IN COLLABORATION WITH HAMLINE UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT MEDIA BOARD
Collections HAMLINE UNIVERSITY | ST. PAUL, MN | JANUARY MAGAZINE | Vol. 133 | SPECIAL EDITION
Student media collectives Written by: Lydia Meier lmeier05@hamline.edu This year’s Oracle J-term magazine was created as a collaboration between several Hamline Student Media Board (SMB) organizations. SMB organizations vary in focus and scope, so there’s a place for any student interested in media production and publication.
1536 Hewitt Ave. MB 106 St. Paul, MN 55104 oracle@hamline.edu hamlineoracle.edu EDITORIAL& PRODUCTION Editor-in-Chief of the Oracle Andrea Lindner Managing Editor of the Oracle Elizabeth Lowe Business Manager of the Oracle Julien Halabi Cheif of Design of Untold Magazine Max Ridenour Layout Anika Besst, Julien Halabi, Max Ridenour, Cathryn Salis Copy Editors Anika Besst, Michael Horton, Lydia Meier Writers Anika Besst, Julien Halabi, Michael Horton, Ollie Koski, Lydia Meier, Dean Young Photographers Ollie Koski, Lydia Meier, Max Ridenour , Cathryn Salis, Aidan Stromdahl Adviser of the Oracle Trevor Maine
POLICIES
The Student Media Board (SMB) oversees and supports all approved Hamline student media organizations: Fulcrum, HU Radio, Oracle, and Untold Magazine. SMB operates independently of University administration, staff, faculty, student congress, and student body to ensure editorial independence and First Amendment rights of each media organization are upheld. Our mission To cover news, trends, events and entertainment relevant to Hamline undergraduate students. We strive to make our coverage accurately reflect the diverse communities that comprise the student population. Student media at Hamline University exists to provide students a vehicle for expressing their views on matters of concern and interest. Both as a whole and as individual organizations, student media is governed by and for Hamline students. Corrections The Student Media Board welcomes corrections of quotational and factual errors. Please send such commentary to: stumediabrd@hamline.edu and place “Magazine Correction” in the subject line.
HU Radio is a student-run organization that empowers Hamline students to express themselves through live broadcasting. Students can get involved in many ways, including traditional DJ sets, podcasts, or through fulfilling promotional or technical needs. Those interested can email huradio@hamline.edu. Station manager Harrison Yarwood writes, “HU Radio has been a great experience for me due to the technical and leadership skills I've picked up, but it's also so fun! For DJs, the time commitment is low, so it's been easy to continue involvement. In addition, the ability to play and talk about my favorite songs over the air as well as entertain my friends listening keeps me coming back each year.”(Instagram: @hu_radio) The Fulcrum Journal is a unique publication on campus where creators of any year, major or background can have their voices uplifted and find connections with other Hamline students. Fulcrum accepts literary and arts submissions for their annual release. Currently, submissions are open until February 20. Interested students can send their work to fulcrumjournal.hamline.edu. Editor in Chief Emma Harrington writes, “I am so proud of the team as we work through pandemic challenges to continue to plan events and publish our annual issue. The Fulcrum is one of my favorite things on campus because it is a group of passionate creatives creating space for other creative people to find a home for their work.” (Instagram: @fulcrumjournal) Every semester, Untold Magazine highlights the “untold” stories at Hamline through a print and online magazine. Adviser Jen England writes, “Our content draws inspiration from an eclectic mix of feature writing, zines, poetry, photo essays (and more).” Untold will be holding a general interest meeting in early February, which you can learn about on Instagram @ hamlineuntold, or by emailing untoldmagazine@hamline.edu. Accepted contributors will be paid to create art, photography, articles, or creative writing for the issue. To learn more about Untold, visit hamlineuntold.com. England has been the faculty adviser for Untold since 2018, and writes, “Students never cease to surprise me with their creative vision and labor of love they give to each issue. One of my favorite things about Untold is how open it is: to different ideas, to a range of majors, to the power of storytelling.” (Instagram: @hamlineuntold) The Oracle is a student-run newspaper that has been in publication since 1888. Students on staff write, illustrate and photograph on a variety of topics to bring campus news to the Hamline community. Editor in Chief Andrea Lindner says, “We are focused on communicating the news that matters to the people whom it concerns. This is our campus and we believe it is important for students to understand what is happening in the place that they study and engage in.” Students interested in joining the Oracle as photographers, reporters, and illustrators can apply at hamlineoracle.com and email oracle@hamline.edu with any questions. (Instagram: @hamlineoracle) Just as the SMB organizations have collected to produce this magazine, readers can find more collections of all kinds within the content of the publication.
