Collecting versus hoarding
Collecting: Possessions are part of a larger set of items. Display does not impede active living areas in home.
Hoarding: Possessions become unorganised piles preventing rooms from being used for their intended purpose.
I’ve thought a lot about the difference between collecting and hoarding over the years. It matters to me that I’m a collector, not a hoarder. Hoarding’s associated with being a ‘bad thing’ and NHS UK even has it listed as a ‘disorder.’ A lot of what I’ve read on the NHS website about what constitutes a hoarder resonates, however and I’m struck by what a fine line there is between collecting and hoarding.
There are many excellent articles on the subject – for example, a paper published by the University of Texas, Austin: ‘From Passion to Problem: How to Prevent Collecting Becoming Hoarding.’
The paper has much to say about the importance of careful selection of objects – ‘mindful collecting’ as they refer to it:
‘Mindful collecting means making each acquisition a deliberate choice rather than an impulsive or compulsive action. It involves asking yourself questions like: “Do I truly need this item?”, “Does it add meaningful value to my collection?” or “Am I acquiring this for the right reasons?”. Evaluate each piece based on its significance, uniqueness, and alignment with your collection’s goals. This level of mindfulness helps in maintaining a collection that is not merely about the quantity of items but more about their quality and significance.’
The above paragraph resonates strongly for me as I recognise many of the questions I ask myself before obtaining or purchasing anything new. Over the years, I’ve become more discerning about the stuff I hold onto and as I’ve gradually decreased the volume of it, I’ve felt less guilty and okay about the amount of things I’ve collected. What I’m left with isn’t random – every object’s been carefully thought about, with a conscious choice made about the retention of each individual item: does it stay or does it go?
I’ve written a lot here about many of the objects I’ve collected over the years – much of it in relation to the strong memories and emotions many of the items stir up, but also, in terms of the actual physical space it takes up. Collecting and holding onto stuff always has consequences in terms of needing to make space to accommodate it – and that space costs money. I’ve been feeling more freed up since the huge cull I had when I moved house three years ago, closely followed by a move to a smaller studio. I radically reduced the amount of stuff to the extent that it now fits in two places – my garden shed, primarily, and some of it in my current studio.
I’m so relieved to no longer be paying rent for a commercial storage unit, which I did in the early part of my house move. It made me feel guilty, paying out money to store stuff that I didn’t necessarily need/want any more. The stuff I’ve had in storage over the years has ostensibly provided the bulk of the raw material for the work I make – and so, I always felt able to justify it. But other things crept in; I wasn’t always on the ball and though I’m by no means anywhere near putting together a full inventory of my collections, I’m more organised than I’ve ever been. I’ve learned to embrace the objects I’ve held onto and I’m happy that I can still put my hand to some real gems from the boxes in the shed and studio.
