Evan Cole: Collector
My first post for the People and Their Places series features my brother Evan (@rockravn) in his apartment during his last days as a bachelor. His "place" is his east-facing bedroom in Dallas, TX.
On first glance, Evan's room is clean and comfortable, lit by a few lamps and a lot of natural light from two large windows. The mellow lighting lends a bit of mystique to his decor as he doesn't play with an obvious theme. A small library of books, a valet rack for dressing, a queen sized bed, and a gallery wall make themselves known foremost. But to understand the nuances of the space you have to look a little closer.
"I collect things as they come across me in my life. Memories happen, items become associated with that memory, and they are added to an established collection or they begin a new one. I collect all kinds of stuff. Wine and champagne corks from bottles opened for momentous occasions like engagements, birthdays, new year's parties, and professional milestones. My family loves getting together on the slightly provocation to open a bottle of something bubbly. Getting a raise at work and even a personal revelation is reason enough for us. Needless to say, I enjoy collecting the corks from those moments. They do serve an additional purpose of reminding me which vintages I have enjoyed.
Another collection of mine is sand from various beaches and deserts nationally and internationally. Colombia, Israel, Utah, Mexico, Washington state...there's a lot. Honestly, I'm not even sure it was legal for me to bring some of them back to the States. (laughs) But the complexity and beauty of sand has always amazed me. Not to mention looking at all of them reminds me a need to take another trip and experience a new place.
The gallery wall in my room is really random. Some of it is my own work, one of them my fiancée painted, and there are several historical pieces. I majored in History. There's a framed copy of my paternal family tree hand drawn by my grandfather, the first generation starts in 17th century Norway. There is also a map of the U.S. with pins marking trips and cities visited, the different colors differentiate the trips taken solo and those taken with friends or family. I have some ground to cover yet.
Books were like another family member in my house growing up. They were in the library, stacked on tables, and pretty much everywhere in the house. Me and my siblings had a very literary education growing up and it for sure played a major part in making us the people we are today. I think I have all these books in my room because I will always keep a part of that "literary life" with me, even I don't always have as much time to read as I would like.
Dressing well and looking good is really important to me. I think clothing and hygiene really speak for the person before the person can speak for themselves. Clothing, and styling them, is a work of art and duty in itself. Don't get me wrong, I'm a shorts, t-shirt, and sport shoes guy on the weekends or when I'm just relaxing, but when I have the opportunity I like to dress well. People should dress how they feel comfortable, but I also think people have started to underestimate the importance of getting cleaned up and dressing the part. I enjoy wearing cuff links, getting my shirts tailored, and finding opportunities to wear my suits. It's an elevation of the sometimes mundane day-to-day living.
Basically, my room is the place I come to relax, rest, and reorient myself to the things that are important to me."
- as told to PHD
Room photographed in by PHD April 2017, portrait photos taken by Lightnote photography in June.