I’ve recently moved abroad and started to create a new pace of life in Europe. When telling people I live in Luxembourg, I have received a range of responses from “oh, where in Virginia is that?” to “is that in Texas?” or “is that in Germany,” and “I love Switzerland.” Before moving here, I would have included myself in the same group of people who were unaware of the very small country centrally located between France, Belgium and Germany.
New to expat living and life in Europe, a friend encouraged me to create a blog documenting my often humiliating yet humorous experiences. In an effort to do just that I created, Collector of Sorts.
All my research (and by research I mean listening to podcasts like: The Jealous Curator, Creative Pep Talk, and reading tips by Jerry Saltz ‘s guided essay on “How to Be an Artist With 33 Rules”) indicated creative success is rooted in being true to oneself. Even Lesson #2 in Saltz’s guide is a quote by one of my favorite artists, Louise Bourgeois, “Tell your own story and you will be interesting.”
Image via @sharon_dowell
I have always referred to myself as a “collector of sorts;” discovering and investigating is how I become familiar with new environments. So I decided to begin here, with the idea and concept of what it means to collect.
The first series of somethings - secretly stolen spoons (and one fork)
I’ve been a long time fan of blogs such as “Things Organized Neatly,” but something i’ve realized is that collections aren’t always neat and tidy; they are more times than not messy or better yet, particular. They often start with a series of something’s. Something: secretive, silly, surprising, soulful, sorrowful, sassy, symbolic, sensitive, selfish, sensual and sometimes sinister. Like a list of words that begin with an “s", a collection is a description. Things, people, places, even felt experiences can be described by gathering and assembling a collection of sorts.
I hope that you will follow along and (if you feel so inclined) participate by sharing what your collections describe & submit your own story of sorts.