scrappin’

vintage_boy_chair.jpg
vintage photo, unknown photographer

I have been poring over my vintage photo collection recently after a trip to the Berkeley Center for Creative Reuse. I bought several color slides there of a family’s Christmas celebration, days out with their horses, and eventually their birthdays and weddings. I was mesmerized by this life that I knew nothing about yet I was witnessing so many of their most intimate moments. It was an odd feeling, but it felt right to see them, to dream of new ways to use these images, to even take some of them home, as opposed to leaving them there in that dusty old box on San Pablo Avenue.

If you live in SF, there is a similarly wonderful place called SCRAP (Scroungers’ Center for Reusable Art Parts)

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Hi, I’m Andrea

On this blog you’ll be learning with me how to use our voices, share our creative superpowers and live life in full color.

As an artist, photographer, life coach + mentor, I’m redefining what it means to be a SUPERHERO — ‘cause in my world, it’s got nothing to do with capes, spandex or sidekicks and everything to do with tenderness, intuition & baby steps of bravery.

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9 Comments

  1. eMiLY

    vintage photos seem a lot like online journals…

  2. Emily

    i looooooooooove that place!! i have so many great art things from there that have gone to good use!!
    xoxoxo
    eMiLy

  3. Nina

    I am about 3000 miles away from SCRAP, but I visit their site often because they have so many great workshop ideas (love the no ugly colors idea) and the links are fun. Honestly I want to start a place like SCRAP where I live, but find I lack the courage because I’m the new kid in town — the idea was on and off my mondo beyondo list because it seems so huge. But to see you mentioning it here certainly has me thinking about it again. Hmmm… Thanks once again for the inspiration.

  4. laura

    it is nice to know that photographs are treated as treasure.
    i wonder what will happen all the blogs once the people writing them die.
    will they put it in their will that they wish for their blog hosting to continue after they die. wil l people entrust the safekeeping to someone, or will most of them just disappear.
    i read somewhere that there is an organisation that will take letters for you to post to people on specific dates after your death.
    the transient nature of blogs was brought home to me after the tsunami. blogs that weren’t updated after the 26th of december had me wondering “were these people on a holiday somewhere where the tsunami hit. will there never be an update again and will the blog just disappear?”
    photographs are probably more long lasting than blogs will be (save for google cache of course)

  5. mlle a.

    I use to browse the boxes with old postcards and pictures when I am at flea markets; they sometimes sell whole photo albums from early last century. Apparently, there is no one left to treasure those.I think it’s always a bit sad when others’ memories are sold by strangers to strangers…but they are fascinating. So many stories behind each single photography.

  6. Piper

    I know what you mean about becoming fascinated with the lives of people you hardly know…I feel that way when reading people’s blogs/journals!!! It’s funny how we are all so curious about each other, yet so often afraid to reach out. It is also wonderful to feel a sort of connection (no matter how distant)just as human beings.

  7. andrea

    beautiful snapshot of the boy… I am an avid collector of vintage ‘found’ photos (and an artist as well). I have most recently taken part in an interesting discussion as to why people might be attracted to collecting anonymous photos. someone brought up the way the movie ‘amelie’ described it: the anonymity of found photos invites imagination. I am also quite drawn to the composition and odd details… the humanity and sense of history each found old photo seems to encapsulate. a great site to visit (if anyone reading this comment is at all interested) is http://snapatorium.blogspot.com/. this is a fascinating site devoted to found photographs…

  8. Leonie

    What an incredible photo.
    and what an incredible find.
    It is as if you are giving them new life,
    reviving their energy,
    honouring them for their moments ~ of joy, of togetherness, of family.
    Thank you for sharing hun,
    Leonie

  9. JC

    There is also a SCRAP location in downtown Durham, NC.

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