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Transitional Objects

Comforts from childhood, held close ever since.

When I began this project, I didn’t know exactly where it would lead. It started with my bear, the one who’s been by my side for over 50 years. A gift from my aunt when I was born. My first “object.” My first real possession, my first physical possession that tethered me to this world.

He’s been with me through 25 moves. He’s outlasted every relationship I’ve ever had, including the one with my own mother. I often wonder: Why him? Why didn’t I let him go? Why has this worn-out threadbare little bear with his beaded filling spilling out, a missing nose, and a silent music box, with a song that I don’t even remember, stayed with me when everything else in life has come and gone?

That question became the spark for this show. Transitional Objects was born out of a desire to understand my own connection and to discover what similar objects mean to others.

This project explores the emotional weight carried by comfort items from childhood. They may be small, but they hold big things: memory, safety, identity. They carry burdens we were often too young to name.

In child psychology, a transitional object is typically a stuffed animal, blanket, or doll that helps a child navigate the shift from dependence to independence. These objects bridge the gap between the familiar and the unknown, offering a sense of stability and home.

But for some of us, that bridge wasn’t sturdy. The comfort and consistency these items were supposed to represent weren’t always present. For others, the object simply became a quiet companion, someone who came along for the ride.

As we left home, started over, endured grief and loss, these objects remained. From the outside, it might seem like we’re clinging to childhood. But really, we’re holding onto something that never let us down. These were our friends. They helped us survive, and they helped shape who we are.

Within these stories, you’ll find threads of grief, loss, trauma, and absence, but also strength. These aren’t just cute childhood trinkets. They were emotional armor in uncertain or unsafe environments.

As you read these glimpses into people’s lives, I hope you begin to understand. Maybe it offers insight into someone close to you, a child, a friend, or even yourself. And if you still have an object of your own, perhaps these stories will help you recognize why it matters, and what it’s held for you all this time.

Through my bear, the one constant in a life full of change, I’ve come to understand parts of myself I never could before. He was there when no one else was, quietly holding what I couldn’t carry and often didn’t understand. Now I know I was never really alone.

There is no shame in holding on to these things. There is strength, because in a world that often felt too big, too loud, or too uncertain, it was these small companions that held it all together.

To everyone who shared their story with me, thank you. Your honesty, trust, and willingness to be vulnerable have been a true gift. It means the world to be able to share your stories.