'I'm Lost!': Photo project gives everyday objects a voice

By Brandon Goodwin, TODAY

Art student Yoonjin Lee's "Little Lost Project" is making the Internet think twice about all the small, left-behind items in this big, wide world of ours. Lee places adorable cardboard signs on the lost objects she finds around New York. Her funny (and sometimes tragic) messages will leave you feeling sad for that MetroCard you thought you still had in the bottom of your purse, or for all those lip balms you seem to lose after just a few weeks.

Lee's creations are the product of a school project at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her teacher told the class to "create a mystery on the street."

Lee's little masterpieces take about 10 minutes to make, with most of her time spent deciding on the message. Lee says she wants the message to tell "the story of what this small lost object might have been through," so passersby can relate to everyday objects in their own lives.

While she handles writing the messages and putting together the pieces, Lee said her professor and her friends have chipped in to help her focus the project, specifically on the importance of the cardboard messages.

The 22-year-old only uses items she has stumbled upon. She says she'll put anything she thinks may be lost into a plastic bag to work on later.

Lee is a senior at the School of Visual Arts, where she majors in graphic design. She says she "likes to create anything that can make people smile, whether through motion graphics, digital interactive design or street art."

The message behind it all? Lee said she wants people to be more aware of their surroundings and enjoy the "little moments in life." Plus, it doesn't hurt to have people remember that even lip balms and lighters have stories to tell.

These objects are just begging to be useful.

Glasses and other personal items often make their way into Lee's project.

These MetroCards really have been through a lot.

Life can be sweet when you take time to notice the little things.