Everyday Handbags

There is a sense of truly valuing yourself that comes with having an everyday handbag. It is a sort of safe space for your belongings to live, putting ease into your heart knowing you can keep them safe. 

There is no need to perform with this handbag, as it is mainly for the purposes of practicality. It also offers a place for pieces of your personality to exist, with crumpled receipts dated with your everyday shop runs, or a new bookmark waiting to live in your favourite book. 

Nobody else having access to these little parts of your life is somewhat special. You don’t have to worry about it looking organised because it’s the real you. Those tangled earphones and sweet wrappers are a representation of our beautiful chaos.

I wouldn’t call myself a type A person; I throw everything I see into my bag before I step out of the house (which is why a purse bowl would be beneficial for me). I convince myself that I need things that I truly do not – or do I? I’d rather have the comfort of knowing I have those spare plasters just in case anyone needs them. It brings me peace knowing I’ve taken these extra steps.

“To make a mess of it, then make the best of it”

– It Isn’t Perfect But It Might Be, Olivia Dean 

There is grace in simply letting yourself be, and focusing on making the best out of the mess rather than aiming for perfection. Recognising that we are merely human is important. Let it be.

Purse Bowls

The creation of a purse bowl is a very efficient way of transferring belonging, while also allowing everyday messes to have a home. This decluttering of objects from bag to bowl or vice versa emphasises the importance of everyday things that we wouldn’t think we’d need. You no longer need to worry about forgetting that lip balm or your keys. The messiness of the bowl is the most authentic part of it! 

Let it be messy and free and a reflection of what you need without it looking aesthetically pleasing. While the curation of the purse bowl trend has an aesthetic to it, it is mostly a way of being efficient while making your everyday needs seem valuable. It also cancels out the rise in minimalism on social media – not letting yourself be limited in self-expression is important. 

Seeing people online going beyond and physically creating or designing a bowl for this purpose is heartwarming. Going further and making it feel truly your own by painting it your favourite colour adds to the authenticity of the whole invention. This also creatively activates the path towards finding yourself.

‘What’s in My Bag’ Videos

Alongside purse bowls, I find myself drawn to these with a strong urge to see the messiness of people’s bags. Maybe as a way to justify the chaos going on in mine, but mostly just to see if I can spot their personality through the contents of their bag. Watching other women also have beautiful chaos in their bags feels authentic and normalises having these ‘unnecessary’ things in ours. 

Watching them pull something out after thinking the bag was empty comes as a good surprise. Recording your own ‘what’s in my bag’ video is also a great way of explaining who you are and why these objects represent you. 

We can feel more connected as humans knowing that we all carry our own version of ourselves in a portable bag. 

Images: Pinterest and Elena Sher