Changing Perspective: Living Tiny

I live in a 500sq foot one-bedroom studio with my husband and toddler. The concept of living tiny has always appealed to me. It seems cool, adventurous, countercultural, and sustainable. I love watching Tiny Home shows and van/trailer remodels where people live out of their vehicle. Over the years some of my favorites to follow have been The Tiny Canal Cottage, The Modern Caravan, Living Big in a Tiny House, and Wee Little Nomads, and many more.

I love what living tiny represents; more time, freedom, energy to be present, time outdoors, and living free from the cycle of consumerism that keeps us collecting stuff rather than living and connecting with others and the earth. Tiny living means freedom in so many ways. Whitney Leigh Morris from Tiny Canal Cottage puts it best with “‘you don't need to "live large" to live beautifully…[you] can live comfortably and contentedly in — and with— a smaller footprint shifting away from the “bigger/more is better” mentality that contributes to hyper-consumerism, allowing us clearer access to a greener and more equal path forward.’”

That being said, living tiny hasn’t been easy. Our decision to live tiny was not promoted by idealism and adventure, but out of necessity due to the high cost of living in Southern California and competition for rentals. When we moved here, I was pregnant with our son and it was important to me to have time to be home with him instead of us both having to work full-time. I didn’t want someone else raising him if I could be home. And we literally could not find another place to live that we could afford and get accepted to with all the competition. I was ready to nest and have a place to call home for a while and raise our son instead of being on the move.

Living tiny has brought many challenges, as you would imagine, especially for an introvert who needs alone time and my own space. This has been one of the hardest adjustments for me. I’ve always had my own room. My room has been my quiet place of solitude and safe haven and now I have two other human beings sharing my sacred space 24/7 with no place to go to escape. Not to mention my son has and still is constantly waking up throughout the night. Sleep has been a huge sacrifice in this space. It took two years to recognize how much not having quiet time and space to myself was affecting me, but once I did, we made some adjustments to our schedule and reach out for help from family to get this time.

The tiny space has also taken its toll on our relationship. 2020 brought 24/7 time at home all together, which is great in so many ways, but also an adjustment to be around someone that much. It leaves more room to get irritated and on each other’s nerves. We’ve had to really work on our communication and our relationship.

For me, the hard stuff and the limitations of a tiny space can get me down. I tend to see the negative in it more than the positive. I get frustrated that we don’t have a second bedroom for my son to sleep in so I can finally get a good night's sleep and when I don’t have space for something to go. Reading blogs like Whitney’s from the Tiny Canal Cottage, or posts from @EarthyAndy that focus more on life experiences than accumulating and having the latest things, or posts from other tiny dwellers help remind me of what this space has allowed for us. We have a lot of outdoor time and space, we have been able to be home together and work less, and it lends itself to putting more time and money into experiences and hobbies rather than home goods and stuff since the space is so limited.

I have learned to be clever with storage, but things still manage to pile up. I am constantly clearing out old and unused items and try and limit what I bring in. It is a challenge to the status quo and slowly I am learning to change my perspective and make the most of what we have. I want to take advantage of this time and be less attached to the stuff we have and more connected with nature, people, travel, and experiences. That doesn’t mean I will neglect our home. I love interior design and having a homey and warm space to come home to is important. This year is about transforming the space we live in to be full of joy and fullness and allowing it to be a creative space for bigger things in life.