Half way through this silly little experiment and these weird feelings keep coming to the surface. I’m not sure I’ve ever cared less about collecting than I do right now. At every stage in my life, I’ve collected something. Books, comics, Star Wars merchandise, sports cards, whatever. Now, though, I’m so not interested.
I know, I know. You’re thinking that I’m a freak. How can I stop calling myself a collector when I’ve only gone without for a mere two weeks? You’re probably right. This is just a minor glitch in the system. I’ll be back to my old ways in no time. But I’m hoping to remember what I’ve learned so that I come away from this experiment with greater knowledge of why I do certain things and how to keep them at bay if my habits aren’t helping me in any way.
For example, I think the greatest thing I’m taking away from this so far is this feeling of freedom. As it turns out, I don’t need to buy that next issue of Batman or X-Men. I’m still going to be the same person if I don’t have every issue from Ed Brubaker’s Catwoman run. Comics and books are supposed to be art and entertainment, not some form of addiction.
And let’s face it, that’s what they were to me for a very long time. When you tell yourself you don’t want or need something, yet you go out and buy it religiously month in and month out, that’s a problem. Considering, even for a brief moment, that you’ll be incomplete if you don’t have the next fix is just crazy talk. It’s addiction, pure and simple.
An addiction I’m kicking. I’ll always have that urge to buy and to hoard, and I can promise you my need for perfect condition will never lessen. But that need, that anxiety I felt when planning my next purchase, all of that is going away...at least for now.
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4 comments:
I know exactly how you feel. I'm a completist on whatever title I collect. Right now I'm trying to cut down the number of comics I pick up every month. I'd be happy if I coud pull the number down to under 40 per month. I currently buy around 60 comics. Sometimes keeping up with my reading becomes a chore more than pleasure, especially when you have 20 books to read for the week.
I'm really impressed, James. I'd be tempted to do the same thing myself, but to some extent I've already cut a lot - I don't ebay anymore (although no doubt I'll do a bit at some point) and I've cut the number of titles I get.
The thing is...I don't miss them. I can live without, and I'm better channelling my energies more constructively.
Sorry I ever doubted you!
You people suck! LOL.
If I didn't have my web site (www.comicaddiction.com) I'd probably stop minus Batman, Amazing Spider-Man, JLA, and Avengers. Those are my main books right now. Everything else is just nice to read.
Ugh. Now I feel "obligated" to keep the site up and running and buy more comics. Cruel world!
Haha. It's a cruel, cruel world, Chris.
For me, it's like I'm purging my soul as I purge my closet. Will I collect again? Definitely. I just hope I can keep these feelings alive so that these collections don't control me like they have in the past.
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