Why do people collect ? That's a question we always hear as collectors.
We can't really answer that, there's as many answers as there's collectors, a collection is something personal and intimate so we all have our reasons.
I wanted to talk about it because it's a huge part of my life and the reason I started blogging long ago, I wanted to share about this passion.
So what's a true collector ? Well, there's no such a thing as a true collector and a fake collector to me, I enjoy following a lot of different people and collections and hearing their stories because we all do that for specific personal reason. I'd say that the best way to know someone is to look at their shelves to have a glimpse at their soul and heart.
Are we fucked up ? Yes, some of us are, I know I am. Are we lonely ? I guess it's another reason for some, I used to be. Bored too, probably.
Whatever the reason is, a collection is a nest, a cocoon, something that brings us happiness and comfort.
I guess some people just want to brag, shine, create some kind of social statut through Pop Culture and collection and I admit I have no interest in this kind of circles but who cares, if they find joy in it who cares, people don't live to please me, nor you, they live, that's all. I just personally see no interest in this kind of collecting but that doesn't mean it souldn't exist.
I don't really blame them because collecting to brag and to shine is the very core of collecting, that's how it was born, for small talks. It's a very "mondain" hobby honestly and we all do enjoy the small talks around our collections, the story behind everything, it's pleasant. So I'd be very hypocrite to blame people for enjoying this feeling as well, even if it looks kinda "artificial" in the way people collect for society statut rather than themself.
I'm not talking about flex culture though, it's another toxic problem and I don't consider them collectors, I mean, most of them don't even own the things they show so. They're just faker, trying to get clouts and money out of a trend ('cause collecting is trendy, let's be honest).
And that's another point you should always keep in mind before browsing over someone's life, in collecting but in everything else, even when we're "authentic" we still choose what we want to share, we're never totally fully ourself. You don't know a person just because they make you feel like they share a lot about their life and it's very true for collecting as well.
"Why sharing ? It's just posing !", mmmh, well, I guess. As I said it was born of small talks after all. But is there a shame to that ? Why shouldn't we be proud and happy about what we got? About things that reflect ourself? People are always praising "hard work" but when we share the result of thus work they get angry because "you're just bragging", make up your mind. When people scream "poser" I hear jealousy, nothing more.
Oh I hear you already "not everything is about jealousy" sure for other topics, but why else hating on collectors? Most of the bad comments I see about collecting are things like "I'd need two months of salary to get the thing you got!!", yeaaaah, so? What's the point other than jealousy here? We're all aware of the price of things we buy 'cause we did sacrifice to get them and we saved sometime for a long time, we know the value more than everyone else 'cause it's a huge part of collecting so what's the point of angrily pointing the obvious other than jealousy?
And I want you to keep that in mind.
I'm not blaming people for feeling envious, it's a normal feeling "damn I wish I could do that, I wish I could have that". Especially on social media made to make you think everyone's life is perfect but yours, we all do that and the more aware of it you are, the better you can control it, 'cause yeah sure being envy of someone online 'cause they own that cool rare game is a thing, but being envious of fake lifes and shit on social media is another and I'd like you to pay attention to that. Let this post be useful for you as well.
'Cause through toxic envy toxic behaviors are born. And that's so weird, I mean, what if the person didn't buy that expensive thing, would you be richer, happier? Would it change your life? Certainly not so what's the big deal? People enjoying themself aren't the reason I suffer y'know so I don't really give a shit if they do it "to brag", if they do it "the proper way", it's none of my business. I'm free to dislike and boi how I dislike some collections (and even collectors) but do they need to hear it? Like, will my life improve through pettiness? I'd rather spend my energy in myself and whatever makes me vibe and so you should. Maybe you would get half the shit you envy if you spent more energy on it rather than blaming everyone else for your bitterness.
When someone genuinely share their collection, even when it's posing, it's never to put you down. Lot's of people think it's an ego thing and I'd kinda agree to that in the way a collection is about us, ourself, about turning something we love into something pretty cool that will get people go "wow!!!" and so, by extension, going "wow!!!" about ourself as well. And that's the thing, it's always about us, it's never about you, it's not about putting you down 'cause trust me we're all miserable in our own ways.
