I have always had the urge to collect things. As a child, I collected rocks, stamps, four leaf clovers encased in scotch tape, horseshoe nails, acorn tops, and every kind of art supply. My drawers and shelves were shrines to these everyday objects, which I obsessively organized and studied, turning my bedroom into a cozy nest lined with autobiographical details from my childhood adventures.
These days, I still collect things, including rocks. I learned recently this makes me a rockhound, which is the official term for someone who is geologically obsessed. I love that word, rockhound. It’s so honest and true and evocative. When I come across words I love, I collect them, too. Screen grabs litter my desktop. Memes clutter my photo library. I take quick pictures of song titles and poems and road signage. I write notes in the books I read, and then take pictures of the pages.
For a long time, I didn’t understand WHY I was collecting all of these things; I just had the urge to document anything that resonated with me. Life is so challenging at times, it’s nice to have these little moments preserved. I go back to them, turning them over in my mind, letting them spark ideas. Many years ago, I started referring to these scraps of life as fodder. Traditionally, fodder is feed for cattle, like dried bales of hay. Fodder supports growth. Fodder creates life. Fodder feeds art.
Over the years, I’ve taken some of these bits of fodder and taped them into notebooks or diaries, but never with much intention, other than the year I created writing advice pages in my writing notebook instead of drafting a whole novel for #nanowrimo (a month-long writing challenge hosted in November).
Recently, though, I recognized that this practice isn’t just something I do in the background. It’s a fundamental part of how I create. I genuinely enjoy taking in gobs of information, sorting it, making sense of it, and synthesizing it into bite sized take-aways that apply to life as much as art. I am a fodderer (ie: someone who creates fodder to inspire others).
My day often starts with fodder. I sift through the clippings and print-outs in my desk drawer and select an image that resonates, whether that be a poem, a meme, or a random picture from life. I tape it into my sketchbook. I draw on it, write on it, highlight it, cut it up and tape it back together…I go wherever the process takes me, and somehow, I always end up with something meaningful.
“Never worry about being obsessive. I like obsessive people. Obsessive people make great art.” - Susan Sontag
Take two minutes to list your favorite creative processes. Are you spending enough time on the activities that spark your inner artist? How can you lean into your obsessions and make more space for them in your art? I’d love to hear about your obsessions in the comments!