Collections

What defines a collection? A collection is cumulative and consists of objects that have been systematically obtained. A good collection is more than the sum of its parts. The interrelationships of the objects is mutually informing. It is all a matter of harmony. It keeps one busy! 

I think of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Pumping Iron, working out for him was a constant pursuit of harmony. When he exercised one part of his body, he had to compensate for it. This need for balance is present in many collectors too. They want to achieve a representative sample of a given series. Oftentimes, they want to focus on something that they perceive as underappreciated. 

At other times, collecting is less about achieving totality than variety. This is the aspect that I find to be most fruitful. It is not a matter of "catching them all" but of circulation. The desire to collect can easily arrive on the tails of boredom. On the other hand, a good collection can ward it off and inspires a degree of comfort in knowing that one has accumulated a store of something beloved.

One of the things that inspires collection is community. I have noticed this again and again. I like to research things before I get them and there is always a wealth of information on forums. Discussion is excited by fertile comparisons. Comparisons aggravate the imagination, lead to an acquisitive itch, and one can see people howling with desire on these forums. Listing their objects of desire and rationalizing their absence with self-denial, they are dying for someone to encourage them. To tell them that it has been worth the wait. That the day of redemption will indeed arrive on that awaited day of unboxing. 

Well, who doesn't love a good unboxing? There are many videos online and they are popular. It's like a strange kind of erotica. 

I myself dally in collecting. For instance, I like fountain pens. Why does one need more than one good pen? You don't, but there is something very satisfying about variety. One is firm, the other flexible; nib fine or medium...That kind of thing. And then too, you might have different inks in each pen. Besides, if you write a good amount your hand might get sore in a given position and then you can switch to a different pen. This variation can also prevent you from ever fully acclimating to any one pen. Thus, each time you use your favorites, the experience is novel and so fulfilling.