Have you ever...?

(I will bounce through four different type of columns in this blog... Thought provokers like my last column, this one, the 60 sec. music review, and the lighter, more Letterman-esque type columns.  I am open to your comments that you can post after each entry, and, if you got a good "Have you ever" that you want me to write about, send me the topic through the feedback bar on the page.  Make sure the subject is "Have you ever...")

   Do you "horde" melodies, or do your melodies come when you start a new project?

   Here is how this question came about.  I did a Mother's Day gift for my baby sister from her "son" (she has a 1 year old dog that I'm watching).  I did a set of photos and a powerpoint in the "A Day in the Life" documentary style.  It turned out great, and my sister liked it, but assignment photography is not my usual mode of operation.  My usual is to go to a certain location (usually a local or regional park), shoot upwards of 100 photographs, get rid of the bad ones (motion blur, focus issues, etc.), print the best, file said prints under the type of subject in the pictures (flowers, birds, etc.), then build my portfolios after the fact (portfolios are my projects).  Assignment photography is new for me and might do more of it in the future.

So, the question is...

   Do you, as a composer, keep a collection of melodies and themes to pull out at a moment's notice, or do you create themes as you start a new composition?

I'm done sounding off, now it's your turn...