That's the point of ego, we care about ourself, not about you. It's quite the opposite actually, we share because we want admiration, we want to inspire.
Inspiring yep. Nowaday it's way more acceptable to be a nerd but if you're too loud about it then you'll still be weird and cringe and annoying and immature and blablabla. So you have a lot of people who are litteraly obsess with whatever they're into who are scared to talk about it 'cause it's not "socialy acceptable" and when I share so much about things I love and about collecting that's what I wanna do, showing people that, damn, you can be a cringe nerd and have people mocking you and not caring about it, you can have fun, you can be happy, you can have friends, fans even. You can have people looking up to you. I like showing that being yourself, even if it means living through fiction only, shouldn't be a shame. If people feel shame when they see you it's on them, not you. As long as your fun is harmless who cares? If nerding out makes you happy then go, be a nerd.
I also know some people don't like collectors because we're materialist and honestly I understand this concern 'cause it's a question I ask myself too. But aren't we all ? We all value things that aren't important for our "survival" and we're happy we possess things that aren't even that important, that's the root of capitalism we all suffer from, what can I say ? Just because we all hate it doesn't mean we can live without it yet, we've been conditionned to be materialists, all of us. And I don't thing blaming the poor and the broken over it is a good move but still, I agree, there's a lot of way to still be a collector and try to limit your carbon footprint. And I think this is indeed a question that needs to be adressed.
Now there's a lot of way to collect in a more responsable way, you can buy mostly second hand for exemple (that's what I do, mostly because I don't necessarly like the big corpations which own the things I love and collect) and I'd highly encourage people to buy second handed stuff. It's the only way to get retro/vintage stuff anyway so why not doing this with modern pieces as well?
When you enjoy going to theater do you need it? When you browse internet, do you need it? When you travel, do you need it?
Well I'll argue that you do, everything implying a hobby or making you happy is important for our human brain and hobbies come in infinite shape. If something isn't important to you it doesn't mean it can't be important at all.
I said I was writing this post for people who don't understand but while it's one of the point I'm mostly writing this for people who do understand and who feel bad about themself because they have a hobby other don't understand and mock. As I said that's why I share so much about what I love no matter how cringe it is, I want people to understand that if something makes them feel good and doesn't hurt anyone then it doesn't matter if it's cringe or weird or a waste of money or whatever. If you stay reasonable while collecting and doesn't put yourself in a bad situation who cares if you spend hundreds, maybe thousands in a piece ? It's your money and spending it or not won't make haters richer either so whatever makes you feel better. Life is hard for everyone so clinge to whatever makes you feel good and alive as long as you're not hurting or endangering anyone.
But anyway, that being said I want to focus on myself, on how I started collecting, how it evolved through years. After all, this is about us and this is my blog. And more importantly, through my own collector journey I want to show you how a collection isn't set in stone.
So let's go. In my case I started collecting when I was a very young teen, I don't remember, around 20 years ago I think, I was still in middle school (I'm from 1989).
I've always been incredibly obsess over things I love so when I started having allowance of course I would spend everything into whatever I was obsess with back then. I have severe (and several) health issues, so I just always had this need to bring the World to me and to someone who has hyperfixation issues the World is whatever I'm into. So I just started buying stuff, even shitty, as long as it reminded me of something I was obsessed with.
It's hard to explain to people who don't have this kind of issues but an obsession, an hyperfixation is a noisy thought you can't get rid of unless you feed it, it's kinda like an addiction I guess, they have the same origins anyway. And the best way to do that, for me, is either to check fan works or to collect, to put something in my room related to that fixation. Like a trophee.
