About
I’m Joanna Goss.
Founder of Kept Well and Aurora, Illinois resident.
Kept Well grew from a series of quiet afternoons with my grandmother. As her world grew smaller, she needed to see, touch, and remember her belongings. Together, we honored her items—holding them, recalling their stories, making decisions about what to keep and what to release.
That experience, as well as going through a separation and helping downsizing parents, and being a mother surrounded by a child's keepsakes, led me to create Kept Well. As an artist, I've long been drawn to the reasons we collect and accumulate what we do during our lifetimes.
How Things Came Together
When my grandmother was no longer here to ask, many of the stories connected to her possessions were lost because no one had documented them. We faced the question that so many families face: What do we do with these things? They matter, but not all of them can be kept. Where should they go?
Through Kept Well I bring intention, artistry, and care to the work of memory preservation and thoughtful redistribution—so that families aren't left wondering what mattered and why. My role is preservation, documentation, creative problem-solving and care.
Working With Kept Well
Most clients begin with a focused session to create order and clarity. From there, the work unfolds naturally.
Preservation before decisions. Meaning before efficiency.
If you are unsure where to begin, Kept Well will help you find the right starting point.