It seems to me that how you approach the task says as much, if not more, about you as what you end up selecting. Do you see it as an exercise in describing your identity or as an opportunity to define and sculpt a persona? That is, do you choose items that you admire or strive to emulate, or do you try to capture your unidealized self? Do you concentrate on yourself as you are right now, or do you attempt to give the person who discovers the collection a portrait of yourself over time, including pasts you've outgrown and/or future aspirations? Do you pick specific examples or general symbols?
The real challenge for the person examining the collection would be to try and figure out some of what you were thinking when you chose to include various items, so that your meaning, as well as the thing itself, can become part of the portrait.
Re:
Date: 2004-02-23 07:33 pm (UTC)The real challenge for the person examining the collection would be to try and figure out some of what you were thinking when you chose to include various items, so that your meaning, as well as the thing itself, can become part of the portrait.