For as long as I can remember, toys have been more than collectibles. They’ve been markers. Memory triggers. Emotional anchors. Quiet little mirrors that tell the truth long after we forget how.

That idea became the heart of my book Toys Are Totems — and this month, I’m bringing that message to life in a new way.

Every day in December, I’ll be sharing a small 3D-printed “totem” based on the themes and stories inside the book. These pieces aren’t fan art or merch. They’re symbols. Each one represents a part of the journey we all take as we grow, drift, forget, rediscover, and finally choose who we want to be.

Because that’s what the book is really about — not toys, but identity.

Not nostalgia, but intention.

Not collecting objects, but collecting clues about who we’ve always been.

As kids, most of us had that one object we kept close — a figure, a doll, a vehicle, a creature, a little piece of imagination that made us feel safe, brave, creative, or simply seen. And in the pages of Toys Are Totems, I explore the idea that those objects weren’t accidents. They were expressions of our inner world before we had language, confidence, or even permission to show it.

Totems are a doorway back to that truth.

This month is about stepping through it.

Each morning I’ll reveal a new piece, share the lesson behind it, and read a short section from the book that connects directly to the theme. Together, we’re building a foundation — day by day — for identity, clarity, spark, and the courage to choose who you’re becoming.

We begin with Day 1: The Pedestal.

Because before anything else, before the memories and the comfort and the courage, you need a foundation. A place to stand. A decision to root yourself in something honest again. The Pedestal represents the choice to build your identity consciously — not from pressure, habit, or fear, but from imagination, purpose, and the spark that’s always been in you.

From there, we move through time, memory, safety, courage, reflection, play, challenge, and transformation. Thirty-one days. Thirty-one tiny symbols that, together, form a story about unlocking who we were… and choosing who we are.

If this resonates with you — follow along, comment, share your own totems, or just sit with the ideas quietly and see what they awaken. There’s no “correct” way to participate. Just stay curious, stay open, and see what speaks to you.

Because your story didn’t start with adulthood.

And the best parts of you never disappeared.

Sometimes, you just need something small — a token, a memory, a symbol — to remind you of what’s been true all along.

Welcome to the month of totems.

Let’s build the foundation together.

Now, Go Play!

Jim 12/01/2025