Came across the amazing work of Kyoichi Tsuzuki who has photographed Generation X Tokyoites in Japan who have been obsessed with a brand or designer.
Apartments in Japan are generally pretty small compared to what you can find in North America and their homes are hoarding boxes for their obsessions.
You’d imagine that people who are collectors for seemingly meaningless, overpriced, materialistic items would be unhappy, but Tsuzuki says that for them, it has the opposite effect.
He calls them “Happy Victims”.
The photos went into a book called Tokyo Style.
As interviewed by Theme (highly recommended you read the interview), he said:
With the work that you do, what really fascinates you?
What fascinates me most is imbalance.
You are taught that it’s nice to have a hobby, but also that you have to think about balance—30% of your income should be spent on your home, 15% on your hobby, 20% on your food, whatever—to have a harmonious lifestyle.
But some people lose their balance. They spend like, 80% on their hobby. I like that!
That might sound stupid, but that’s energy.
A harmonious life doesn’t have energy. So that sort of imbalance encourages me.
These young people could move out to the suburbs and have better rooms; if they didn’t spend so much money on clubbing and mobile phones, they might be able to have a better lifestyle.
But they don’t, that’s not their interest.
I like that they know the power to step out of balance.
Whether it’s in their home or with fashion.
The subject might change, but it’s that lack of balance that makes me interested.
It is interesting to read his viewpoint and to see what he sees instead of what we are conditioned to see.
(An Anna Sui Happy Victim)
Granted, I have a bit of an affinity (and utter fascination) with these photos, as I am the type of girl who really takes fashion and style to heart.
I probably have what people might term a small obsession with hoard-like tendencies towards jewelery and clothing.
So I can absolutely relate to having things that make me happy.
Vivienne Tam Happy Victim
I am not going to lie and say I’m some sort of Zen Minimalist who has nothing at all, because that could not be farther from the truth.
I just have the things that do make me happy.
With everything else, I am pretty low key.
Not much in my bathroom, not interested in decorating my home, I own a fair bit of technology but but only the things that I really do use often. If not, I just donate it to my family.
I even live in a super small apartment with my boyfriend. We live, eat, sleep and work in exactly one space.
I don’t hang anything on my walls because it would make the place even more cluttered.
People find it weird, uncomfortable and hard to believe it could be comfortable.
Some have even called it devoid of personality, warmth and comfort.
But it simply couldn’t be farther from the truth for me.
It all depends on your perspective.
As Tsuzuki says:
Rich people with big spaces—when there’s more than one level in the house, and all these walkin closets—it doesn’t really show what you have.
But in a three-meter by three-meter room, everything shows. The room becomes a part of yourself.
While others find my lifestyle very stark, bare and minimalist…. I think of myself as just putting my money and my energy in keeping what gives me the most pleasure.
I think Tsuzuki sums it up perfectly for me in this answer:
I don’t want to say it’s stupid, but imagine it: A very small room, the person doesn’t have a lot of money but they spend all their money on books, and they fill their small room with books, you wouldn’t say they’re stupid.
Right?
But a small room filled with Comme des Garçons, looks really stupid, no?
That is our prejudice—that the person who spends all their money on books looks better than the person with Comme des Garçons.
There’s a hierarchy: Books have the highest position, then records, and fashion is kind of on the bottom.
But it’s all the same.
It’s how your passion flows.
(A Happy Victim to Martin Margiela)
This guy in the above picture doesn’t even eat or cook in his apartment because he doesn’t want the food smells to get anywhere close to coming near the fibers of his precious collection.
This one is sort of sad for me.
(A Gucci Victim holding her baby)
(Dries van Noten Happy Victim)
Resources used
lynda
on Oct 19th, 2009
@ 6:26 pm:
I fail to understand how someone can be happy when there is no possible way for them to use (or even know) what all they possess.
I have lived with a hoarder in the past. They brag about how happy they are, but you can tell deep down that the reason they hoard is because those collections are what make them feel important, they feel that without that stuff they are nothing.
Says something about the world today…
lynda´s last blog ..Groceries
Wendy
on Oct 20th, 2009
@ 11:54 am:
What I am wondering is how they move around in the room without tripping over something.
everydayminimalist
on Oct 21st, 2009
@ 10:11 am:
@Wendy I am wondering how they felt comfortable with all that clutter around them.
Still, he makes a good point that it is our prejudice to not think that books in a library are clutter, but clothes are.
everydayminimalist
on Oct 21st, 2009
@ 10:14 am:
@lynda I am not sure they’re hoarders per se. They are more like reverent collectors. It seems like these pieces are pretty expensive, and having a collection of only Comme des Garcons means they cannot buy every single piece of his.
Hoarders, I believe, have a different mentality, and hoard all clothing for example, or all shoes, or all books.
These people have specific collections, or hoarding collections in mind, and the price point must really prohibit them from going nuts.
Still, those are my 2 cents.
I still think his point about our prejudice against what deems a proper collection (books, records, DVDs and then everything else), makes a strong statement with me.
Books are also clutter to me, but my jewelery is not. I just place more importance on jewelery than books…
Concojones
on Oct 22nd, 2009
@ 12:44 pm:
@Everydayminimalist: you’re right that not all collectors are hoarders, but even a devoted collector can benefit from applying the 80/20 principle to their collection: only keep the nicest pieces and give them your full attention.
Concojones
on Oct 22nd, 2009
@ 12:48 pm:
For instance, I used to be a “happy victim” of music records. I’ve only kept my favorite stuff, and it feels … better, the way decluttering a room feels.
everydayminimalist
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 8:49 am:
@Concojones: That’s a great point about applying a principle to your collection.
No collection is a true collection, if you don’t only keep the pieces you really love. It can be overwhelming if you don’t cull it once in a while.
Which reminds me.. I ought to do that
And I agree that keeping your favourite items makes you feel much better, because you don’t have the added GUILT of keeping what you don’t love.
Bonne Vie - Wholestyle on the Web: Week of 10/23
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 5:33 pm:
[...] The Everyday Minimalist: Are You a Happy Victim? [...]
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on Jan 30th, 2010
@ 6:04 pm:
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Fabulously Broke, Dani Stover. Dani Stover said: Happy hoarders http://bit.ly/6rFIqn @brokeinthecity [...]