So what is it?

I have been wondering what collecting is. what does collecting actually entail? how do you become a collector? And how does something become a collection and not just a load of stuff? 

I think it is key to answer these questions before i even begin to think about what i want to base my project on. 

Dictionary.com definitions:

COLLECTING

col·lect ¹        (kə-lěkt')  Pronunciation Key  
v.   col·lect·ed, col·lect·ing, col·lects 

v.   tr. 

1. To bring together in a group or mass; gather.
2. To accumulate as a hobby or for study.
3. To call for and obtain payment of: collect taxes.
4. To recover control of: collect one's emotions.
5. To call for (someone); pick up: collected the children and drove home.

v.   intr. 

1. To come together in a group or mass; gather. See Synonyms atgather.
2. To take in payments or donations: collecting for charity.

adv.   & adj. 
With payment to be made by the receiver: called collect; a collect phone call. 

COLLECTION

col·lec·tion        [kuh-lek-shuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun

1.	the act of collecting.

2.	something that is collected; a group of objects or an amount of material accumulated in one location, esp. for some purpose or as a result of some process: a stamp collection; a collection of unclaimed hats in the checkroom; a collection of books on Churchill.

3.	the works of art constituting the holdings of an art museum:a history of the museum and of the collection.

4.	the gathered or exhibited works of a single painter, sculptor, etc.: an excellent Picasso collection.

5.	collections, the various holdings of an art museum organized by category, as painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, or film: the director of the collections.

6.	the clothes or other items produced by a designer, esp. for a seasonal line: the spring collection.

7.	a sum of money collected, esp. for charity or church use.

8.

Manège. act of bringing or coming into a collected attitude. COLLECTOR col·lec·tor        [kuh-lek-ter] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. a person or thing that collects. 2. a person employed to collect debts, duties, taxes, etc. 3. a person who collects books, paintings, stamps, shells, etc., esp. as a hobby. 4. Electricity. a device for accumulating current from contact conductors. 5. Electronics. an electrode in a transistor or vacuum tube for collecting electrons, ions, or holes. 6. Metallurgy. promoter (def. 5). 7. Energy. solar collector.