Go ahead. Be a kid again. Go for a walk on a beach, down a not-so-busy road, or in the park and look for treasure.
I’m not talking diamond rings or gold coins. I’m talking about bottle caps, random glass beads, bits of worn plastic and heart-shaped rocks. Forget monetary value; look for visual and emotional appeal. If it catches your eye, pick it up.
Once you have a hand or pocket full of treasures, find a flat surface and arrange your riches in an appealing display. Become a museum curator who is creating an exhibition. You are in charge and these found objects can be placed in any array that appeals to you.
Take a photo or two with your phone. Or not.
This was my collection found on the banks of the St. Lawrence River when I visited Quebec City last summer. Such collections make perfect “picture postcards” when you travel. Send them to others, post them online, or just keep them to transport you back to that day when you found the treasure that everyone else walked past.
Then leave the display for others to play with, or return the rocks and other natural materials to nature and put the man made stuff into a recycling bin. Or take the best stuff home and put it in a box for the grandchildren to find. (Have some more fun: freak your kids out and tell them that this box is their inheritance.)
If you want to be inspired by an artist who collects natural materials and uses them to create beautiful but temporary pieces, get a book by Andy Goldsworthy.
Go ahead. Be a kid again. There’s treasure everywhere, and it’s free.
