Meet Alessia Pinna, founder of Alexie Studio.
Sardinia and Japan have a lot in common. Not only do they share a certain island identity, but they are both known for the longevity of their inhabitants. Japan and Sardinia are two of the five best-known “blue zones,” where people live longer and better, devoting more time to socializing and spirituality and placing less importance on materialistic possessions. Sardinia is still known for its slower lifestyle than the rest of Italy. Many celebrities, like Whoopi Goldberg, have recently talked about that.
In the last few decades, we have become more conscious of the
impact of the consuming philosophy on our lives. We tend to have more objects
than we need, and we waste enormous quantities of products, which has terrible
effects on the planet and our existence. We play an endless accumulation race and
work 24/7 to get unnecessary goods that we throw away
quickly. This process leads to an ephemeral wealth, at the expense of our real
needs: tranquillity, joy, and quality time with our family and friends. Our
houses are increasingly full of objects piled up, which can hurt our mental
well-being. It can be extremely hard to get rid of unnecessary items and find a
method to keep our space clean and tidy quickly. That’s why minimalism is
becoming so popular. When your house is
so untidy, all you want is a magic wand that makes everything
disappear.
A few years ago, I read Marie Kondo's famous book “The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up” and found her Method interesting, because it goes even beyond minimalism. In Western countries, we tend to accumulate items but don’t generally give them any particular value. In Japan, the wabi-sabi philosophy leads to finding beauty in imperfection because originality gives value. Marie Kondo’s Method focuses on giving value to the objects that we have and trying to keep with us only those who convey positive feelings. I immediately felt motivated and took action to transform my house. I got rid of all the stuff that I no longer needed and my house was for several months a peaceful shelter, where I could rest and find balance and inspiration. All this harmony soon disappeared after my first pregnancy. For almost a year we lived in the chaos again. I tried to find a balance again but after my second baby boy was born, we began to live in a complete anarchy for a few years. While thinking about finding a way off from the untidiness caused by all the unnecessary items that we accumulated in our house, I realized that I couldn’t do everything all by myself, but I needed help. I needed to involve my family in the tidying-up process. Reading the book was extremely helpful, but in my case, as I wanted to devote all my attention to my children, I probably would have needed extra support from an expert in the Method.
That’s when I knew about Alessia’s mission. Alessia Pinna is a young lady who perfectly embodies the philosophy of this blog, sure enough, she has a lot of passions and is constantly improving her skills. Despite being very young, she already runs a successful business in the south of Sardinia: she helps people find balance, harmony, and joy in their houses and their lives. She’s the first expert in this field in Sardinia who attended Marie Kondo courses. I asked her a few questions about KonMari® Method, tidying up, minimalism, and well-being.
-Alessia, when and why did you decide to devote yourself to the KonMari® Method?
Dear
Barbara, I decided to help people in this particular aspect of their lives
because since I tidied up my house following the KonMari® Method my life had a
real positive change. It was in 2020 when I first came across the book “The
Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-up”, written by Marie Kondo, the Japanese expert, and founder of the Method. I’d bought the book because, after an important
self-improvement journey, I had the necessity of feeling more at ease at home. I was
overwhelmed by stuff I kept in my house only as a habit and needed to have a renovated
space all around, in harmony with my new me. So, during the
lockdown, at the weekends, I started reading the book and followed the
“Tydying Festival” journey, step by step, till the end. In the following
years, I understood that I had an aptitude for helping other people in this
important journey until I decided to be a Certified Consultant of this
marvelous Method.
It’s since
2020 that I haven’t tied up my house because, you know, one of the main
characteristics of this method is that sometimes the process can be long, but
the results are permanent. Now I don’t have to waste my time tidying up
wardrobes and drawers that usually are cyclically messy. My life has become
easier, I’ve more free time to enjoy my house and I’m more organized and
efficient at work and in my personal life.
This gives me the possibility to devote more time to myself and the
things I like, it’s one of the big benefits of this method, which is why
putting effort into this adventure is worth it.
-How do you help people find joy, harmony, and balance in their houses through your job?
First,
words like joy, harmony, and balance contain so many aspects to take care of
that sometimes they could seem so far away from our possibilities. With my
brand, I’d like to show people that this is not true because our will, choices, and actions can move us closer and finally help us reach these lifestyle goals. In
particular, the KonMari® Method is a real and practical tool that can surely
improve the quality of our lives, that’s why I strongly recommend it. To be
more precise, during my consultancies, I devote myself to the people who
require my guidance, helping them to visualize their ideal lifestyle, and to help
them make their desires come true. I help them stay motivated during the most
difficult moments and I suggest organizational solutions for every need they
may have and the optimization of the space. I support people 100% in the
application of this Method, which is not banal at all, on the opposite, it
touches people deeply. As an example, it happens very frequently that during
the tidying-up process, every object in our house reminds us of our history and
passions, shelved because of the chaotic lifestyle that society imposes. After
tidying up many people restart practicing those forgotten activities. I also
make sure that goals are reached and help people overcome all the obstacles
they can find during the process. As they say, "It's a tough job
but after all someone has to do it."
