Inside a Collection

A collection can explain a lot about a person. Not only is it just a gathering of objects but it is a story in a way. It's as if each little piece is a page in one big book. A collection can show a person's interests, hobbies, favorite colors, etc. It can go on to explain happy memories or even go on to show their whole life.

                                               Collection: Code Blue

In class, we have been starting our own little school collection of blue things from each of our lives. The 'stuff' ranged from simple things like cleaning supplies and school supplies to some more personal things. Even though many students probably went home to grab the first two blue, unimportant things that they saw, I think that this collection still somewhat says things about our class. Now maybe we don't necessarily love using cleaning supplies or like reading biology textbooks but there are still objects in there that depict our lifestyle. For example, the make-up and nail polish. Our generation, mostly girls in this generation, are focused on beauty and the idea of "perfect". The fact that their are many nail polishes, make-up containers, and even perfume show that. Also the award, that itself could show the popular sports/ interests of our time. I also noticed some pieces of clothing/ accessories in the collection. When looking at them, in a way they can show the style of this time period. Overall, a collection is just more than stuff. If you look past the view as a whole and look at each individual piece, it is so much more than just a few things piled onto each other. Many famous artists use collections in their art. They use it to show a theme, or a story in a way. A major artist for collections is Portia Munson (as mentioned in the last blog post). She has many collections, with many themes, each showing different stories or giving off a different mood. Relating to our collection, she has a 'blue' collection also!

It's crazy how you can take a bunch of things that might look odd standing alone and put them together to make art! It's as simple as that! When you compare Munson's work to our own work, you can tell that she has more 'things' in her collection but it doesn't make it any more important or special. Each collection is its own and shares a different story.

Collecting vs. Hoarding

When it comes to collecting, you obtain a bunch of stuff. When it comes to hoarding, you obtain a bunch of stuff. With that said, it is easy to say that they are the same. For me personally, I think that they are two completely opposite things. 

Collecting: to gather together; assemble.

Collecting, to me, takes more time and attention compared to hoarding. It also contains more emotions. A person who collects tends to have a connection  or a reason to collect while hoarding is just... well... hoarding. As seen in the definition, collecting also means to assemble. So in a way, a collection is something with a theme. Something that can be assembled and categorized. A collection could revolve around color, toys, seashells, and many more! In a nutshell, collecting is hoarding with a meaning behind it. One of the artists we discussed in class is Portia Munson. She manages to create many collections and she makes it very obvious what the theme is even without reading the title.

Hoarding: the act of someone who hoards; a supply or accumulation that is hidden or carefully guarded for preservation.

                                               

If the pictures aren't enough to show that hoarding and collecting are different, I don't know what is. Hoarding can be classified as messy, unorganized, and for lack of better words, all over the place. The act of hoarding can actually be known as a mental disease/disorder where the person diagnosed feels connection to unimportant objects, such as a pizza box! I guess in a way, hoarding could be classified as the collection of trash. Although collecting seems to be more on purpose, hoarding tends to be more unintentional. In all honesty, hoarding gives me a head ache! Just looking at the hoarding picture makes me crazy, while looking at a collection makes me emotionally attached and makes me see art.