I have a collection of things at the studio that I probably don’t need. But I keep them.
They’ve come from different parts of my life, and most have a story attached to them.
There’s a wine bottle with a face on the label from one of our Paint n Chat sessions. A teapot, because I’m a bit of a tea snob and really enjoy a good cuppa. A blown and painted chicken egg that reminds me of when we had chickens as pets. Then there are two big teddy bears. These are probably my favourites. They were given to my boys for their first birthdays and have been around since they were little. They’re part of the keepsakes of my life. And then there’s a collection of mugs from an office where I used to work. When the office closed, I inherited the mugs. None of these things are particularly valuable.
But they mean something to me.
And now they have another purpose. Still life is one of the easiest things to draw or paint, and when I first opened the studio, before I had built up a catalogue of source images, I started using the things I already had. I’ve continued adding bits and pieces to the collection ever since. The shapes, textures and unusual forms make great subjects. But they’re also conversation starters. Sometimes a student will recognise something similar from their own life and have their own little story to tell.
There is actually a reason we can become attached to objects from our past. Research into memory and possessions has found that meaningful objects can act as reminders of people, experiences and different parts of our lives. They’re not necessarily valuable because of what they are, but because of what they represent. So, do we need to keep these things?
Probably not.
But the real thing usually means more than a photo of it. There is something about actually holding an object from your past. Feeling it. Seeing the little marks and imperfections. Knowing that someone you loved held it, or that it was part of a particular time in your life. I think that’s part of why we keep these things. The real question isn’t whether we need them.
The real question is why we keep them.
And I think the answer is different for everyone. For me, these things have become part of my present and my future, not just reminders of my past.