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Stamps, souvenirs and stones: collections spanning generations A few Hamline students spoke to Oracle senior reporter Lydia Meier about their personal collections.
A Collective Voice Dean Young, an opinion columnist for the Oracle, discusses Hamline's choral history and how that has shaped the definition of community for the university.
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Finding art and inspiration around Midway In a community as unique and creative as Midway, St Paul, there is no shortage of inspirational sources. Max Ridenour of Untold Magazine explores the area.
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Furbies: The end of life as we know it by Anika Besst
Break the mirror/Repair the shoe; Wretched Pig by Julien Halabi
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Community collection by Michael Horton
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Thoughts on things by Ollie Koski
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Nature portfolio by Aidan Stromdahl
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Stamps, souvenirs and stones: For many college students, collecting is a way to stay connected to family and friends, create memories or signify independence. A few Hamline students spoke to the Oracle about their collections. Written by: Lydia Meier lmeier05@hamline.edu The kitchen in Kayla Tester’s apartment is filled with coffee equipment: a glinting, austere espresso machine, a mug tree, homemade vanilla, knick knacks and tools. The Hamline junior worked at Starbucks for awhile, but during quarantine really got into the art of coffee making and home espresso. “There’s physics to it, there’s a whole brand of passionate people online that I really got into watching… and then I started collecting all this equipment and different coffee beans and different mugs and stuff, and I kind of went crazy with it.” Tester is interested in the global community surrounding coffee as well. “I like coffee because it’s like a morning ritual that everywhere in the world practices to some degree, and there’s a million ways to do it,” she said. “It’s kind of fun because you can learn about different cultures by how they make coffee.” She has always collected things, starting as a way to connect with her father, who collected coins and stamps because of his father. “I’ve gotten in a lot of eBay bidding wars over buttons and stamps with like, these really old people basically because no one my age has ever said they want to go in a bidding war on eBay,” Tester said. But her coffee collection is more of a personal project. “[It] feels like adulthood in a way… [coffee] became something I got interested in as a young adult and at the same time I was graduating high school and moving into college, it became a passion of mine. So it really is kind of tied to that sort of independence.” On a much smaller physical scale, first-year Bailey Winden collects lapel pins, primarily as a way to support local businesses and artists. He’s been slowly adding to his collection since middle school, and now usually can’t leave a store without buying one. “I love buying pins from [artists] kind of as a way to be like ‘yeah, I’ve heard of them, I have a piece of their work.’” Although Winden has been scared to wear and lose his pins, he’s recently begun wearing a few on his Starbucks apron, and hopes to wear them instead of letting them “collect dust.” “I’ve collected everything imaginable as a younger kid, I’m just really in the hunt and gather mindset… It’s just like having little unique pieces of places and people and interests to represent who I am as a person.” Austin Malberg, a Hamline junior, also collects things as a way to remember her travels. She often buys postcards for herself, usually
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PHOTO | COURTESY OF EZRI FARNUM
PHOTOS | LYDIA MEIER, ORACLE Hamline students show off their various collections in creative and decorative ways. from bookstores. “I could decorate with them one day if I got a bunch and collage them,” Malberg said. As a creative person, she likes the act of decorating and writing postcards as well. “It is a really nice way to be able to have a creative outlet but not have to sit down and start a project,” she said. “Sometimes that is really daunting and I’m like I don’t have time for that, but I have time to send a letter.” Another reason she collects postcards and letters is to stay connected with family and friends. “A lot of my friends go to school not in Minnesota… so that’s been our way of keeping in touch.” Some of Malberg’s favorite postcards are from Denver, where her
collections spanning generations friend goes to college. “She’ll hike places and then grab them and then send them to me, which is kind of cool because I get to see what she’s been doing.” Malberg loves the memories that letters and postcards can evoke. Her grandmother died this past year, and Malberg is glad that she has dozens of letters from her. “It’s kind of cool that I personally have all of these stories and words of her own voice,” she said. Similarly, first-year Ezri Farnum sees her collection of rocks and minerals as a way to create memories with her family. She’s been collecting rocks with her family since she could walk. “My Great Aunt Willy started a generational collection by
