Paperclipping: The Video Podcast | Design Your Story

Intro: (show mini) This is a minibook of a vacation I took with my husband, Izzy, to Sedona Arizona. It could have been a basic “this is what we did in Sedona” album that simply shows what we did from day to day. Instead, it is much more reflective of the things I felt and learned as we did them and became a description of some of our personalities.

During my trip I kept a journal and recorded all of my reflections. When reviewing all those reflections I had written down, I was able to recognize some patterns and I came up with the overall theme: the two of us, me and you. You can do this too, if you want your vacation albums to be more than a list of things you did and saw. Today I’ll share the keys for making this idea work for you.

Finding Patterns: When I’m scrapbooking or doing a mini album, I brainstorm by gathering all of my thoughts/feelings on scratch paper and I gather photos/memorabilia. The key is to putting it all in front of you. Our brains evolved to look for patterns among different things, even when no real or obvious pattern exists. Your brain will want to find a pattern when you put all those items before you. The more you do this, the better your mind will get at making connections and patterns in places that aren’t obvious.

Sometimes the seed of a theme will start when you’re scratching out some preliminary journaling. In part of my journaling, which I eventually placed right here (show white scalloped journal page) I mentioned how our friends were originally going to accompany us on our trip but they had to back out, and at the last minute the group trip became a romantic time of just the 2 of us. You’ll see how that one idea produced a pattern for my brain to use as I continued processing the actual trip.

For example, on our trip, some of the things that stood out were obviously the things we did:
(show next page with 2 pictures of us in front of mountains)
we practiced our photography using the gorgeous landscape as our background–that landscape became the inspiration for the products I chose for this minibook

(show pic’s of art gallery, then Izzy looking off and of Izzy on computer)
we toured the art galleries–something he really enjoyed for a short time and then had to divert himself with some geeky technology (turn to page with me looking back from mountain) while I continued looking at and learning from the art.

(show inside hotel photo page)
we spent time in the hotel editing photos, blogging, and watching a season of a t.v. series that we enjoyed at the time.

What also stood out were the things we didn’t do that most people would do in Sedona:

we didn’t go hiking or biking
we didn’t get our fortunes told
or visit the nearby zoo

(show Me/You pages with favorite solo photos/bird)
Everything we chose to do or not do had to do with our common interests, or because of the fact that we have some differences in interest. As I began to process these activities, that theme of You and Me kept coming up over and over again: things we both like to do, like photography and things that we do differently: he’s more of a tech geek and I’m more of an art-lover.

(show last page: Me. You. The 2 Of Us.)
Once I had that theme, You and Me, the 2 Of Us, I had a better idea of what part of my story I wanted to tell. It helped me match which photos would best illustrate which ideas.

What I like best about this album is that it not only tells what we did on our vacation, but more than anything, it tells you who we are, both as individuals and as a couple.

Of course, you could choose this type of theme for your next vacation, but what I suggest is that instead, you document your activities and personal reflections with some journaling you can scratch into a notebook, and that you put those thoughts and all your photos and ephemera in front of you. Then let your mind begin to search for a pattern. You’ll probably come up with a totally different idea that is more personal to you and your vacation. It might seem unnatural at first, but the more you do it, the more you’ll become conscious of the patterns your brain wants you to see.