Minimalism, mindfulness, and finding identity | Interview with Madhur Dutta
Hey friends, today I am so excited to bring you the first installment of my second "season" of interviews with fellow advocates. This fall/winter I'm highlighting one interview per month (October, November, December, January) to share some movers and shakers with you. And I can't think of a better way to kick this fall series off than by sharing an interview with my friend Madhur, whose blog goes by the same namesake. Madhur and I have been following each other on Instagram for years (find him at @madhurdutta), and what I appreciate most about Madhur is his insightful, calm approach to life. Almost every time he shares something online, I'm introduced to a way or angle of thinking about an issue that I hadn't considered before. In a world full of fast decisions, black and white thinking and over-consumption, a his mindfulness and perspective is priceless.
But I'm going to quit gushing so you can check out his interview. Enjoy!
Tell us about the main mission or ethos of your blog, and what makes it great.
I blog about sustainable and conscious living through short essays on minimalism, sustainable fashion, and eco-travel. My mission with the blog is to have conversations with my readers that enable both of us to recognise and nurture beauty inward and outward. I think India (the land I come from), my story, my passion for the work I’m doing, and my sensibilities as a writer and visual creator make the work I do with my blog unique.
What inspired you to start your blog?
I blogged about different topics for almost half a decade before I started this blog. I rebranded and relaunched my personal blog as "A Vivid Life" in 2017, and just today re-relaunched it under my name, Madhur Dutta. The need for a personal blog originally manifested as I was navigating through what I've now been able to recognise as an identity crisis in my late twenties. I was deeply disillusioned and was feeling utterly overwhelmed about several aspects of my life - ranging from my strongest relationships, my finances, my belongings (and the never-ending desire for more) and the work I was doing vs what I wanted to do. Minimalism is how I chose to address these areas of my life and one of the first places I applied minimalism is to my belongings (mostly my wardrobe.) While minimizing my wardrobe, I was exposed to the concepts of sustainable and ethical fashion, and learned more about the impact of fast fashion on the environment and people involved across its supply chain. With this awareness, I decided to rethink my personal blog and decided to execute the gradual relaunch and rebrand, transitioning to only writing about sustainable and conscious living through sustainable fashion and eventually minimalism and eco travel.
What do you think is the future of conscious consumerism?
I think, for us to have a future, consumerism needs to be rethought. I think it needs to be approached consciously and with mindfulness. I also feel, at present, so much of consumerism is engineered to exploit our collective and individual insecurities. I see consumerism transforming from its present mindless and disparaging state to a conscious and empowering state in the coming decades.
What is something you’ve learned, discovered, grown personally in, or something else great because of your blog?
Patience. I have learned to be more patient with myself and with others. Everyone and everything has a story, the more time we spend understanding it, the deeper our understanding of it becomes, which can be transcendental and extremely enriching.
In an ideal situation where you had every resource at your disposal, where would your blog be in the next five years?
In the next five years, I hope to be a key voice in global and local conversations related to conscious and sustainable living. I hope to work with more brands and individuals. I also hope to have these stories we have to tell be heard by more and more people.
What is your one piece of quick advice for anyone interested in being more ethical, sustainable, and/or eco?
Pause. Build identity. Figure out what makes you happy first.
In an ideal situation where you had every resource at your disposal, where would your blog be in the next five years?
In the next five years, I hope to be a key voice in global and local conversations related to conscious and sustainable living. I hope to work with more brands and individuals. I also hope to have these stories we have to tell be heard by more and more people.
What is your one piece of quick advice for anyone interested in being more ethical, sustainable, and/or eco?
Pause. Build identity. Figure out what makes you happy first.
My earliest exposure to minimalism was through Steve Jobs and Apple (I was massively into it and actually ran a successful indie blog about Apple). Not exactly sure when, but they ran an advertisement that had the following punch-line: “A thousand nos for every yes.” It basically reinforces this notion that minimalists tend to follow, of saying no to anything doesn’t scream out to you, so you can say yes to what does. I have been able to apply this philosophy to all areas my life and saying no has enabled me to get in touch with what I want to say yes to. I highly recommend this approach to building identity.
Just for fun, if your blog were an ice cream flavour, what flavour would it be?
Tender coconut.
Now for some fun, let’s get to know YOU a bit better!
Do you prefer radio or podcasts?
Podcasts
Books or movies/TV?
Books
Puns or one-liners?
Puns
Birds or fish?
Both (they both do something that humans can't - fly and be underwater)
What or where is your happy place?
The now.
Have you received any wise words lately?
While running a friend through some of the changes I had been making, she said these beautiful words, when I began justifying or explaining them: “You are not obliged to justify or explain this transition to anyone."
What or who inspires you the most?
People in socially and economically oppressive settings who defy all hurdles to make a positive difference not just in their own life but for those around them.
What is one thing you've done that you're really proud of?
At the present moment, I am extremely proud of the work I am doing here. I am also very proud of all the progress I’ve been able to make transforming my identity crisis into identity asset.
If you could move anywhere else in the world to live for one year, where would it be?
A huge part of this year has been about getting in touch with my roots as an Indian. I am fascinated by the depth of our culture and our history. I feel one drawback of globalization in my own life has been that it has caused a disconnect with our rich roots from several dimensions. To that extent, I feel I am exactly where I need to be. I am in the land I love. And that is the thing about love, is it begets the ability to simply be. That said, the sustainable and conscious living community is truly global and I would love the opportunity to connect with people in his community in person and hope to visit some places outside India for an extended period sometime in the future.
Anything else you'd like to add?
I just want to add that I am especially grateful for this opportunity to share my experience and my story with The Ethical Edit’s readers. During the beginning of my transition toward sustainable and conscious living, you (April) were one of the first few friends I made. From that perspective, this especially means a lot to me. I also hope that my story inspires some readers as so many countless ones I’ve read here and elsewhere from the community have inspired me.