Step 1 : manga
So yes, manga at first, in France 80s and 90s kids grew up with Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Cowboy Bebop, Clamp, Goldorak etc... There's a reason our country is the second biggest manga readers in the World after Japan. So like a lot of people from my generation I was into it. It was Naruto and Shaman King that got me into collecting so at least once a month I would go to Paris with my friends and buy gashapons, manga, posters from specialized store. It wasn't popular enough to be everywhere back then, or more like it wasn't acceptable enough. There was a big war between politics and manga, so you had to go to Paris and most of the stuff you could find were bootlegs (we weren't aware of it obviously and it was the only way to get your lil' toys, posters, etc...). You didn't have online shopping either, all you could do was ordering through magazines or go to Paris. It was cool though, I don't have a lot of memories from that period but I remember being happy. Kinda like going to a con I guess, only nerds among nerds. Being surrounded by so many nerdy shits.
My room was very small back then, making collecting hard. Even if I was into manga I would mostly buy figures (gashapon, PVC, resines) because my sister owned pretty much all the manga I loved so I didn't really need to buy them, even if I had a few. So I needed a lot of space I didn't have.
The fun thing about this pic is I sold almost everything on it ever since, yes even the 3 Link but trust me they were ugly considering what we can get now.
(you can see my blistered Pokemon Red before it got signed too !)
Then in high school my health went so much worst and I stopped going out. I had to drop out school right after I got my BAC and I would just spend my days alone in my room because most of my friends stopped visiting me. They were teenagers and young adults, they wanted to party and I just couldn't do that, I was a too heavy burden, boring too I guess, I really don't blame them. But let me tell you that when you spend a decade in a cage you want to make it comfortable so I started collecting even more. When I was around 18 my older brother left to live his life with his wife. Thing is, my brother owned pretty much all the video games we had so I'm facing this problem : "Fuck, all my fav games are gone"
Step 2 : gaming
So after my older brother left, I started buying games, mostly games, selling manga related stuff to be able to afford them.
Fortunatly for me I started buying all my old games a few years before it became a trend and price went BOUM, it was a time I found a blistered Pokemon Red in French for 5-10 bucks because absolutly nobody gave a shit back then, everyone already owned it and blistered stuff wasn't a popular thing. I could get a few cool snes games before it became too hard, Super Metroid was 35 bucks and it was "very expensive" back then for a retro game. I was also into PVC, resine, whatever. The way I was collecting was very chaotic, I would buy every "must have" even if I wasn't into it because I thought I would eventually, I had that dumb idea that if it's a must have it means I have to play it and I would love it so if I found a good deal I'd take it "in case", for the day I'll want to try it and I would just buy everything I could.
Until I met my fiance who introduced me to comics by accident
Step 3 : Comics
My beloved is a game nerd, we met through our shared love for gaming and we started dating. I'll keep the whole story for myself but I started reading comics because of him (he doesn't even read nor care about comics, that's the fun thing, it really was an accident) and something weird happened, my mind just suddenly focused on Sam. Collecting was hard and chaotic because I would always have a different interest every month or so that I needed to feed and would sometime regret as soon as the obsession is gone, but then my brain stopped on that one character.
Collecting gamma stuff started very slowly though, at first I would buy French comics, just to read them really, it wasn't even in a collecting mindset, I'm just a whore for physical medias. And then, slowly, I bought one US issue because it looked nice, and two, a dozen and now I have over a thousands. I focused on Sam only, just the main runs. Oh but now I have them all, I'm bored. Just his cameos. But now what ? Toys maybe. Games, I still love games after all, I still collect them, differently though. Cards now etc etc... And eventually I got everything Sam so now I'm just trying to get every first print version of every Hulk issues (from the main run, I'll see other stories later if I ever finish this one) and I take whatever I'm into. I limit my PVC, I barely have any gashapon left (I don't thing I have any at all). I don't take POP (I have a few, mostly gifts, except for one).
