anniversary #5
celebrating half a decade of things i collected
allow me to reintroduce myself: my name is Shanté AKA Tay (she/they). i am a multidimensional writer, editor, curator, mystic, and singer.1 today, i celebrate 5 years of intuitive curation and self-expression via things i collected. let’s begin with a flashback to my introductory post from January 11, 2021 at 1:11 PM EST. many of the things i shared about myself at that time still ring true, and i’m so proud of that version of me who took the initiative to start this platform.
where i’ve been, AKA the origin story
as someone who uses this newsletter to archive my collectibles, it’s been interesting to witness the recent physical media revival. with a degree in Journalism (concentrated in Media & Society), i’m well-versed in multimedia trends and patterns. i’ve witnessed and participated in the resurgence of various media over the past 15 years or so—i recall vinyl being the first to resurface, but i was still collecting CDs and listening to MP3s at that time.
i officially began my record collection in 2012 when i went to college. my granny bought me a Crosley music player for my dorm room (the all-in-one kind with the turntable, tape deck, CD player, and radio). so that’s how i ended up collecting cassettes. once i found my bright yellow ‘90s Walkman in working condition at Value Village, i really embraced the novelty of that format. for me, physical media is not something to be reduced to a fad.
these details provide context on what i wanted to share at the onset, but there were other factors at play. this newsletter was developed on the heels of a few decisions: resigning from my fashion resale job in 2020, dissolving a creative partnership after 5 years of collaboration, and pursuing my journalism career yet again (at the time, i was a 26-year-old intern for a super dope fashion and beauty publication). i had previously been jaded about the field because i’d seen the writing on the wall as soon as i chose the major: the print media concentration i’d hoped to pursue had been phased out and replaced with digital media.2
call it the nonconformist in me, but i didn’t want my personal publication to follow the exact writing conventions that i’d refined in college. instead, i wanted to express myself in the same way i’d been doing on social media—typically lowercase text with mixed media that blended the digital with the analog. if i had to define my visual aesthetic, i would call it afropsychedelia, an extension of theoretical frameworks like Afrofuturism and Afrosurrealism. music was always gonna be involved in my curation, since i am the type of late millennial who never stopped using song lyrics as captions.
ultimately, i started this newsletter to understand why i hold onto certain things, memories, and experiences.3 with music being one of the most interesting focuses of my personal collections, the newsletter quickly became centered around that. but i do have more passions i’d like to explore deeper, as i also collect cameras, books, magazines, crystals, vintage clothing, and other goods.
Taylor Lewis recently said that the care and intentionality of my posts made her “feel like a teenager flipping through a digital scrapbook.”4 as a collagist, this compliment validates both my adult self and inner teen, especially considering that i’m in constant collaboration with my younger selves. furthermore, Taylor’s comment reminds me that the proof is in the effort.
to date, i have published 284 posts on things i collected. here’s a glance at what i’ve featured, by category:
hundreds of songs and albums via various playlist series (the monthly alliterative mixes, afropsychedelia, the category is…, fashion month mixtape)
40+ collective card readings via the deep cuts series (this offering actually began with me trying my hand at live mixing and sharing the scrappy results)
plus a few books, wearables, and posts by guest curators
for reference, majority of these categories are featured on the navigation bar of my homepage for ease of access. here are a few hand-picked reads from my archive (in no particular order).
i’m also pretty passionate about the end-of-year favorite album and song lists, so those ain’t going anywhere. now that we understand where i’ve been, let’s see how this space is evolving.
where i’m going next (and i hope you’ll stay along for the ride)
first, i want to extend deep gratitude to Kate Ellen for her divine brand reading offering.6 using an archetypal card deck that she developed, Kate helped me understand why my newsletter resonates. her thoughtful post-reading breakdown and workbook gave me the insight to honor the origin story of things i collected. i primarily align with the Creator archetype, with the Seeker close behind. it’s the seeking that informs the curation. the discovery process shapes the creation.7
second, i’ve chosen the word “REFINEMENT” to anchor me in 2026. on that note, i’ve rolled out a new colorway, logo, wordmark, and email header! lavender is my favorite shade of purple, so it’ll remain as an accent color. however, i felt increasingly drawn to red. the color red represents my passion for the next phase, whereas my signature lavender accent reminds me of where i’ve been.8
in terms of monthly music curation, the alliterative playlist series is now….
soundscape!
with the advent of my passion project a filmless score, and my propensity to summarize playlists through olfactory note-adjacent commentary, i realized that worldbuilding is essential to my music curation. i love to hit play on an album and take a walk while imagining the music as a soundtrack—i appreciate the cinematic main character energy of moving in step to a song’s rhythm. looking through my archive, i previously called the alliterative series “a monthly musical diary,” and i see that concept resurfacing in this next phase of my output.
that being said, soundscape will retain many categories of the former alliterative series, such as:
music i missed last year
new releases
music to look forward to
let’s run that back
a couple of key changes:
my curated playlists will be available on whichever streaming platform i’m actively using, which has been Apple Music for nearly 10 years out of sheer convenience (i’m not making a case for which DSP is more ethical because i don’t really trust any major tech platforms to be morally sound tbqh). i may consider other platforms with confirmed interest and more financial support.
i am shifting the schedule to feature these playlists at the beginning of the month instead of the end.
i’d also like to introduce (drum roll please)….
sequence!
a long-form series of alphabetical capsules focused on personal study, insightful commentary, and deep dives.
