04/09/2023
I watched an episode of the tv show, "American Pickers.” For those of you unfamiliar with the show, two dudes named Mike and Frank travel the country looking for antiques and collectibles. Spurred on by tips from Danielle, the cool gal who I suspect really runs the place, they climb into rodent infested attics, packed barns, and other places where angels fear to tread in the hopes of finding something of value and not getting tetanus.
The episode I watched found the boys in a Portland clock shop owned by a man named John. And holy smokes, what a shop it was. So. Many. Clocks. And not just clocks, beautiful clocks-clocks that doubled as works of art. Clocks made with great precision; clocks that have stood the test of time. (Pun intended)
And during the Episode, Mike (my favorite picker) had a short monologue.
Mike: “Nowadays, unfortunately, we live in a throw-away society. The things that we’re buying right now don’t become family heirlooms because of they way they’re made. And the way we view them.
You know, when you go to a big box store and you buy a clock to hang on the wall, a kitchen clock or something, and it’s got a battery in the back of it, is THAT gonna become a family heirloom?
Probably not.
The price-points are a lot lower, and the craftsmanship is not there.
But John is a craftsman and he’s very good at what he does, so the people who collect clocks or that have family heirlooms that are clocks, THAT is his customer.
Someone that TRULY CARES about that clock hanging on the wall.”
Mike, buddy, you spoke my heart.
See, to my mind, that battery operated clock you buy at the box store is a lot like digital files. It runs for a few years, but before long, you end up tossing it. It was MADE to be thrown away. Or in the case of digital files, you won’t be able to find them or open them, so it’s pretty much the same as throwing them away. I mean, no one is going to say, “Hey, where’s the link to Grandma’s baby picture gallery?”
Remember: digital files don’t become heirlooms.
But you know what does? Printed photographs.
Don’t let your memories fall victim to a throw-away society. Print what you want to preserve.
