Too Hard to Keep: An Archive of Heartbreaking Personal Photos

A photograph of a deep bruise, a pet grave, a once-loving wink from the one who screwed your heart and mental health — we all have one of those stashed somewhere, festering away. Project Too Hard to Keep will take that off of your hands. Artist and instructor Jazon Lazarus is now accepting photos “too hard to view again” to compile one grand, emotionally-charged archive.

“The reason you can’t live with the photo or photo album I do not need to know. I am creating a repository for these images so that they may exist without being destroyed,” writes the keeper. Submitters must specify if they want the photo displayed as part of the cathartic project or kept hidden away, which really makes you wonder what’s in those private archives of THTK. They’re valuable enough that Jason Lazarus has willed them to a trusted friend in the case of his death.

The project is currently on view at University Galleries of Illinois State University with THTK drop-boxes planned to pop-up on educational campuses nationwide. Have a voyeuristic click through submissions below.

The first photograph submitted to Too Hard to Keep, and the first with permission for public display.

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[...] Flavorwire » Too Hard to Keep: An Archive of Heartbreaking Personal Photos. [...]

They hit me like a ton of bricks. Brilliant.

I'm sure these people are so sorry their personal dramas don't entertain you. BTW, is it just me or is the thing in the background of that "boring tree photo" one of the twin towers?

agreed, these are not at all heartbreaking. if they have more intrinsic significance to the owner, then a narrative should accompany the snaps. if you're gonna bare it, bare it all.

I think people are missing the point that these are heartbreaking to the previous owner, not specifically intended for the viewer.

absolutely agree that they're heartbreaking. sounds like such a naff concept, but so well curated. (except for maybe the angry mirror lady, and even then I'm not sure she means just their relationship...). better without a narrative hint.

I was expecting a lot more from this. Out of context, a picture of a tree, or someone covering their eyes, as "Too heartbreaking to keep" is way too much of a jump to expect the viewer to make in order to empathize with the artist and in order for the work to be relevant. Instead, it's sort of eye roll inducing.

They're not supposed to be good photography. They're personal photos. And even if they were staged, the fact that the photographer included what he/she did in the photo says something. It's interesting to see what evokes sadness in different people: an ordinary room, a path on (apparently) a college campus, a bare tree. I wouldn't want a caption on them either. That just limits your perception of them. They're really a glimpse inside other people: what moves them, what makes a moment permanent, what's too painful to remember, and what powerful emotions people bring to bear on such seemingly ordinary objects.

heartbreaking???? nice ,maybe....personal, sure...but heart-breaking? some of the pictures look staged, as trobs commented above,the ones that dont, are not all that great.and it reminds me too much of another vacuous self-obsessed project called "post secret",the blog which asked for personal artworks dealing with ultra-personal narratives. this is not good photography.

What I miss is a short caption for each picture. Could be something like 'ex-boyfriend', 'dads memories' etc. Just the picture is just too minimal to get me involved.

how fitting that illinois state university is the home to this "show". i just this morning read the ny times book review of david foster wallace's "the pale king". the late, great author taught writing at....illinois state university, and also apparently found life to be "all too much." so sad, so true......

maybe it's just me, but I don't find these particularly emotive, save the one's that are intimate shots of loved ones. But half of these look staged and arbitrary. Definitely pictures can tell a story or peak curiosity and put you on a narrative journey. But the description of this project seems so much cooler than these shots. Hope the pics get more diversified, best of luck!

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