collection(s)
Stuff we keep, and why.
🧺 Friday Fun: An Object We Hold Onto
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the objects we keep.
I have a blanket from my childhood. It is wool and has satin edges.
I have kept (and purchased) children’s books well beyond the years that I have read to my kids. I still read them from time to time. Sometimes even out loud.
I have art I made in 8th grade and high school.
I have more than one rock or small piece of wood collected from various beach and camping trips.
During the past 6+ years, I have been nurturing a growing collection of houseplants!
And of course, a huge collection of materials and supplies that I use to make my art.
Open your hands to your collections. These are my empty hands.
Why do I keep some stuff and not others?
Some items earn their place through deep emotional connection.
Some items I reach for when comfort is needed.
Most items are integral to my creative practices.
Recently, I read Hagitude—a book that honors devotion, aging, and the strength found in tending to what matters most (by Dr. Sharon Blakie). One thread that carried me through the book was the author’s description of items she had collected and cherished over the years as an adult. She, like me, has moved many times in her lifetime. As she describes it, in each place she lived, she bonded with her environment through daily walks and the collection of natural items—often feathers and bones. As she tells it, these natural items helped her to more deeply connect with her innermost thoughts, ideas, and true self.
Here’s your Friday Fun invitation:
Bring your attention to one object you’ve held onto longer than expected.
It might be:
something gathered from nature
a favorite studio accoutrement
a well-loved household item
a toy or a book
a stone, a shell, a brush, a scrap of thread
a teacup or a coffee mug
Let yourself enjoy this treasure this weekend.
Let yourself appreciate its presence and the memories it conjures.
You might wonder:
Does the object still offer you something? If so, what? If not, why hold on?
What kind of comfort or steadiness lives within the item?
What kind of discomfort or unease has become apparent today?
If you feel like sharing, I’d love to hear:
What object are you holding onto—and where does it live in your world?
Happy Friday, friends.
May what you carry bring warmth, ease, and a small moment of joy.
—Suzanne
🌟🌿🧵
Sweet Antidote: A Sugar and Spice Society is where generosity meets art in conversation. A twice-monthly gathering on Zoom (and also offers a private online space for discussion) for artists who crave depth, honesty, and creative kinship.
Quite possibly, at our next meeting, we will be sharing a favorite item and why we hold onto the treasure that it has become in each of our lives. Will you join us?
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