carrier shells

my fascination with carrier shells (xenophora) has been growing for several years now. as they travel across the ocean floor they collect vacant shells to attach to their own shell as they grow. maybe i am attracted to them because they are hoarders like me and i can relate to the idea of not wanting to part with useful or beautiful objects. even as a child i was so scared of change and losing things. it would be so comforting to be able to permanently attach my favorite mementos to myself like a carrier shell, so that way i could never lose them. some of the things that i would love to adhere to myself would be jewelry that has been passed down to me; like my mom's charm bracelet, my grandmoms' engagement ring and extensive costume jewelry collection. my tattoos are my only link to this kind of reassurance. the jewelry that i am starting to come up with right now looks like carrier shells that crawled through a treasure chest, i am very excited to see what starts coming out of my head+hands!