Museum of You

 Artifacts

1  . Guitar

2  .  Costume Jewelry

3  .  Marc Jacobs Cross-Body Bag

4  .  A UK Basketball

5  .  A Colorful, Abstract Painting

6  . Chuck Palahniuk Book

7  . Elizabeth and James perfume

8  . Black Leather Jacket

9  . Board Gameà Battleship/ Candy Land

10. Bouquet of Hydrangeas

I like beautiful things. My surroundings directly reflect my overall mood. That is why most of the artifacts I have chosen are things that are aesthetically pleasing to me. These are items that truly resonate with me because they are all things in my daily environment, and in some ways they represent me as a person. Basically these can be broken down into three categories: things you play with, things you wear, or things you look at for visual stimulation. I am a person with a lot of energy that constantly has to be occupied with some sort of activity. Due to this facet of my personality you will find lots of interactive artifacts in my house. For me a guitar represents way more than just the instrument. It is the summation of my love for music. Whether I am making it or listening to it, music is something that feeds my soul.

In addition to my love of music I have a great interest in sports-basketball in particular. I played basketball for 13 years of my life, and at one point it was a central element to who I was. Now I no longer play, but I watch. I’m a huge UK basketball fan. Since I was 5 I have gone to games, and cheered them on whenever they played. I have many fond memories of my dad and I venturing to Rupp Arena to watch the cats. My passion for basketball is something that will forever be a part of the person I am. Since I don’t play basketball anymore, I do like to play board games, card games, or video games. Here I listed some board games that I used to play for hours as a child, and would still play today with no shame. This aspect of my artifact selection symbolizes a playfulness and lightheartedness that I continue to posses, and something I never want to lose.

The next category is things that I wear. For me fashion is a major interest and an opportunity to creatively express myself everyday. The few items that I mentioned here are pieces of my wardrobe that are intermixed with many outfits. The Marc Jacobs purse is something I wear almost everyday, and I love accessorizing with different costume jewelry. To me these artifacts are pieces of art, and each day I get dressed is like a blank canvas meant to be painted.   I also mentioned a perfume that I currently wear. For me the various perfumes I have used through the years are markers on my timeline. If I smell a perfume I wore when I was 16 I am immediately thrown back into memories from that stage of my life. Smell is a very powerful sense, and I feel like each time I change my perfume it’s the beginning of a new chapter in my life.

The final category is things to look at. Like I mentioned earlier my surroundings are very important to my state of mind. Flowers, paintings, and décor fill my apartment and provide me with inspiration and appreciation. Either my family or I have done most of the artwork that hangs around my house. These are particularly special pieces since they are one of a kind. I also enjoy having fresh flowers around my house, hydrangeas being my favorite. This speaks to my love of nature. I like all of the seasons and the impact they have on our world. So bringing a little piece of nature into my home is important.

Overall all of these artifacts are projections of my personality. Vibrant colors, soft textures, and sweet smells are design elements and characteristics that speak to me the most. With each artifact there is a symbiotic relationship, the designs impact me, and my experiences become characteristics of each design.