befriending people at quarries, and they offered her minerals that never made it out of the extraction point,” Farnum said. Now, it’s a tradition for her family to “scour the beaches” of Lake Superior for agates. Their collection is organized in tackle boxes with tags on each rock and mineral. “It’s not uncommon for someone to collect gems or even have stories paired with them, but there’s something special about each one,” Farnum added, saying that she plans to remember the stories her grandfather told her about each rock. “Soon, we’ll be able to take my younger sister to look for rocks so she can treasure them for years to come.” COVID-19 has brought another level to the way people collect. Dina Gachman wrote on November 13, 2020 for Smithsonianmag. com, “During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, hobbies like
collecting can bring a bounty of joy amidst so much uncertainty. Many Americans have spent the past months stocking up on jigsaw puzzles or brewing sourdough starters to fill the time.” She writes that by June 2020, collectibles were up 104% in the market. This desire for home hobbies brought many comfort in a unfamiliar time. Tester said, “[COVID-19] I guess spurred an interest to do things at home since I couldn’t go out to go shopping or go to Starbucks.” Additionally, Gachman writes, according to Shirley Mueller, “Collecting provides solace and structure, and ways that we can still be productive doing something we can enjoy.” Malberg agrees, explaining that her letter collection is even more important now. “Especially during COVID[-19] too it’s been so distant where it’s like to still feel kind of supported and surrounded is really special… [for me, collecting is] a way to create memories and keep them and tangibly hold them.” Especially for college students living in a changing world, collecting can offer much needed comfort and connection. Farnum writes, “It’s a remarkable human trait to find things that make us happy and pass them on. There is no purer form of love than saying ‘This makes me happy and want you to see it too’ or ‘I’ve found this and want you to know, to see what I found and loved.’”
PHOTOS | LYDIA MEIER, ORACLE TOP: Malberg’s collection of letters from friends and family contain heartfelt messages that are treasures in themselves. BOTTOM: Tester’s coffee-based collection enables her to make homemade lattes with fresh ingredients.
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Furbies: the end of life as we know it Humanity’s collections could have a sinister result. Written by: Anika Besst abesst01@hamline.edu
Ever since I was introduced to Octavia Butler’s science fiction, the existential question of how the world will end has been a recurring topic of discussion in my life. With the COVID-19 pandemic ever-raging, the climate crisis undeniable and societal polarization unlike ever before, as a young person the future can at times look bleak and it is society’s growing collections that seem responsible. Collections that continue to pileup–both tangible and intangible. There are the growing collections like greenhouse gas emissions, the increasing population and garbage and recycling waste (that many countries evade by shipping off to others). Then, some parts of society have collections of individualistic ideals and mindsets, seething hatred and inexorable fake news. The future of these collections seems doomed. After many midnight conversations and depressing journal entries, I have come to the conclusion that I believe our end will be because of the heaping technological advancements the world racks up. In this day and age, we have self-driving cars, robots delivering our mail and Amazon’s Alexa, which still can’t tell the difference between whether I’m saying “light” or “call,” but generally knows more than any living being I know. The potential of artificial intelligence seems endless. Technology has also been responsible for simplifying language
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and communication in ways we have never seen before, and can not gauge the outcome of yet. Technology, isolation and major changes to language are all too real in recent years. The other side of the technology argument is the waste it produces. The recycling of devices is not as polished or as perfect as most think, at times leaking harmful waste and chemicals. So between these, society’s drive for a growing collection of technology seems suffocating–whether it be A.I. taking over, losing communication or the waste swallowing us in mounds of old iPhones and DVD players. I shared this concern with my older sister who told me to not forget Furbies, Tiger Electronic’s robotic creature first released in 1998, saying, “that’s the real A.I.—Furbies.” I can tell you I wasn’t immediately captivated by her idea, but after some consideration, maybe she’s onto something. After all, many start young as the recipients of these possibly world-damning toys and at that point, we might as well throw in the towel. Most of us have been exposed to technology since the beginning of our lives, maybe not Furbies, but some form of A.I., and are ultimately destined for full artificial intelligence consumption. On a more serious note, senior Donald Birttnen believes climate change will be our end. “Global warming, caused by a multitude of reasons, and the melting of the ice caps causing massive flooding,” he thinks. “Either
that or mass extinction of the Earth pollinators–bees, butterflies, etc.–causing all plant life to die which leads to all life dying.” As an environmental studies and education double major, Birttnen has spent a disheartening amount of hours pondering this topic. With consideration to the use of fossil fuels, over-consumption of natural resources, and overpopulation, his theory seems sound. Birttnen also mentioned the possibility of nuclear war, an asteroid, Old Faithful exploding, aliens, solar flares or “a worse global plague.”
