Interesting Trash

On December 1, 2015 by Sarah C. Geraci

This is the first piece of trash I have ever photographed. That was eight weeks ago. There have been quite a few since. In fact, I believe I have turned it into a new project for myself. Let me explain.eight of spades

I have twin baby girls that are four months old. They are terribly sweet, and I love them a lot, but they are a lot of work. The amount of time and effort that I must dedicate to them daily doesn’t leave me much time for creative outlets. It barely leaves me enough time to shower, do the laundry, and cook dinner. I have realized that if I want be creative I’ve got to get creative.

trash compositionI make sure the girls and I take a walk every day. I know it’s good for me and I think it’s good for them. There are quite a few neighborhoods around me connecting a few miles of sidewalk. I have two routes. I leave my neighborhood and go right or go left. In the repetition of these two courses I stopped staring at the familiar architecture and landscaping and began to look elsewhere. I started to notice the trash at my feet. It bothered me. So much so that one day I decided to bring a garbage bag with me and pick it up. I have enjoyed, and found satisfaction in, cleaning up my walk.

Trash WagonI live on the windy side of town in a windy city. So I don’t believe this trash is only from people intentionally littering. I’m sure some of it is, but more often I think it blows around after our trash collection day. Initially the trash I was collecting was quite normal; water bottles, cigarette boxes, and plastic bags. One day however, I found the eight of clubs hiding under a bush. It struck me as the most interesting piece of trash I had ever seen. I decided to take a picture and my new project was born. Since the eight of clubs the objects I find curbside have grown ever more amusing to me.

Christmas BallI photograph new pieces of trash on each walk. Some days I even find two pieces of trash worth photographing. I decided to use Instagram to capture these nuances of my new life and share them using #interstingtrash and #morningwalk. It is my new creative project. As many of you know, before twins I used to sew and paint as my outlets of expression. I sold and, still do, sell items on Etsy. I have a shop for scarves and a shop for paintings, prints, and greeting cards. Unfortunately all of those efforts required a lot of time. My window of opportunity to make things to share with the world have significantly decreased; so taking 45 seconds during a walk to share an image is perfect. If you are interested in my morning musings please follow me on Instagram.

coke can trashIf you have enjoyed my art in the past I hope you find my new style equally as entertaining.

Thanks for following. Happy Holidays.

 

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