Being on a tight budget means I simply can’t afford to decorate my home with the designer furniture and artwork that I want, but with a little bit of patience and planning I’m able to decorate my home with things inspired by.

As a collector, I have found it hard in the past to not clutter my space with too many things. I love decorating my space with all of my treasures but I constantly found myself feeling overwhelmed (especially with dusting), and the style of my space was often confusing. Back when I wasn’t concerned with style, I let the clutter take over, my friends would refer to my space as a “thrift store of a home” or to me as an “organized hoarder”. I first realized enough was enough when I was gifted my first copy of Marie Kondo’s book. Around that same time, I was moving from my four-bedroom, home into a one-bedroom apartment. That’s when I began the process of weeding things out while packing to move and finding it really hard to let go of all of my collections and prize possessions. I made it my goal to let go of everything I could and to make my style more curated in my new living space.

What kind of ceremonies do you think of when someone mentioned ritual? Maybe you think about a long, complex series of archaic chants. Some may excuse rituals as religious or old fashioned but they are an essential part of the human condition and remain in practice until this day. It’s true that rituals have been heavily used in religious circles, and sometimes give people a bad taste in their mouth. But do they have to? What about your morning beverage or the peculiar order you follow while preparing a bath?