Scientists and experts seem to generally agree that there are a plethora of collections that could be the end of us. Ultimately, I don’t know if it matters how everything ends. Butler has taught me the future is unpredictable. After all, it isn’t a competition for who’s right, we could all be right, and maybe that’s just what we prepare for. Whatever will be, whoever is left will be wondering if it is a result of the collection of our resilience or widely accepted ignorance.
ILLUSTRATIONS | ANIKA BESST, ORACLE Illustration on page 6 is adapted from a page of the short story “Speech Sounds” by Octavia E. Butler.
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Written By: Julien Halabi To The Ones on the edge of gasoline bonfires, melting the bottom of their shoes with buzzing minds. To The Ones that understand that you can wear big extravagant flowers to latex and leather. To The Ones who claim their body hair as their own and are not fearful, but embrace it. To The Ones that are jealous of superheroes who are Shapeshifters ‘cause of the unlimited chaos and freedom they have. To The Ones that a painting and dancing in the rain gives more euphoria to than one’s own body. To The Ones breaking expectations and your own learned boundaries. To You, with shoes that are beaten down like the world around them beats and tears you down, Eventually Soulless. Endless Marches. Endless Bricks Thrown. Forced Silenced and Talked over. To You, that after combat in the mirror finally learns about Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Repair. Break the mirror, Repair the shoe.
Written By: Julien Halabi Wretched Pig Wretched Pig That’s what I am to you Closed-minded, not willing to be Saved. Wretched Pig Wretched Pig You call yourself respectful and understanding, Yet you call me such names and erase me. Wretched Pig Wretched Pig Your love can be wrapped in bitter and sour. Your bitter love infects my brain like a hammer making dents into metal. Can I fix it? Why am I your muse? Why do I care? Dear Wretched Pig, I am tired of fitting in the iron maiden mold. I am the one trapped yet, You can’t see inside the box.
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ILLUSTRATIONS | AIDAN STROMDAHL, ORACLE
A collective voice Written by: Dean Young dyoung04@hamline.edu
A few weeks ago, I found myself looking over the shelves of my local library for a book to read. Not that I had any shortage of reading materials -- a pile of books is continuously stacked next to my desk -- but the library was offering a prize drawing for any who turned in a reading slip (and who could resist?). As I was surveying the options, I came across “Hamline University: A History, 18541994” by David W. Johnson, a surprising find in a small library some 30 miles from campus. Naturally, I checked it out. As explained by the book, Hamline possesses a long and varied history as an institution, the first of its kind in Minnesota (or “the Territory of Minnesota,” as it was known at the time of Hamline’s establishment). The book chronicled the various attitudes of the school, including its early policies (no tobacco, no spitting on the floor) along with its early politics, which leaned conservative — though students were willing to take a dicey progressive endorsement with Theodore Roosevelt. While the early school did face its unique challenges, including the rebel rousers who threw chalk during prayers as reported in a 1907 Oracle print, the school managed to increase from its early years in size, reputation and academic prowess. In the midst of this university development, I learned a bit about the development of the various departments and orgs, including our music department. One of the unique virtues of an older institution is found in its tangible ties to history: renowned composer Ernst Krenek found Hamline as a shelter from an angered Nazi regime, and an early Hamline choir found itself singing Rachmaninoff while the maestro was yet writing music. Of particular (and vested) interest to me was the development of the A Cappella Choir, which served an ambassadorial role from its early days. It developed with John Kuypers, a sailor-turnedacademic after a trip to the East Indies at age 13 directed him towards a more settled life. Under Kuypers the choir flourished (though the director had more than a few thoughts to spare regarding the administration’s financial neglect of the choir in favor of its basketball team), and eventually the mantle was passed from John Kuypers to Robert Holliday. Holliday emphasized, among other things, the union of the choir: “To sound one voice, you must sing the same vowel, the same volume, and the same pitch.” In essence, it had become a collective voice. This collective voice was one of three considered by the State Department for a Soviet Union Tour in 1963, though Oberlin
eventually was given the role (I refrain from voicing my views on the selection). In 1967 the Hamline A Cappella choir toured South America, across 13 countries and 20,000 miles; a collection
“In music rehearsal, the central concern is to build a collective artistic spirit.” Dr. George Chu in Hamline University: A History, 1854-1994 of Hamline life shared with another continent. Not long ago, I stumbled across a remnant of the Holliday era while perusing the shelves of Bush library: an inscription reading “For the music department, Hamline University -R. Holliday” is found on a yellowed page of a choral text. The ambassadorship of the choir expanded with the direction of Dr. George Chu, who also founded the Oratorio Society of Minnesota. Since then, the A Cappella choir expanded its tour to destinations including England, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and the Caribbean. Events such as tours, retreats and bonding nights ensure the choir remains not as a combination of discrete entities, but a collection of unified voices. In Dr. Chu’s words, “In music rehearsal, the central concern is to build a collective artistic spirit.” I enjoy learning about the history of the choir. I enjoy participating in it and seeing the growth and development of this collection of voices. As my library book emphasized, this choral tradition is not alone. The campus contains many other collections -- those of voices, perhaps not sung but rather spoken or written, such as those involved with the magazine you now read. While reading my book on Hamline history, I found scores of such groups: the Woodrow Wilson Club, the Mousetrap, the Oracle. Some are gone, having served a purpose for a time, while others have endured to this day. In all situations, they formed a unit of units -- a collection, so to speak -- of binding thoughts, interests and attitudes. And in the process, they create the unified Hamline body, with a collective voice.