circling back to my original mission statement: the aims of things i collected include an organic auditing process, which i am recentering with this series. beginning with the letter A, i am embracing my curiosity and auditing my hoards at the same time. i want the reference books on my shelves to be used, and i want to know more things—not just do rudimentary online searches and memorize the barren results for one occasion to never be considered again. i want to actually feel inspired by my collection of moodboards across social media and clear out my YouTube “watch later” list—asking myself: why not watch it now if you’re gonna be scrolling for something of interest anyway?
i’ve got a habit of adding random albums to my streaming library and not coming back to them until i’m divinely led. there are also many musicians that i’ve been curious about, and quite a few CDs in my personal collection that i’ve purchased on a whim. sequence will provide an opportunity to explore these resources so they don’t keep collecting dust on my shelves, music app, or in my mind. right now, i’m fine-tuning the frequency of how long i’ll spend on each letter before moving onto the next.
since i already had some album anniversaries that i intended to cover in 2026, my collectible features might not always align with the alphabetical curation. the overarching goal is to index the topics i’ve covered on my eventual personal website.
a moment of gratitude
to my dear patrons: thank you for your ongoing support! deep cuts, the monthly paid subscribers series, will remain as i evolve. i’m switching the collective card readings to a seasonal basis and plan to spotlight my art and writing previews more frequently (we’ll likely still dabble with shufflemancy, and we can always chat about booking 1-on-1 intuitive readings with me or making you a personalized playlist!).
from collaborations and interviews to launching The Music Directory and joining album clubs, this platform has connected me with some really amazing people. i’m thinking of genuinely kind individuals like Alex Lewis, Taylor, and Kate, who’ve both inspired me and amplified my work (and specifically in Alex’s case, elevated me out of near obscurity). kindred spirits such as The Creative Visionary and Nielly, who i’ve developed kinship with through mutual respect and aligned collaboration (i’d also like to thank these two, as well as my brother, my mama, and my dear friend the sovereign audite, for holding space so i could brainstorm about this expansion out loud!)
it’s impossible to tag everybody, but shout out to folks like Joi, Thea Wood, Brandon O'Sullivan, Mark Edward Randall, Gabbie, T.R. Kingston, Kristin DeMarr, Dave L., Ebanē Marquice, Lavender Sound (Max Freedman), and Charles in San Francisco who have made me feel welcome in virtual music curation spaces.9 if you’re reading this and you’ve supported me in any capacity, wherever and whoever you are: thank you kindly!
of course, the journey hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine. i’ve curated through the pain, heartbreak, and grief of losing family members. since 2021, i haven’t gone a month without publishing at least one thing, so i’ve had to make ample time for rest to avoid persistent burnout. i’ve been too trusting and paid the price for it. i’ve even helped people actualize their dreams under the guise of what i thought was community-based collaborative work, only to be erased from the narrative as if my contributions never mattered. one of the biggest lessons from these past 5 years that’s been heavy on my mind: any sense of “clarity” that arrives through projection is distortion. you gotta clean the mirror to get a sharper reflection.
concluding reflections
overall, this work means so much to me! but living under capitalism, i can only sustain it as far as i can afford my rent. here are some ways to further support me:
hire me or put me on to work opportunities and paid collaborations. a few fields of interest include, but are not limited to: writing, editing, creative consulting, personal styling, data entry, knowledge management, administrative support, and client support. please hit my line if you know somebody who knows somebody.
consider upgrading your subscription on either things i collected or The Music Directory (a filmless score is currently operating under a free model until more resources become available). the rates: $5.55 for monthly, $55.55 for yearly, and $111.11 to be a founding member. if a recurring subscription isn’t aligned, but you’d still like to show monetary support, you may also send a one-time financial offering via Ko-fi.10
share my work widely, as it may reach my future patrons.
if you’ve read this far, thanks again, and cheers to 5 years of creating! i’ll leave y’all with the song i’ve chosen to anchor me in 2026: “all my prayers” by Deem Spencer ft. Slyy Cooper. see ya when the next collectible write-up drops towards the end of the month.
among many other honorable titles (auntie, friend, lover, sister, daughter).
folks also kept insisting that you HAD to move to NY to be a journalist (or work at CNN/AJC if you lived in ATL like me), and that annoyed me. especially when the field was being devalued at an alarming rate.
i’m nostalgia-pilled and unafraid to admit it.
if this newsletter were a book jacket, this is a quote that i would dream of having on the back cover.
CDs remain the most voluminous occupant of my music collections.
which i received by participating in a complimentary beta test.
things i collected is really about ME. it seems obvious from “i” being in the title, but it can be easy to lose sight of that when or if the focus shifts to performing for an audience.
thinking in terms of chakra color associations, i’m going back to the root and keeping in mind what i learned at the crown level—balancing the earthly with the spiritual (after all, i live by the philosophy that “the magic is the mundane”). also, the red may appear orange in dark mode to provide a more accessible visual contrast.
Kristin and Charles even nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award for two different publications, and i apologize for breaking the chain as my head was spinning while trying to crank out my year-end music coverage.
i also hope to expand my Ko-fi profile to offer more ways to consult with me and purchase my art. i use Zelle, Cash App, PayPal, and Venmo as well.
Congrats on five years! Thank you for all that you do for the music community here.
Phenomenal collecting!! Hope you’re celebrating this as you move into the new year :)