Would you like the journaling step of your scrapbooking to be easier?
Say hello to Photo Stories 2012 – a Paperclipping blog series.
(more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Journaling’
Photo Stories: Are You Committed?
Friday, January 6th, 2012
I’m committing to something.
I’m committing to talk more about what has become one of the most important aspects of memory-keeping for me.
I’m committing to share more about how it fits within my own system of scrapbooking and how it might fit within yours.
One year ago I shared The Most Important Word for You to Learn for the year and How You Really Can Tell All of Your Stories.
If you weren’t around here at that time, I hope you’ll read both of those linked articles. But the gist of it is that you can add your thoughts, journaling, important information to your digital photo files! They become part of the information of the photo and they’ll transfer with your photos, too.
That means that someday when you’re gone and your adult children or grandchildren are shuffling through your most important photos, they’ll have your words, too.
Above is a screen capture of a photo I took in December. To the left in the caption box is my journaling.
The other day I mentioned my curiosity to know whether any of you had started and continued documenting your photos. Here’s what Tammy said:
Just wanted to let you know that I did start adding info into the caption section of my photos (in Picasa). I haven’t kept up with it completely, but love the ones that I did. I also love that when I upload to Facebook, that info automatically becomes the caption there as well. I do still put the info into my Project Life, or traditional pages — what struck me most was when you said that there isn’t any way to know how future family members will view photos, and that the printed photo is not the only copy anymore, so you don’t have to be as worried about what you do with that one print. I figure it is possible that some of the digital files will end up in one place, and the scrapbooks may end up in another, and that is all good. Thanks for the metadata journaling tip! I’m definitely going to do more of that this year. –Tammy Brandt
I’m so happy to hear this!
If you’re curious to know more about the diverse and awesome benefits of adding your words to your photos, plus a simple way to do it, please read these two articles:
This process has transformed my thinking about scrapbooking.
Who wants to join me this year in adding our words to our photo stories?
Please leave a comment with your commitment.
I’ll do random periodic check-in’s with you to keep us remembering and feeling excited, and to help you make it mesh with your scrapbooking!
So who’s in?
The Weight of Your Journaling – Paperclipping 179
Friday, October 14th, 2011
I know you’ve experienced this…
You have a great page going. Then you add the journaling. And now you don’t like the page.
You probably assume your handwriting is the problem, right?
Sure, the handwriting may be part of it. But there is another cause that is just as common. In fact, if you fix this other problem, then your handwriting probably won’t affect your page, even if it is, ummm…
Okay, I’ll just say it…even if your handwriting is ugly.
Not everybody can make their handwriting gorgeous. But everybody can learn to fix that other most common problem that takes a page from fabulous to not-fabulous, and mask the handwriting, too.
I’ve just released a new video tutorial that explains the real problem with journaling. You’ll learn the different ways that you can make your journaling fit with your page, and even make the design better!
I hope you enjoy it!
The video is only for members. If you’re a member, you can go watch it now.
If you’re not a member yet, click here to learn about a membership.
Scrapbook Layout from a Paperclipping Member: The College Send-off
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
What will it be like when you send your oldest or youngest off to college away from home? What was it like, if you’ve already done it?
Cindy Wick had designed the left side of this page with all these wonderful pictures which give a comprehensive view of the sending off of her daughter. Notice the variety of visuals –from the Motel 6 to the sub sandwiches to the shopping cart full of stuff to the goodbye’s — that will trigger very specific memories for Cindy and her daughter forever.
Once Cindy got all the photos and the fun design on her page, she realized she had a big story to tell with lots of mom-feelings to share, but not enough space. The page sat on her table while she tried to figure out what to do, and then…
A super hero of the day flew in in the form of Paperclipping Episode 173 – A Journaling Design technique!
(I realize the above statement is as un-humble as it gets! I hope you don’t mind a little bit of boasting!).
I am really proud because I read Cindy’s journaling and it’s so moving. What a shame it would have been had she decided to condense it to make it fit, or remove some photos instead!
And of course, the icing on the cake was that by using the tutorial’s idea she was able to have fun and share her own feelings of pride and celebration for her daughter through the visual design and all the wonderful little details.
Turns out you really can have it all!
Doesn’t her design show celebration and growth all at once?
So I wanted to share it with you.
Get Solutions for Your Scrapbooking Dilemmas!
Cindy said some pretty great things about her Paperclipping Memberhsip, too, and I hope it’s okay for me to be a proud mama of my videos and quote some of what she said:
While I’m at it, I should say that I am a member of paperclipping and I really have gotten so much out of my membership. I consider myself a decent page designer, but I still learn new things from Noell all the time! She has a way of introducing things in a new and fresh way ~ it always gets me thinking creatively.
