I've always been one of those people that had something to collect. I'm not sure why. I think it takes a special mind to be a collector. It's the thrill of knowing what you want and then actually finding it. How often do we wish we could set our intentions and know exactly what we want and then have the chance of bringing it home after hitting just a few yard sales or thrift shops? Don't you wish you could say "Today, I want to find the mate of my dreams. They need to be 5 foot 10 and have green eyes and have a well paying job that they love and enjoy foreign travel and want x amount of kids" blah, blah, blah? Life doesn't work that way. I mean there is always the chance of finding exactly what you want all in the same package but more often than not, you're negotiating with yourself on what the "deal breakers" are. Having a passion like collecting ________ fulfills that need to be specific in knowing exactly what we want and not settling. If you know your comic book collection isn't complete without a certain issue of Superman then you may spend the rest of your life trying to find it. But what if the goal of your collection is to gather as many comic books as you can find with women on the cover? That opens up a whole new element of surprise and delight to your passion. You could spend hours doing research about the different covers that meet your certain criteria, or you could simply leave things up to chance. Which is more rewarding? Personally, I like that second one. Life doesn't always need to be so planned out. That mystery is exciting. Finding something you didn't even know was out there and wanting to add it to your life is a magical feeling.
Are we still talking about collections?
I really enjoy buying art. Let me clarify that. It's not the spending money part I enjoy, it's the finding the perfect piece that I just can't live without and adding it to my home. I appreciate the work that goes into making every single piece of art that I own. I enjoy going to local art shows and talking to the artists and hearing the stories behind why certain creative choices were made. My motto is simple. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it does have to be original. Don't get me wrong- there are some beautiful pieces that have been mass produced and would never be available to most people otherwise, those just aren't for me. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never own an original Leonardo da Vinci sketch. This doesn't change the fact that I enjoy his work and appreciate his talent, but a print of the Vitruvian man just isn't going to make it on my walls. Everyone has their thing and original art just happens to be mine. I choose things for how they make me feel when I see them and I don't worry about if they match or if they'll go with anything else in my house. If I like it, I buy it, and make it fit. Well, try to anyway. That's the problem with a passion like this. I'm simply running out of room. My walls are quickly filling up and it's getting more and more challenging to make everything fit. Enter my new collection: original miniatures!
The same thrill of finding a new painting or mixed media piece is there, just in an easier to display format. I'm now scouring thrift shops and yard sales for original pieces of art that come in tiny packages. It's amazing to see the detail involved in these pieces. It's just as much work to create a painting the size of a quarter as it is the size of a magazine, if not harder! I love that I can designate a small wall to this and have plenty of room to add to it throughout the years. That part of me that enjoys a good search is fulfilled and the art lover is happy, too. I've already got five pieces to get things started. Two were tiny paintings I found at a thrift shop that are about 2" x 1.5", another is a drawing of a deer in colored pencil that I found at a Goodwill. It was drawn by child and given to his uncle with a delightful handwritten note on the back. I'll admit, that deer is a little bigger than I wanted, but the writing on the back made it a must have. The last two were just sent to me by my favorite artist, my mom, and they are beautiful abstract paintings of Buddha and they give me much peace when I look at them. They are all different but each so beautiful and I've thoroughly enjoyed making this my new hobby. I haven't put them up on the walls yet but I know just the spot. My criteria for these pieces is simple: beautiful, original and must fit in the palm of my hand. The thrill of collecting something so random is that there is a possibility of finding something each and every day to fall in love with and bring it home for good.
Cross another thing off the list!
