A picture is worth a thousand words

Frederick R Barnard

To create a picture is to become an artist. The world is made up of artists of so many ilks; painters, photographers, sketchers, and more. And yet for some, there is no value in that art. Is it because that representation is deemed unworthy? Or has the history been lost from an item, so that it no longer holds identifiable worth? Do we always need personal identification to give a picture value though? Is beauty indeed in the fickle eye of the beholder?

Perhaps too much for us to answer as a simple junk removal company. What we do know is that we come across plenty of pictures over the course of a week. 

Picture: a design or representation made by various means (such as painting, drawing, or photography)

Merriam Webster definition

Photos

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Photographs are an interesting find. They capture a moment in time, but so much more. There is a history there that is usually  interesting to those in the photograph or who know the people represented in it. But does that interest remain when those people no longer exist? Should it?  For some, but not all.

In today’s digital age, photographs are easier to capture, but have the potential to overwhelm people with the vast amount of them. We can capture photos with cameras, phones, Ipads, and more. The question then becomes, which photos do we keep and which do we dispose of. As we capture more and more photographs, so many of them end up discarded as quickly as they are taken. We lose the moment to history. And as we purge today, yesterday seems to be lost in the process too. The amount of photographs Load of Rubbish sees gives credence to that loss.

Paintings

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Artwork is different from photographs, but still subjective. Everyone has their own personal taste in art. Some like realism or impressionism. Others prefer abstract or cubist paintings. And sketches or charcoal drawings attract yet others. A piece of art can speak to one person, yet leave others scratching their head. Those reactions can change over time as well, meaning that a piece of art which someone may once have loved, no longer offers the same value. Who are we to say whether one piece of art is more valuable than another, when that value is such a personal decision?

Pictures and Load of Rubbish

What we do know, is that old pictures, photographs, and drawings are not junk. They do not belong in the landfill; tossed into the refuse pile like so much garbage. Old photos capture moments in time. Art represents creativity brought to life. And when we collect it, we try to salvage that creativity—those moments—to offer up to others. They are a perfect example of items that are great to donate.

Perhaps someone else will find delight in the history behind the old photos we come across in discarded photo albums. Maybe a piece of art that one family no longer wants, will bring joy to another’s wall. Old drawings might be transformed into fresh wallpaper or serve as inspiration for a new piece of art. That is the joy of creativity. And the reason why Load of Rubbish saves as many pictures as we can. They are our past, but also hold the key to tomorrow. Creativity will take us there…