Stuff(ed) Responses

Morning folks - well as promised here's the comments to the previous post wot you kan reed 'ere.

In Memorium

I didn't get many at all, but then it hasn't been much more than a week. 

Blogs are funny things - sometimes comments can arrive years later.

Anyway, those that did provided some very interesting thoughts - my grateful thanks to all contributors:

Calgary Bob has left a new comment on your post 'What Do We Do With All This Stuff?':

Hi Herman

You've broached a subject that, for many, is quite uncomfortable, or worrisome, or hard to enter into. The stuff we collect as you go through life can be collections that occur just over time or can have significant meaning to you now or maybe forever. For example, your LOTR set (I had the same set too - finally too hard to keep together and it went into recycling). For me, it was just a book I wanted to read, bought myself, and read it a number of times. I have another copy and so I don't need both. But for you - it was a gift that had a whole stack of memories attached to it. That book is worth a whole lot more than just a classic read - it is like a magic amulet that you have around your neck, maybe hidden under that old shirt. There comes a time when you start looking at all the stuff - will I ever read it again; will I look at these again; do I really need four hammers? That kind of examination and clean out can be therapeutic. And this is not a rushed thing - it is a way to open up your history and take a stroll into the past. As you know, I believe that we have a next life to go to, and all people we have known will be welcoming me there - there will be no need to hang onto memories here because I won't need them - I'm sure my mother and father will remind me!! So I think what you can do is start culling stuff that you know right now will not be necessary to move forward, but hang onto the things that have meaning. Right now as I type this, over on the book case behind me, are pictures of the people I've lost. I like to see them there, because after some time I may not quite picture them in my mind's eye. But your art photographs? They sum up who you are - collect the best ones and keep them in a beautiful portfolio - they will be a family keepsake and others left on this plane will cherish them.

Bruce Robbins has left a new comment on your post 'What Do We Do With All This Stuff?':

I love atmosphere in a landscape if it’s borne of light, composition and expressive printing - not if it’s a load of mystical bollocks (MB). MB is like unsubstantiated bollocks (UB) but with a spiritual twist. Clarence H White? Of its time I suppose but it’s all set up so I see it as more like film set press photos. Clarence: “Now you stand there and tilt your head to the right. Hold the glass orb a little higher. That’s it.” There’s more posing going on than at the Cannes Film Festival. If that’s spiritual then David Bailey was the Dalai Lama.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post 'What Do We Do With All This Stuff?':

Hi,

I'm with Bruce on this, the only difference is I have made 6 books already by publish on demand, mostly themed "best of" books and two of family photos going back halfway to forever.

I used Blurb, not perfect but a lot better than nothing. I figure a decent looking book will be valued more than a bunch of boxes of disorganised prints. I've already at 65 started giving them out and the kids love them.

Of course it does mean you've got to scan heaps, worth it though.

Highly recommended.

All the best, Mark

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post 'What Do We Do With All This Stuff?':

I don't have a clue too, though I feel that leaving it as a problem for someone else to solve is somewhat selfish. After I've read something similar here:

https://betterbeaters.blogspot.com/2024/07/who-exactly-are-we-keeping-our-cars-for.html 

I have started to think about this matter too.

I would think perhaps 99% of the photos (digital or physical) hold little meaning and can be discarded, but a precious few would serve as good memories. As for gear, get rid of them while you're able.

Julian has left a new comment on your post 'What Do We Do With All This Stuff?':

This is one of those Sheephouse epistles that really hits home. As you [Herman] know, I not only have my personal photographic detritus but that of my father. I guess I can rest somewhat easy in that his life's major photographic project, Robert Lenkiewicz, has been published in book form and therefore will rest somewhat in the annals for the foreseeable. Likewise sundry academic papers and learned contributions to books and on the web - see his piece on Fay Godwin here:

  https://www.djclark.com/godwin/critic.htm

He was a collector of other people's detritus in the form old albums and glass negatives. When it became necessary to clear his house the time available was limited, the room this end was limited and the space on the van was limited. It was down to pot luck as to what I could bring back. I have no doubt that I left behind some gems and saved some crud, but what can you do?

As a very good printer, his delight seems to have been to print from old glass negatives. The [funny] thing is that I now have boxes of archival quality images, some of which may be family and therefore worthy of interest, some may be just random... I have no way of knowing.

The lesson is better labelling and do it now. I believe it was all in his head and that he was very much not expecting to be yanked off this mortal coil as soon he was.

My experience with the sort of relatives that one encounters through genealogy websites is that even though I might have something from someone more closely related to them than me, they are very happy to have the occasional scan but would rather not to take on the burden of responsibility for the physical reality photographs and diaries.

In the end, my opinion is, this bit where we are, life, is for the living. When we are no longer alive, it's nothing to do with us. We may wish, we may hope, we may leave behind words. In the end, the living will do what they will. Make it easy for them and they might just ensure the survival of some of it.

 

And that's it - if I get any more I'll publish them as comments to this rather than anything else!

Till next time.

Keep taking the pills.

H xx