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29 Aug 2020

A Collection Part 58

What are some little things that you do for yourself that bring you peace and calm? I think one of the reasons we’ve kept “A Collection” going for so long is because of how it makes me feel. I could look at pictures like these on an endless loop and never get tired of it. I’ve often wondered too, when creating these posts, what makes me decide that I’m done? Is it because I think 50-ish photos is enough for people to be enticed by it, but leave them wanting more? Maybe it’s because any more and I will feel sorry for it eating up the loading time for a visitor. There’s no rhyme or reason and each time we post it’s different. It is one of the series regulars that has no consistency or format. That could either really bother someone a lot or not, I don’t know.

Whatever the case, I hope it brings you some light into your life this weekend the way it did mine. Everyone please wear a mask, stay safe, be kind to each other, and check in with someone you haven’t spoken with in some time.

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03 May 2020

A Collection Part 57

It’s safe to say that this is the first time I’ve ever created “A Collection” while in quarantine. Let’s hope that in this lifetime, we don’t ever have to live through another pandemic. I used to look forward to these posts for a number of reasons. They were so different than any of the usual posts that I normally did for Yow Yow! Instead of spending a lot of time around the words I was using, this was my visual diary. It was calming for me to dig through the archives of Tumblr accounts I manually followed (I don’t have a Tumblr account!) and make a decision on what photos to include. It wasn’t always a simple yes or no. There’s certainly an intent for each one that is selected and for how I’m feeling at the moment.

Being in Shelter-in-Place now already for a month and a half, I thought I would have gotten to this post much sooner. It seems like I’ve found my calm through a number of other outlets during this time.

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01 Jan 2020

A Collection Part 56

Somehow we’ve really nailed the timing of these posts and every time we’re due for one it’s right around New Year’s! But if I’m being honest, the New Year is when I’m feeling my most creative and inspired. These photographs represent that and my current state of feelings. I can’t believe this is the 56th post for “A Collection!” It’s not a significant number by any means; I’m just amazed we’ve had this many.

I love going back and visiting A Collection 1-10 or 10-20 because even those represent a much different time than how I feel presently. In a way, these happen to be my own personal journals, but written in the form of other people’s photos.

May your new year and new decade be full of life, simplicity, and joy.

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01 Sep 2019

A Collection Part 55

It seems like these posts always get worked on when I have chunks of time to carve out for myself. They are the ones that I want to be the most thoughtful about. So if I’m stressed because of a deadline or under pressure, it’s not a good time. However, it’s moments like these where I do feel a bit of stress, but it’s these images that put me at ease. I read somewhere recently that when you have anxiety at work, there are a few things to remedy it. You can count or you can start listing things in a category. Anything that takes your mind off of what it is that causes you stress for a bit does the job. For me, it’s these types of images. They are the ones that spark whimsey, creativity, or a different perspective. What is it for you all that helps get you out of a rut like mine?

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30 Jan 2019

A Collection Part 53

Tonight I did something for the first time that I’ve never done with these posts. Since I started working on this post over the holidays while I was at home there were a few Christmas themed photos in this batch. As I scrolled through the preview, I didn’t feel that same spark or attachment to them as I once had. So while on my way to finish this post, I replaced those photos. Since we’ve been through 53 rounds of this and I’ve never once replaced any photos before posting, in some way, I felt like I was being inauthentic. Could my readers tell that I had swapped them out? Of course not. But I would know and that kind of ate me up for about 15 minutes.

We haven’t written our resolutions post yet, but this made me think of two previous resolutions I’ve had. A few years back, I had “say yes to everything.” The intent was good, sure. But saying “yes to everything” can sometimes do more harm than good. Sometimes you say yes to things when you don’t want to. Maybe saying yes to things causes you to spend money when you don’t want to. Have experiences that you don’t think you’ll appreciate. The next year I refined that resolution: do the things you want to do. And that has stuck around longer than saying “yes.” So if that’s what I truly believe, why not act upon that when it comes to this blog and my posts?

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31 Mar 2018

A Collection Part 50

On average, the process of putting together one of these posts takes about three months. To find images, I have about 10 Tumblrs that I circulate through. Each post roughly has about 50 images, but today, this one has less. I’m posting this one now though because I’m close to 50 and there won’t be any other Tumblrs that I’ll be viewing within the next couple of months. It has also been three months since I posted A Collection Part 49. I’m telling you all of this because that is the only structure I have when it comes to making these. There are no themes. I don’t spend any time re-arranging them in a certain order. The differences in size of images would normally bother me anywhere else, but not here. There are no patterns for colors. I can’t explain to you why I selected this image over that one and I don’t want to. I look at these photos so quickly and I save them in an instant the same way a normal human being would fill out one of those personality tests that you’re not supposed to think too much about it. That’s it! Since the migration, every other post before this has been skewed to the left. Starting now and with post #50, we’re going to center it. It just looks better!

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27 Dec 2017

A Collection Part 49

We don’t always time these posts with the end of the year, but it feels good, doesn’t it? Even as I search for photos it’s nice to be able to put something together that wraps up the end of the year and my feelings towards a new year. The start of this post doesn’t look anything like the end of this post, which I think is pretty different for a change. You can definitely tell that I’m feeling some sort of way by the end of this. What is it exactly? That I’m holding on to millennial pink? That I’ve got a love inanimate objects? Those things, but maybe a couple of other things that aren’t so obvious.

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21 Feb 2016

A Collection Part 44

I think I’ve always loved putting these posts together because these are the types of photos I’ve always wanted to take. They’re so simple and minimalistic, but yet they say so much and they say something different to everyone. I’ve asked Veronica a couple of times now why she enjoys these posts and now that I think about it – I’m not sure if I’ve ever gotten a real answer. Veronica, can you let us know so I can include it in the next post? All I know is that in college she would hound me to get these done and out. And then after she had spent some time scanning over the photos (a few minutes) she’d ask for another one. (DJ Khaled) I think I would always just laugh and say, “Veronica, these take time.” And they do! This one post took about three months to put together.

I’ve done 44 of these now. That’s an incredible number to me. And it’s interesting to me that each one of these tells a different story though I’m not sure what that story is. I look through some of the older “A Collection” posts and sometimes I wonder why I chose a certain photo. I’ll look at it and scrunch up my face and be like, “Why? What did this mean to me?” But I guess what it just means is that it was all about timing. In that exact moment that I saw that photo as I was scanning over lots of photos, that one spoke out enough to me that I had to include it. Maybe I was feeling sassy, meek, contemplative, curious…I’m not able to put my finger on it for every photo and I like that I don’t have to.

Sometimes I write posts on Yow Yow! that are very personal and I look at the words and I question if that’s what I actually wanted to convey or if people will interpret it in a different way than I attended. With these posts, I don’t have to worry as much, but these are just as personal because I’m really saying how I feel, but in the most visual way.

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16 Sep 2014

Dudes in Startup Shirts

So it’s not the best looking Tumblr, but how Silicon Valley of them anyways…

Can we include some females in this though too? We also wear startup shirts if you didn’t know.

[Source]

11 Mar 2014

Old Loves

I stumbled across this Tumblr the other day called “Old Loves” and for some reason found myself perusing it for nearly 20 minutes. There’s something really endearing about vintage photographs of old celebrity relationships. I know I have my favorites – Vanessa and Zac, Rachel and Ryan, Rachel and Adam! This list could go on forever. Sure, these were the couples of my time, but some couples date back even further before I was even born.

Oh memories.