That’s probably because her way of teaching design is to get you to think of design principles as flexible, instead of using more concrete methods…Her videos are SO different, creative, and well thought out, I’ll probably be a fan for life.
(Thanks so much, Cindy!).
Okay, gushing moment over.
If you haven’t read Cindy’s journaling yet, please do! It’s an awesome example of how to share your own wonderful human emotional stories!
To see a larger version, click here to see her blog post, then click on the layout itself.
Want to see what all the hubbub around the Paperclipping videos is about?
(Did I just say hubbub?).
Click here to find out and maybe you’ll get the solutions you need to your scrapbooking dilemmas! >> http://www.paperclipping.com/membership
A Journaling Design Technique – Paperclipping 173
Monday, July 18th, 2011Do you ever have stories that require lots of journaling, but your idea for a page doesn’t leave you enough room?
This happens to me all the time. I’m a journaler. And I love the artistic part of scrapbooking, too.
It suddenly occurred to me one day that we can mix the two more easily with one simple solution: Combine a 12×12 page with a 6×12 page, which is what you see above.
- The 12×12 is for the design idea swimming in my head
- The 6×12 is for the journaling.
I feel so free now! I no longer have to expand my layout to a full two-page 24×12 inch spreads whenever I have a few pictures, a fun idea, and too much to say!
It all started with this layout…
I wanted to compare my childhood swing sets with current ones. I had four photos and the story. Plus I wanted to give an explanation for each photo.
I really didn’t need two 12×12 pages, but a single just wasn’t going to cut it, even with the simple clean design.
Suddenly it became my easy fix, even for more artistic and free layouts…
Two-Way Design
I decided to design this first as a single page that could stand alone.
And then I designed the journaling portion to work with it. The balance of the design works either way! I get to share it as a single page or a double, depending on the situation. And, in fact, I’ve already shared it both ways for various reasons.
Supplies
All you need are 6×12 page protectors. I use American Crafts.
Journaled Tag Page
Here is a closeup of the front and back of my journaled page for the top layout:
In this week’s episode for the members I show how to make this journaled tag page, along with my tips for easier journal strips.
Loading the player …
You can watch this episode and 172 more videos right now when you sign up for your Paperclipping Membership! Click here to learn more!
What Was Your Last…? Journal Prompts for the Last Day of the World
Saturday, May 21st, 2011
Turns out today is the last day of the world. So I thought I’d provide you with a list of “Lasts” prompts for a page about yourself. Better hurry if you’re a slow scrapbooker!.
You can also print it up and give it to each of your family members for a fun little mini-book. Or, perhaps you’re having a Last Day of the World party tonight? You can give the list to each of your guests for a fun activity!
(Why didn’t I think of that before?)
What Was Your Last…? Journal Prompts
Along with my own answers.
- What was the last song you listened to?
Unnamable, by Matthew Santos on Rhapsody - Who was the last person you kissed?
My man, Izzy. - What was the last book you finished?
Riven Rock, by T. C. Boyle. - Who was the last person you apologized to?
I’m sure it was Izzy — I probably felt bad for sleeping so much because of these drugs I’m on for my crazy neck problems. - What was the last television show you watched?
Treme, which was good. But we just finished a season of Survivor, and it was brilliant. I know, it’s embarrassing, but I am completely enamored with Survivor. One of my very favorites!!! - What was the last thing you ate?
Pizza from Papa John’s with tomatoes, onions, olives, and mushroom. No cheese. - What was the last thing you drank?
Water. But the last non-water thing I drank was Chai Tea with soy milk. The last adult drink? Wine. Red. Unfortunately, it was a Pinot Noire. Obviously, I wasn’t the one who bought it. But I admit, it was a decent Pinot, so I enjoyed it just fine! - Where was the last restaurant you ate at?
We had lunch at the Blue Nile today — Ethiopian food. Usually we love it, but today it seemed to be missing the variety of spices we love so much. We had vegan cupcakes afterward at the brand new 98% vegan restaurant next door! We’ll be eating there very soon! - Who was the last friend you spent time with?
Izzy and I met Mitch for wine at D’Vine on Tuesday night. But he’s a cousin (and the one that bought the Pinot!). Does it count that we had a really good chat with our dance teacher, Jacqueline, since I kinked my neck and couldn’t really dance? She’s becoming a friend and we love her. But if that doesn’t count, we had fun with Chris and Sarah at their daughter’s birthday party last Saturday And I got to spend a little bit of time with my best friend, Tami, and good friend, Rhonda, at Tami’s daughter’s baby shower, also last Saturday. - When was the last time you hugged your mom and dad?
Since we live across the country, hugs with mom and dad only happen about once a year anymore. It would have been last July 2010 when we said goodbye after our fun trip out there. - What was your last twitter or facebook status update?