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Finding art and inspiration around Midway A glance at some of the Midway neighborhood’s most eclectic establishments. Written by: Lydia Meier lmeier05@hamline.edu From mosaics and murals to graffiti and sidewalk poetry, the Hamline-Midway neighborhood is packed with art and creativity, if you know where to look. Beyond these three locations, we recommend Ginkgo Coffeehouse, We the Starborne, and Groundswell Coffee for finding work from local artists and Stormcloud Trading Co. and Mosaic on a Stick for art supplies. Midway Book Store is a three-storied maze of second hand books at 1579 University Ave, and is open 12:00 p.m. –5:00 p.m. Monday–Friday and 11:00 a.m. –6:00 p.m. on the weekend. In the basement, you can hear the sounds of the busy University and Snelling Avenue intersection, but the rest of the store is a quiet, winding journey through sections on comic books, magazines, art history, gardening, philosophy and poetry that gradually lead you through centuries of literature. The interesting titles, inscriptions and decorations of Midway Books always lead to inspiration, and even when the store is closed, their books can be browsed at midwaybook.com.
Ax-Man Surplus is found at 1639 University Ave W or ax-man.com and can be visited between the hours of 10:00 a.m. –6:00 p.m. on Monday– Saturday and 12:00 –5:00 p.m. on Sunday. On their website, Ax-Man describes surplus as “an amount of something left over when requirements have been met; an excess of production or supply over demand.” They promise that visitors will “get the coolest, most radical surplus that we can get our grubby little hands on.” In between the electrical tidbits and mechanical odds and ends, you can find an eclectic mix of old photographs, containers, party favors, signs and any number of mannequins and creatures hanging from the ceiling. A visit never fails to spark creativity, due to the sheer amount of ridiculous objects for sale. As the website says, Ax-Man definitely specializes in the “bizarre, weird & wonderful.”
Although Flying Pig Thrift sells mostly secondhand items, their front room offers a selection from various local artists, including jewelry, pottery and candles. The store sells everything from furniture and clothes to kitchen supplies and figurines. Their selection of art supplies includes magazines, yarn, and much more. Often, a visit to the Flying Pig will result in a new find, or a talk with the store volunteers will uplift your spirits. You can visit the Flying Pig at 722 Snelling Avenue North. The store is open 11:00 a.m. –6:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday, and closed Sunday and Monday. Read about their artists and volunteer opportunities at theflyingpigthrift.org
COLLAGES | MAX RIDENOUR, UNTOLD
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Community Collection Written by: Michael Horton khorton04@hamline.edu
We gather together As a community
COLLAGE | MICHAEL HORTON, UNTOLD
A community who has faced a lot A community who fights for each other A community that holds each other A community that heals each other A community who will build each other up A community that collects together. | 11
Thoughts on things On balancing the joy and guilt that results from our materialistic tendencies. Written by: Ollie Koski okoski01@hamline.edu I’ve always had collections. A jar of pennies I was too lazy to put in my coin pouch, a bowl of pins I’m scared I’d lose by actually using them, a stack of colorful business cards that once caught my eye, boxes of various electronics stacked in my closet, too many socks from the dollar section of Target, all of the birthday cards I’ve received since elementary school. They’re unintentional. None of it’s essential. I’ve known that since I was ten when I began to travel between my parents’ newly separated lives. I only needed a change of clothes, my toothbrush, my homework and a stuffed animal. I understood that the necessities for survival and comfort can fit in a backpack, but I also hoard random crap in any space it will fit. So, from there I begin to wonder why I can’t get rid of anything, and perhaps more concerning—why do I keep getting more? Over the course of my life, I’ve had three bedrooms, two dorm rooms and a student apartment. Due to my single child status, I only had to learn how to share my private space once in college, and it was pretty challenging. It’s actually not that I’m a slob—I’ve heard that’s a stereotype for those of my upbringing—but that I’ve had a OCD diagnosis contributing to a very controlling nature about my space. The labels on shampoo bottles must face forward, no water droplets can be left on the sink, no smudges on mirrors. I learned to compartmentalize my space and that of my roommates, but not
