London ( CNN ) Ever written yourself a note , stuffed it in your pocket and headed out into the world only to discover that , somewhere along your journey , the piece of paper has disappeared ? If you live in the UK , there 's a small chance that note has found its way into the hands of 23-year-old Daisy Bentley . For the past six years , the London-based artist has scoured the streets of cities and towns looking for those odd bits of paper that flutter to the ground when their owners are n't looking . Her quest has uncovered a fascinating , if idiosyncratic , collection of shopping lists , reminders , requests , love notes and motivational musings , all poignant pieces of others ' lives . And now a gallery in London has put a selection on display for the public . `` I was n't intending to start a collection , '' she told CNN . `` I always naturally collected things -- as many artists do -- and it got to the point that I was picking up every one I saw . Now I can barely walk down a street without picking up a scrap of paper . '' Bentley began collecting them six years ago after a note caught her eye one rainy night on a walk in her home town of Norwich , England . It 's something she confesses has been a lifelong love -- keepsakes ranging from her mother 's cutlery to her own dead goldfish have ended up carefully preserved in her collection for posterity . The notes project , she says , is a culmination of keeping her eyes on the sidewalk and spotting the little things that most people would n't notice as they walked down the street . `` I get very odd looks from strangers , '' she admits , `` but since I 've made friends and families aware of the project , they get very excited when I find one while out with them . '' And while some dismiss such behavior as hoarding , Bentley feels it is part of human nature to hold on to items , no matter how small or insignificant they may seem . `` Humans want to collect and show to others , '' she says . `` They want to share and learn from the things they have found . '' She says her collecting has led to interesting anthropological insights into the human condition . One of her favorite observations is the evolution of handwriting over the past few decades , from the beautiful copperplate penmanship of the '70s to modern teen girl love notes with hearts dotting i 's and multiple exclamation marks . More recently , the note collection has led to an exhibition at Stour Space gallery in London 's Hackney Wick , where Bentley works as a shop and studio manager . It showcases a small part of her 1,500-strong collection . The decision to display the notes came in part from a desire to put them back into the public space . `` I always wanted to showcase them , to see what people 's reactions were and if anyone would come forward , '' she said . So far two note owners -- one a colleague from the gallery and one an employee from a pub whose beer coasters she had found on her quest -- have revealed themselves as owners of notes . Bentley gave them framed prints as a thank you . And while some may find the notion of handwritten notes quaint , as social media and smartphones begin to replace handwriting , Bentley says she finds the note collection an interesting way for an artist to explore people 's lives . `` Technology is useful , but sometimes the simplest ways are still the best , '' she said . `` I still usually draw a map rather than relying on technology to get to a place -- and many people are just the same . ''
A selection of notes from British ##well 's personal collection came on display in 2012 . he spent six years trawling notes finding scraps of paper detailing people 's lives . In era of smartphones and social media , notes provide reminder of power of handwritten notes .