My topic has something to do with old things or thrift shopping. I love the fact that old things have so much history and their own stories. I like it when things look weathered and old. The lasting quality of something says a lot about the way that it was made. Besides the fact that I love the uniqueness of old things, I think that it is important to recycle. I worry about all of the waste in the world and I feel like this is my little contribution to making the world a little better.
Sometimes I wonder about the story behind things. Sometimes I make them up myself. I imagine the kind of person that would have owned it before me. I wonder about the stories behind things with their imperfections.
As an insider, I guess that I would want people to know that if you are committed, the thrift store really does have amazing treasures. Its like a treasure hunt. Its not all 80’s prom dresses, polyester, and sequins (though there is a lot of that, too!) I think that it helps to have an eye, to see the potential in things. It doesn’t help looking at things under neon lights with the awful smells that seem to pollute every thrift store that I visit, but if you can just look at something and imagine all of the things that it could be (with a little help), every visit will be a success.
Stacey said,
May 14, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I think that your topic is really interesting. I’ve never really experience this kind of thing the way you have. I’ve been to the occasional thrift store but like you said, you have to have an eye for it. I think your personal film will be interesting if you show the behind the scenes of looking for old things in different thrift stores. I’m interested to know how you came into this whole thing. As a 21 year old girl my friends are always like “hey lets go to the mall” what do your friends do? Are they into this as well? I also want to know how you took this whole thing up? Were your parents into old things as well? However I do think it’s a really interesting topic, and think you could do a lot with it if you really put in your personal experience with it.
Stacey
sara925 said,
May 14, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I like the idea because I’ve never been to a thrift store. I remember you saying that it is a different experience compared to shopping at the mall. I would like to see how and in what ways it is different. I think seeing your personal experience would be a great inside for us to see.
vagelec625 said,
May 14, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I agree with Stacey and believe you have a very interesting story/topic. It is something that is new to many people. The only time I have been to a thrift store was when I was hunting for my halloween store, but it seemed to frustrate me because you really have to search through every rack carefully to find just one thing, however, that is only how I saw it. Maybe you could bring us outsiders into the world of shopping at thrift stores; show us how you “hunt” for clothes, maybe you could make it comical. Show the stereotypical “old ladies” as you mentioned in class, maybe have one of your friends comment on how you shop, show us all the typical polyester clothes and sequence, but then show us all the treasures that you can find if you have the technique/strategies down.
mch0601 said,
May 14, 2008 at 2:10 pm
amy,
you could almost do a personal essay on some of the items you have bought in the past. You said in your blog that each item that you buy has their own history and own stories, so maybe some items that you really like that you have bought can tell your story. I think your topic is really unique and would be really interesting to watch.
michelle
Katrina said,
May 14, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I really like the part were you talked about making up stories for the things you buy and trying to figure out were they came from. It makes it sound so interesting and makes me want to go out and do it. It makes the things you buy much more meaning full than doing to the mall and buying something new because they dont have any stories to them. I think that was a powerful part of what you wrote above and would be good to explore.
Katrina
Jess said,
May 14, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I think this is an interesting idea. You can always find some of the best things in thrift shops if you look hard enough. I think it would be neat too if you maybe did some sort of back history on an object you already have, see if it has any real value to it. Also, I liked when you talked about how you sometimes make up your own stories to things. That would be an interesting part of your film as well.