31. jul, 2014

Collector Mania

Everybody collects something. I'm a collector too (not a hoarder obviously!). Does that make me a nerd? Of course, but I'm embracing my inner nerdness. I spent a lot of time at Record & Movie Collector's Fairs, and I can tell you that there are certain types that collect. For instance record collectors are often middle-aged men (probably still virgins) living in their mother's basement wearing Heavy Metal t-shirts that are a couple of sizes too small. At Movie Collector's Fairs you see a lot of nerds (I mean that in a affectionate way, not a negative one) who dress up as their favorite character. They probably never really fitted in, and they escape through the fantasy and dreams that the movies bring them. And there is nothing wrong with that. Whatever floats your boat. I'm still not sure why I collect. For me collecting is a quest, a life-long pursuit that is never complete. I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive, so that can be a reason too. Some psychiatrists say that a motivation could be ' filling a void in a sense of self,' having psychological security and to calm fears. Maybe that's true, who knows? Sigmund Freud didn't see collecting as stemming from these kinds of motivations. He said that collecting ties back to the time of toilet training, of course. Freud suggested that the loss of control and what went down the toilet was a traumatic occurence and that, therefore, the collector is trying to gain back not only control but ''possessions'' that were lost so many years ago. Well, that's Freud. And I will think of that while I'm sitting on the toilet taking a crap. Anyway, collecting doesn't harm anyone, except of course when you'll regress to hoarding. It's basically a lot of fun. I collect the things that I love, and therefore my house has become my story through my collection.