Small Items With Big Stories
If you've ever held onto a favorite blankie, a family member's ring, or an ancestor's pouch that traveled across the sea... you know that a small item can embody a big story.
The Object Diaries project is about these special items. In this project, objects are larger than they appear. They have stories to tell, stretching through space and time, and even connecting us with the essence of another person.
Certain objects can trigger an experience known as a "Proustian moment," a reference to an early scene in Marcel Proust's multi-volume novel In Search of Lost Time when the narrator, Marcel, dips a 'petite madeleine' cake into a cup of lime-blossom tea and it releases a flood childhood memories. Marcel suddenly recalls the sensation of his mother serving him tea and cake.
I read (most of) In Search of Lost Time in a French Literature course at Northwestern University while earning my Master of Fine Arts in Prose and Poetry. In In Search of Lost Time, Marcel dips a scallop-shaped madeleine into his tea, and the sensory experience unlocks something within him. The tiny moment feels too powerful, beautiful, and enormous to capture in words. Feeling takes over, and Marcel is filled with intense longing. Time and space collide.
On a whim, I bought a package of pre-made madeleine cookies at Jewel-Osco, a grocery store in Chicago. I dipped my madeleines in tea. Not surprisingly, the experience didn't unlock anything for me. had to wait for my own Proustian moment. Each of us has the potential to stumble upon one.
I love this often-cited reflection in In Search of Lost Time:
“The past is hidden somewhere outside the realm, beyond the reach of intellect, in some material object (in the sensation which that material object will give us) of which we have no inkling. And it depends on chance whether or not we come upon this object before we ourselves must die.”
The Proustian moment is supposed to come from a chance encounter. We can't force it. Objects can engage our senses with their specific appearance, sound, feel, smell, and even taste. When we stop interacting with objects physically, we miss out on that sensory experience and that chance. That's why, in the Object Diaries podcast series, we made a stylistic decision that ultimately became intentional: we begin each episode with a description of a physical object. What does it look like? Does it make a sound or have a certain scent? We want to evoke sensory experiences.
We're living together in an increasingly digital, two-dimensional world, where virtual experiences often replace "real life." We're texting, SnapChatting, WhatsApping, uploading, downloading, and emailing instead of calling or writing letters – and the proliferation of social media platforms means we don't always feel the sensations that used to be so familiar. We're recreating our physical world and even ourselves through avatars in virtual reality spaces. While these digital experiences can foster relationships, they can also come at the expense of real-life connections.
In our culture, there's also a discomfiting push and pull between consuming and decluttering. Viral videos on Instagram and TikTok draw in millions of viewers to watch cleaning rituals lauding neat-and-tidy decluttered spaces, all while advertising the latest ScrubDaddy sponges and other products you can purchase on Amazon via a link in the comments section. In the U.S., we're constantly barraged with advertisements to buy more crap, while at the same time feeling shamed for having too much clutter. It's a real Catch-22.
That's why Object Diaries is not about fancy, trendy, or expensive things – it's about everyday possessions that can help us tell extraordinary human stories.
Through this project and its limited-series podcast, you'll discover the life-changing power a single, meaningful object can hold. From how a secret journal helped a mother and daughter heal, to a single piece of paper that gave a man freedom – the objects featured in the Object Diaries project unlock something deep within us.
I hope you'll join me on my mission to bring these small but mighty secret objects into the light.
Will you listen to the podcast and write us a five-star review on Apple and Spotify?
Jessica Terrell and April Estrellon produced the episodes of the podcast with me. Friends and advisors helped guide and inspire the project. I'm proud of the storytelling we did together, and I'm eager to continue this work.
Thank you for reading!
Lisa