So now that's how I collect, I just take whatever means something to me or whatever looks nice to me. I don't believe in must have anymore. I just want to have a nice personal library made of books I like, games I like, movies I like and have nice looking shelves with a few PVC or collectors here and there that I like because that's where I spend most of my time, stuck in a golden cage so I'd rather make it cool and comfortable. I don't want my shelves to be appealing to others and to impress them, I want it to look appealing to me and to feel good while I stare at the void of my life haha
I don't believe in reviews and notes either, I'm not a cinephile, a comics expert, a gamer. I play to what I like, I read what I like, I watch what I like. Not because "it's a must have" or part of history but because "I want to" (I'm not blaming passionate people who do that though! I just don't have the time or energy to look something I don't care about just because it's history, but I respect people who do that tbh) so that's what my collection is about, a reflect of my mind, of what I love, what makes me dream and travel. There's no real "main focus", it's chaotic, like my thoughts. I focus on quality rather than quantity, after all you can't get everything (unless it's Sam 'cause he's pretty unpopular haha). I don't throw all my money away in random stuff that other would love to get in their collection if I don't have a personal affection for it. Ironically collecting taught me how to be very reasonable with money. That's also the funny part about collecting, when done properly and in a healthy way it can be very handy and you can learn from it.
So yeah, to me collecting is important. It makes me feel alive, through little goals it gave me a purpose, a reason to work other that surviving (which is kind of a depressing mindset to me) I don't care if people think it's stupid or a waste of money. What's a waste of money anyway ? Spending money into something that YOU don't care about. If it makes me feel better, if it gives me comfort then it's not a waste. It's like spending money in a restaurant or a theater, "it doesn't last, what a waste !", that's what anyone could say but the fun we got during this short moment was worth it, it's the same here.
I'll conclude with these little tips :
Don't fall into toxic habits, don't spend all your money in your collection, that cool item isn't worth getting in trouble, trust me, beside you'll want another one as soon as you get it. Don't envy people, just because they have one thing you don't have doesn't mean their life is better than yours. Be happy with what you have, be grateful with what you already own, it's a privilege no matter how much you sacrificed to get it. Be patient, that item you really want isn't supposed to be that expensive so wait for another seller. If you're a girl, LGBT+ or young person stay the fuck away from collecting communities for your own sake, if you wanna interact with other collectors just build your own little circle, don't enter an already existing one, it's not a safe place for you. And of course don't be a prick to others, mind your own business, everyone is different so every collectors are. There's no rules on how to get a nice collection, it's a nice collection if you like that collection, you don't need to have a lot, to have expensive or rare stuff and most importantly you don't need to please people and impress them to have a nice collection. All you need is to think "it's damn neat" when you look at it.
So basically don't bring toxicity into your fun and hobbies.
I know people expect tips on to "how to start a collection" but that's the only relevant tips I can give you.
There's no tip to start, it's like everything else, you'll make mistakes, you'll have regrets, thinking "I should have done things like this rather than like that". And like everything you need patience to have it become truly satisfying. I've been collecting for 20 years now, I sold a huge part of it to buy other stuff etc... A collection is a "living" thing, it will evolve with you. Just stay patient and focus on what you love, don't be afraid of selling and changing, your collection is a reflexion of your heart and your mind and as such it will grow with you.
And that's the funny thing, I wrote this post back in June, slightly touched it up in August but didn't post it 'cause I was waiting for the "right moment" to share my current collection but there's no such a thing as a right moment 'cause every month you add or remove something, that's how a collection lives.
Not everything is visible through these pics, for exemple you won't see my US issues 'cause I made a secret place under my desk for that. I have more manga books shelves hidden in small corners etc...
You might wonder how I could afford all that even if I'm a broke-ass bitch. Through selling. As I said, you evolve. The things I bought when I was 15 are way more expensive now so when I want something expensive if I can I just sell something I bought cheaper a few years ago and I sell it. Yeah sometimes it breaks your heart but again, you can't get everything so you gotta pick.
And that's what I said above, you don't know the person who share. I could make you think I have a cool life when really I don't go out, I don't have to pay myself theaters, restaurants. I barely buy any clothes 'cause I barely go out so what's the point of having more than what I need?
Took me 20 years to be there and a lot of sacrifices. Nobody grow a collection in a few months without it, no matter what they say, it's a lie. You're probably as happy as us even without 5% of the shit we own, maybe even more, so please don't envy us. In the end you will never get everything, it's all about what matter to you.
