In 2017, I had the opportunity to attend the ISRU Summer Camp in person on Governor’s Island and to purchase a pair of the highly coveted Nike x Tom Sachs ‘Mars Yard’ 2.0 sneakers. At the time, I didn’t fully grasp it, but the experience was less about the sneakers themselves and more about what they represented: a process rooted in purpose, ritual, and meaning. This summer, I’ve been immersed again—this time virtually—revisiting the same philosophy with the release of the Nike x Tom Sachs ‘Mars Yard’ 3.0 sneakers. The ISRU program isn’t about racking up points or perfect scores. It’s about engulfing yourself in purpose and meaning and demonstrating the ISRU framework through consistency, creativity, and curiosity. The physical “reward”, if you complete the program, is access to the Mars Yard 3.0’s. But what makes it powerful is that you don’t just buy the sneakers—you earn them through intention, ritual, and innovation. The sneakers become more than a tangible object. They’re proof of process—consistency paired with creativity. The ISRU program reminds us that collecting can be a ritual of meaning, not just accumulation—participants are rewarded for innovation and excellence rather than sheer volume. That ethos mirrors the very heart of the Collectors MD mantra—collecting with intention. Just as the Mars Yard 3.0’s aren’t simply purchased but earned through reflection and discipline, the most meaningful collections aren’t built on hype or profit—but rather through values, stories, and personal connections. The cardboard, the sneakers, the objects themselves become artifacts of the journey, not the journey itself. Through my leadership at Collectors MD, I’ve worked to embody these same values. Consistency, creativity, and curiosity have become the backbone of the tools, resources, and daily content I’ve built to help collectors reimagine what it truly means to collect with intention. Like the ISRU program, it’s about cultivating daily habits and rituals that aren’t just consistent, but intentional. It’s about asking why we collect, what value it adds to our lives, and how our choices can help transform the culture while transcending the noise around us. Intentional collecting mirrors the ISRU framework: This experience has taught me that a tangible object can hold extraordinary weight when it’s tied to meaning. Excellence isn’t about perfection—it’s about finding meaning in the process, embracing imperfections, and sharing what you’ve learned with others. So as I log my progress within the ISRU app this summer, I’m reminded of what drives Collectors MD: consistency that heals, creativity that inspires, and curiosity that keeps us asking how we can do better—not just as collectors, but as people. #CollectorsMD —
Purpose transforms collecting from possession into meaning.
Follow us on Instagram: @collectorsmd
Subscribe to our Newsletter & Support Group
Join The Conversation On Mantel
Read More Daily Reflections