-What motivates you more?
The
results of my clients. Seeing the joy on their faces and their lives simplified
and more functional to their ideal lifestyle makes me glad and confirms that
the passion and dedication I put into my job are worth it.
-What’s the most difficult part of your job?
The most difficult part is explaining to people what I do as a job. Sometimes it can be tough to explain to them that this is a job. There are countless personal organizers, but I’m the only one who practices and teaches this method in Sardinia. There are very few of us even in Italy, that’s why I feel the responsibility to attract the interest of people about the importance of the benefits of practicing mindfulness, order, and prioritizing joy in our lives.
I know
it’s not a job for everybody; you have to be extremely patient and have a
problem-solver mindset, but I have these characteristics!
On the
contrary, the most beautiful part of this job is seeing people’s eyes sparkling, which testifies to their fascination with this philosophy and their immediate application of it to their lives, as if they had just found a
treasure. In retrospect, I had the same reaction when I first discovered the Method.
-What’s the link between minimalism and the KonMari® Method?
Minimalism and KonMari® Method are two distinct concepts that are often confused. Minimalism is based on the idea that “Less is more” and promotes removing what is unnecessary to live with the basics. KonMari® Method, more than removing as many things as possible, focuses on living with the objects that we really love. Anyway, if keeping the basics gives you joy, you’ll apply the KonMari® Method keeping only all that you need. On the other hand, if during the “Tidying Festival,” you understand that unnecessary items give you joy, like a collection of objects that gives positive vibes, that’s right to keep it.
Moreover,
minimalism can be considered a philosophy that affects many aspects of our
daily lives, KonMari® Method is a practical guide to organizing our life, that can
ease minimalism, if we desire it. There’s surely a link between minimalism and tidying
up, both contribute to simplifying our life, making it more mindful and
functional. And it’s incredible how our lives can improve when we get in touch
with these two approaches.
How can we motivate our partners and children to be more tidy?
Firstly, I’ll take the opportunity to say that the “Tidying Festival” is an individual path and that we can’t force other people to do it if they don’t feel like it and we can't do it in their place. In general, if we wish people around us to be more tidy, we can give them a good example following every step and completing the process, because being born tidy is not enough. Furthermore, in shared rooms, it's important to create “a house” for every object and to let everybody know exactly where to store every item after using it (for this reason I consider this method perfect). The good news is that after a member of the family completes the “Tidying Festival", the others feel infected by the joy and the benefits and they wish to try it themselves.
In my
opinion, another important step is clearly and openly speaking to the family
members reminding them how keeping the shared rooms tidy would be an act of
respect towards the others and that it would make living together pleasant for
everyone.
The idea was born after
I participated in several scenting workshops in my city, in which I understood
how fragrant notes and perfumes can convey certain sensations.
Having always been very
active, I sometimes found it difficult to devote some time to myself. For this
reason, I dreamed of a small object, a cuddle specially made to remind me that taking
care of myself every day is important.
Knowing that many
people have the same problem, I decided to link my passion for perfumes with my
desire to create something unique for our well-being, something that could
perfectly convey what I felt. For this reason, I decided to trust an extremely
skilled perfumer from Cagliari, the one who organized the scenting workshops.
Until now, Kurashi has
always transmitted this sense of hospitality, relaxation, and self-care, the
reason why it was created. Kurashi concept perfectly embodies my brand mission:
Alexie helps people find their well-being, devote time to themselves, and improve
their lives. I’m immensely proud of this project and, perhaps, in the future
Kurashi will be available in different sizes.
-Let's debunk a myth: are your courses only for "the chosen people"?
This is a question that I consider extremely important because if these words are only read, they won’t improve anyone’s life. My kind of service, still not well known in Italy, is perceived as an unattainable luxury, but I can surely maintain that it's an investment that allows us to save resources in terms of money, time, and space. In addition, my services can help people gain awareness and a strong ability to choose, which undoubtedly positively impacts their finances.
In the end, being this a completely custom-made consultancy, I encourage everybody to contact me to discover how I can meet halfway their specific needs in terms of time and the means, to create a tailored service. This is the first step towards an evolution and a lifestyle change that can often perceived as unreachable, but that, with my guidance and support, can be easily achieved with great satisfaction.
Thank you Alessia for this interview, I'm sure it will inspire and help many people!
For more information, visit the website Alexie Studio
To be updated about Alessia new projects, follow her Instagram profile Alexie Studio.
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