, I am able to work on being an author.

“Embracing minimalism and consuming less has allowed me to apply my efforts and thoughts elsewhere.”

Willow Nature Wood

Emily: What have been the biggest challenges as you continue on your minimalist journey?

Willow: Some challenges I am facing to become free are that I’m sentimental about most of the items I’ve owned, that I have an open and free schedule (passive income) so people pressure me to fill it up helping others all the time, and that I used to be a hoarder so although I’ve gotten rid of 90% of my possessions, I still hold on to too much.

Emily: What do other people in your life think of your minimalist lifestyle? How have they been impacted by the changes you’ve made?

Willow: To be honest, most people that I care about think I am crazy. My family members (my girlfriend included) are maximalists and hold onto clutter to a point where I struggle to breathe. Since I am presently so far removed from my old, hoarding ways, their emacity baffles me.

When I start to wonder if I’ve made the wrong decision in choosing a minimalist lifestyle, I just remember that minimalism brings me peace and sanity.

“When I start to wonder if I’ve made the wrong decision in choosing a minimalist lifestyle, I just remember that minimalism brings me peace and sanity.”

Willow Nature Wood

As for how others have been impacted by my choices to embrace minimalism and a less consuming lifestyle, most recently my girlfriend has been directly impacted by the generosity of Buy Nothing groups. She had to leave a not so good living situation and she left most of her belongings behind due to fear of being caught. So far in the past week I asked for an umbrella for when she walks to work and some warm clothes since she didn’t have many warm clothes. She’s from Florida and I am in a colder state. Almost immediately people came forward to gift these items. She was amazed.

With our first move happening soon, at first she talked about buying things like a rice cooker for our new apartment, but she came to that we should try to see if we can find a free one in a Buy Nothing group first. We received one in less than an hour after asking. While she is in no way becoming a minimalist, I like to think that she is becoming more aware of how she consumes.

Emily: What are you looking forward to in the future? How does minimalism allow you to realize this future vision for your life?

Willow: I’m looking forward to moving twice in the next year and a half, with one move happening to be my girlfriend and I moving to another state. Minimalism is allowing me to realize this future as not only possible, but as well, minimalism is allowing me to head towards this future with ease. Without having embraced minimalism, I would be so overwhelmed with my previous hoarded sentimentality, that I wouldn’t know how to start packing or how to transport all my material belongings. With minimalism, I can embrace these moves with ease and embrace the adventure.

Emily: Anything else you’d like to share?

Willow: If you’re just beginning on your journey with minimalism, be patient. As tempting as it is to give up because you just can’t seem to let go, in time you’ll see the sanity soon and be surrounded only by that which you love.

Thanks so much to Willow Nature Wood for sharing her story! If you would like to share your minimalism/simple living journey with our community please contact me! If you are wondering where to start on your journey to live with less, check out my Guide to Minimalism and Simple Living!