Collective Collections (Deanda)

3/16/2025

Collections are something we do to express the things we love. We build up collages because we like the pictures or they speak to us in a certain way. We dig in the dirt to find the crazy cool dinosaur bones we see in movies or books. Your dream may be to collect signatures from the people you idolize, but sometimes we don’t deliberately gather items. Sometimes we wind up with over 400 Shopkins and no idea what to do with them; that may have happened to me when I was 12. Fun fact I still have them. Nowadays my collection has transitioned. I have tons of books. I get a keychain from every state I go to and one day, when I have collected from all fifty states, I will put them in a shadow box. I was able to bond with my grandpa over our coins we have gotten throughout the years. My other collections are a bit sporadic and spontaneous so they aren’t completed. My point is that collections do more than just clutter up our room; they make us connect in other places too. Like my grandpa and I or my goal to visit all fifty states; those are real connections. So my question to you is, what are your collections, and what do they connect or tether you to? What are some things you may want to collect in the future?

20 Comments

Kennedi

3/16/2025 07:20:48 pm

You know, I have thought that I had collections of something, but I’m not sure that I do. I kind of had a lot of Barbie’s that my sister and I would play with, but not so many that I would call it a collection. I don’t collect stamps or coins or shot glasses. However the one thing I would day I have a lot of is pictures. I know that isn’t something you necessarily can collect, but I would say I have more than the average phone user. I have always loved taking videos and photos with all my friends that I hang out with and can almost always look back to a certain date and find out or remember what we were doing at that time. Most of the storage taken up on my phone is from pictures, and many of them aren’t so important, but I cannot get rid of them. I would say they help me remember friendships, silly times, adventures, and all the connections I have made with people.

Mariah

3/16/2025 07:37:57 pm

I love taking pictures with my friends, but I really love to print off some of my favorite ones as gifts for my friends or for me to keep and then we all have collections of cute pics of us!

Emylee Perkins

3/16/2025 09:06:21 pm

I can relate to you with the taking photos. I forgot how often and how long I did this, but I take pictures of all my food. This isn’t for any weird reason but just a habit that I got into, and now I can see everything that I have eaten each day for the past four years. It’s just kind of fun and cool for some reason.

Megan Aiello

3/16/2025 09:28:17 pm

I agree with the photos, I definitely love collecting photos or Polaroids of me and my friends and during senior year especially!

Nicolas Sessions

4/20/2025 08:34:44 pm

Not to mention your swag collection of quotes from over the years, from all of us.

Mariah

3/16/2025 07:36:48 pm

I think at this point in my life, I really only have one real collection because I have never finished any others from when I was little! This summer, Ellie, Raelynn, and I decided that we would do the trend where you paint a shoebox and turn it into a cute "senior box." We each made one and we then started collecting things from our senior year such as pictures, senior night bios, the Mardi Gras necklaces from homecoming, etc. We put things in these boxes that will remind us of our senior year and also of our friendship. After graduation, we will treat these boxes as time capsules.

Emylee Perkins

3/16/2025 09:08:11 pm

That is so sweet! I tried to remedy my hoarding addiction I’ve had since middle school by taking pictures of everything on Snapchat and then throwing away what is needed to. I keep the really important boxes, but when things start to add up too much from summer camp and things like that I use this technique to help me relax.

Daniel Davidson

3/20/2025 01:59:25 pm

Its totally true that hanging on to too many things can make you feel cluttered and like a hoarder. I completely have been there many times, and just had to strip down to the most essentials.

Daniel Davidson

3/20/2025 01:55:19 pm

That is truly a sweet idea! I love it and the time capsule aspect of it. I really wish that I had thought or do something similar. :)

Nicolas Sessions

4/20/2025 08:36:00 pm

That's an amazing idea I wish I had thought of that.

Emylee Perkins

3/16/2025 09:03:37 pm

I like to collect kombucha bottles for some reason. I also keep every flower anyone ever gives to me because I feel honored and appreciated to know that someone went out of their way for that. I really like to analyze what certain flowers symbolize and remember the events where someone gave it to me and how special they made me feel for those actions.

Megan Aiello

3/16/2025 09:30:40 pm

I also keep flowers and dry them or place them in a book to flatten to later use or decoration or details.

Daniel Davidson

3/20/2025 01:58:26 pm

Flowers are a special one for me. I don't know why. My sister says, for her, a flower is a thoughtless gift, and so she doesn't really appreciate them. For me, though, flowers have always seemed to be someone really going out of their way for me. They are pretty and sweet, and I love them a lot. So, yes, flowers is a good one. I don't always deliberately dry them (sometimes I accidentally do, just by leaving them out), but I certainly like to keep them on display. With me its less of a collection, and more of just a joyous process.

Megan Aiello

3/16/2025 09:26:29 pm

When I was little I used to collect my little pony and Minecraft toys and play with them a lot. Now that I’m older I don’t have much from the collections but find myself collecting other things. I like collecting different book series or a collection of books. I also tend to collect shiny rocks like crystals or fake diamonds.

Chanci Phillips

3/17/2025 09:13:25 am

I also used to collect shiny jewels and rocks every time I traveled out of town.

Chanci Phillips

3/17/2025 09:12:36 am

When I was younger, I used to collect the breyer horses from the old King’s store. Christmas was my favorite holiday because I got to go to the store and add to my collection. Now that I am older, I don’t really collect many items but I do obsess over random things for a few months. I had gotten a fish last year and this lead to a black Friday sale to buy a 20 gal tank. From there, I have been slowly collecting the right equipment like a filter and heater as well as plants. And now I have a full 20 gal tank with nine fish, a snail infestation, and plants runny rampant.

brylee ganske

3/17/2025 09:14:45 am

I haven't really found anything to collect recently, I just don't have anything that interests me enough, when I was little I would collect Pokemon cards though and I actually still have them. I would just do this because they were cool and have no plan to sell them.

Chanci Phillips

3/17/2025 09:19:10 am

Pokemon cards always interested but I never got into collecting them. Did you find any of monetary value?

Daniel Davidson

3/20/2025 02:09:17 pm

I don't really collect much of anything. Aside from maybe memories. I just love making new memories, especially of new and beautiful places. Nature's beauty is deeply appealing to me, so I love to see new sights in the wilderness whenever I can.

Nicolas Sessions

4/20/2025 09:03:20 pm

I have been quite the collector I love little trinkets and things that take me back and remind me of all the great times I have had and experiences too. I have collected trading cards, knives, swords, coins, and the collection I'm going to highlight which is my shot glass collection. I can't remember how many I have but many of them are very special to me. I got my first one from my great grandmother that she had gotten from Costa Rica, it was made of wood and I thought it was awesome. I then started collecting one from all the trips I've gone on I have some from DC, others from amusement parks, to theme parks, and a ton of other places. They all remind me of those trips, and bring me joy. My favorite one I have is from my mom and dad from their trip to mexico, it looks like a blinged up totem pole with a bird face on the front. It is really cool and always reminds me of how my parents love me and think of me when we aren't together. Collecting things is an awesome thing but we also need to make sure we don't become hoarders.

Collective Collections (Deanda)

Leave a Reply.

Author

Archives

Categories