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without a mental battle. Perhaps to the contrary of my neatness, I despise minimalist decor. For as long as I can remember I’ve loved an organized mess. There isn’t more than a few inches of clear space on any surface in my bedroom. I’ve made it intentionally difficult to get into bed at night because of the embarrassing amount of stuffed animals I’ve gathered over the years—one of the hardest things for me to get rid of as I genuinely feel they have souls sometimes. Over the course of 22 years, you tend to accumulate a lot of things.
Fast fashion has been exposed as a clear example of America’s exploitation of poor laborers in less economically prosperous countries. Companies work hard to ensure the tag stating “Made in Vietnam” doesn’t invoke in the consumer images of sweatshop workers, predominantly women with even some children. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each year the average American will then send 80 pounds of textile waste to the bin. Even much of what we donate will still ultimately become waste. What remains of our once trending garments are often exported to shopping markets such as those in Ghana—and other countries where the effects of our current climate catastrophe are already most prevalent. A large amount of the clothing which the locals receive is unwearable, and is ultimately sent to their landfills with nowhere left to go. “There is no ethical consumption under capitalism.” It’s true, and I’m a hypocrite. I want new clothes when I already have plenty to wear. I don’t wish to shame anyone who sometimes buys fast fashion— There are some of these things that remain of special importance, such as Bunny—a 21 year old stuffed rabbit. But in other cases, where there should be clear distinctions of value, things don’t truly feel more or less important. Between the fortune cookie papers from five years ago to the washi tape rolls I used to decorate my notebooks in middle school—if I think about putting these things in the garbage or recycling, it feels innately wrong. Since recently moving back into one of my childhood bedrooms, I finally forced myself to dig through my closets and drawers to rid myself of the unnecessary. I kept most of it and organized it all even more, but I did donate a lot of old clothes. Once the things were gone, I realized it didn’t bother me as much as expected. Our object permanence ends once it’s in the bin—at least for those of us who aren’t directly exposed to the impacts of our overconsumption and excessive waste. We watch Tik-Tokers emptying boxes of $10 crop tops—each individually wrapped in plastic—from their $700 “hauls” from Shein and Zaful. Influencers will show off the latest trending dress from Zara, only to state it would be donated a couple of weeks later.
many can’t afford otherwise and sometimes we just give into our impulses with no great excuses. However, it is concerning to see the sentiment frequently commented on those aforementioned Tik-Tok videos. We can acknowledge that the extent of individual impact is often limited in the face of corporations, but also not glorify a culture of overconsumption. I grimace when I think about living in a place without things. This is a core feeling I believe I’ll have no matter how many existential spirals I go down. My things are me. They show my interests. They show what makes me happy. They show pieces of my life and they invoke memories. But I want to remember that most objects will exist beyond my life—whether these things become someone else’s, or become further waste. I believe we should embrace this privilege of self-expression, but when we can afford it, be mindful of what it is that we truly need—not just for survival, but in the words of Marie Kondo, what “sparks joy” in us.
PHOTOS | OLLIE KOSKI, ORACLE Koski has acquired collections throughout their life that scatter their room with life and memories.
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Nature Portfolio
Photos: Aidan Stromdahl astromdahl01@hamline.edu
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Aidan Stromdahl is a photographer and Web Editor for the Oracle. He is a junior majoring in Digital Media Arts with a Minor in Music. He has been doing photography for the past 5 years. Along with working for the Oracle. Stromdahl also works as a marketing photographer for Hamline University. PHOTOS | AIDAN STROMDAHL, ORACLE
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