There is little point in keeping things if you are not going to enjoy them and/or use them. By using the flexibility of the digital you can exploit the contents of your collections, make them visible, and bring them to life. There are a huge numbers of ways in which you can present items, relate items together, make up quizzes about items, tell stories about items etc. etc.; and then use digital technology to produce the results in some form or other.
The process of doing this will enable you to explore your collections, and may remind you of things you have forgotten. The results can be shared and enjoyed with family and friends. Indeed this is an effective way of helping family members to learn a bit more about their history.
The actual doing of such exploitation activities can also be fulfilling as a way of expressing one’s own creative desires and inspirations – even if you are worried that they might appear a little unusual or strange. This story about Kurt Vonnegut provides encouragement to all who may have such concerns: Schoolchildren wrote to him asking him to speak to them. he replied saying, “……What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: practise any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, no matter how well or badly, not to get money or fame but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow… Do it for the rest of your lives!”