I've never considered myself an avid collector of anything in particular but I suppose if I were, I would be a collector of cups. When I think of a collector, I think back to the CBS Sunday morning story on people who collect toasters. Did you see that one? Rooms fully dedicated to toasters, hundreds and hundreds of toasters. Watching almost made me want to run out to the nearest thrift store and start my own toaster collection. Yes, almost.
I have a modest collection of books and an even smaller collection of art. I'll admit, I've always been a little bit envious of people who have something they passionately collect; dolls, jewelry, quilts, spoons, rocks, etc., these are all worthy of an enthusiastic search and carefully curated home. Maybe I do collect something and just haven't realized it yet?
Since I'm sticking to a resolution to post once per week and was not sure what to write about today, I followed my gut as it told me to photograph my small collection of cups. I realize too, the subject of collecting could easily fill a day, a week, a month, a year just researching this fascinating human behavior but alas, this blog is meant to be light, easy, and relatively quick to both read and write.
On a related note, there is a book sitting on my shelf in my little book collection, waiting to be read based around this very subject - Umberto Eco's The Infinity of Lists. Have you read it? This may be a pool-side read for the summer. For now, I will share with you my tiny cup "collection." If anything, it was fun taking pictures using the lovely afternoon sun streaming through our windows. Here they are!
What do you collect?
Books! I have so many that I've run out of bookshelves and they are sitting in cumbersome stacks everywhere. Looks fab, but a tad inconvenient.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I almost had that problem, but then I moved around a lot and I had to part with some....books are painful to part with though. One day, I dream of having floor to ceiling bookshelves in a room at home.
ReplyDeleteI have a separate stack of books that is intended to be donated/gifted/sold/abandoned in public places in need of literature.....it just hasn't happened yet. Your bijou collection of cups is lovely. I have a few - some susie cooper and alfred meakin. I like the idea of collecting and curating too (hardly surprising, since I've just spent a year working as a curator) but a collection of books isn't really the same as -say- a collection of wooden spoons, or teatowels....or toasters. Is it because the books are generally still being used for their original purpose, rather than being sat on shelves and admired just for their bindings?
ReplyDeleteThat's an insightful point you make, Becca, about the use of books versus spoons etc. Where did you work as a curator? That sounds like a really wonderful job. I also like the idea of abandoning books in public spaces. In Athens, GA, we have "little free libraries" which have popped up around town "take a book, return a book" which is such a great idea! http://littlefreelibrary.org/ You might know if this?
ReplyDeleteAt the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, in my home town! Nice to have a job related to my degree and still able to be around familiar things and faces :) Got a chance to work with some really friendly people and take part in some interesting projects.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of little free libraries - that's such a cool idea. We've got a pop-up museum starting in town for a month or so, so I might take my books there and try something similar. Might be interesting to compare the 'before' list of books with the 'after.
Sorry for the delay in responding, Becca. What a cool place to work! Just looked up the museum and it looks to be a lovely and interesting museum; love the idea of being surrounded by artifacts of a creative mind and then getting to interact with others who share similar interests in learning the history of a place and a poet. Have only spent a short time in Scotland myself on a all too brief visit to Edinborough; would love to see more of Scotland one day, Alloway looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWould love to hear how it goes if you do end up trying the free library idea. Please do keep in touch.