Twitter update: @FrancineClouden Happy birthday!!!
A funnier Twitter update just before that: @Gela65 Yes. And it’s also a reminder that we have crazies running around.
Facebook Status Update: We’re currently having more than half our house painted in bright happy colors. So bright, in fact, that it feels like a Dr. Suess house. - Describe the last picture you took.
I took a picture of a scrapbook page in progress. But that was for work. My last picture for just for fun — I was taking pics of my oldest in a shirt and tie for a school presentation. We rarely dress up like that, and it was weird and funny seeing our thirteen-year-old looking grown up. The actual last shot I took in the series was after he’d swung his backpack onto his shoulder and turned to walk out the door. - Who was the last person you called?
Izzy. I was giving him a status report of my doctor visit. - What was the last thoughtful thing you did for somebody?
Hmmm. Hard to think on this one, as I’ve spent the last three days trying not to fall down from dizzy spells, or drugged up and asleep on my bed. I seem to remember…okay, I can’t remember doing anything thoughtful recently. - What was your last creative act?
Other than blogging? I spent some good time painting the other night. I’m falling in love. - What was the last thing you did that was brave?
I went to Berkeley for four days on my own. That doesn’t really require much bravery, but it does get you out of your comfort zone to go car-less to a new city all by yourself. I’ve taken little adventures for creative getaways every year for the past three years and it’s one of my favorite things to do.
Want more prompts and ideas for scrapbooking about yourself?
Check these out…
Scrapbook About Yourself: 47 Journal Prompts
Scrapbooking About Yourself
Did you know that when you sign up for a Paperclipping Membership, you’ll get instant access to almost 170 scrapbooking video tutorials, plus two more every month? Find out more here!
Journal Your Photos
Friday, April 29th, 2011Sometimes I just write a quick journal note into my photo metatadata, but then write something different for the actual scrapbook layout. More and more, though, I find myself really thinking through my journaling while on my computer, as if I were scrapbooking. Then my journaling is ready for me to use on a page when I sit down to scrap if I choose to.
This way, I capture my thoughts and feelings ahead of time so I don’t forget. But it also makes it easy for me to print my journaling without breaking my paper-crafting flow because I’ve already typed it.
Here’s an example of what I did last Monday with photos from the weekend:
Trinity’s First Dance Competition
Preparing for Trinity’s first competition.
With six dances, I wanted to be sure Trinity had everything organized so she wouldn’t have to worry about what she needed next. I put her costumes in order, tucked the accessories in one of her costume hats, put the shoes in a small bag, and her hair and makeup pieces in a pocket. Last, I added a checklist of all her numbers and important items.
We were all so excited, including Trinity herself. We were so proud of how hard she worked and how amazing she was.
I love watching her dance — she is such a joy. But I also enjoyed the mother-daughter bonding that developed from having spent an entire day with her: watching her dance numbers and feeling so, so proud; running back after the first few to make sure she didn’t need my help with her hair changes; scrounging up change for the vending machines when we realized there would be no break for food, and helping her make the best possible decisions from the unhealthy options in order to sustain her energy.
This day made my Top Favorite Mom Memories list.
I don’t think I found the words to accurately express the level of emotion that I feel about this day with Trinity. I hope I’ll be able to use design to make up for what is lacking in my words.
Scrapbooking Ideas: The Recent Stories Landing in my Photo Manager
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011Photos + Journaling in the Metadata
Blake got Izzy’s old iPhone around the end of summer. He’s on it a lot, mostly texting, I think. It’s still a surprise to get a text from Blake and I love it, even if it’s just a quick mundane note that I need to pick him up.
While Blake blasted music from his iPhone in the kitchen to do dishes, Aiden and Trinity got out a few costumes and played around the living room.
David and Danny spent a few days at our house while their parents (Uncle Russ and Aunt Nuria) were in Asia. The kids took a walk to Basha’s to buy snacks for themselves with their own money.
This is a regular trek that the kids do on their own, with their friends, and with their cousins whenever they stay with us.
They’re on Cheshire, the road behind our house.
This morning I saw I had a message from the owner of the dance studio. We’been adjusting to the chaotic life, constantly changing schedule, information overload, and overall demands of Trinity being on the company team. I was worried she needed to have a talk with me about the rehearsal we accidentally missed on Saturday because we’re still learning how to get it all organized.
But when I listened to her message, she said, “I’m calling about an opportunity for Trinity and I want to give you December to think about it.”
When I called her she began explaining the group of dancers called Power Elite that are even more serious than the overall ranks of the Company dancers.
“There are those few dancers that can’t get enough dancing,” Tina told me. “They want to be at the studio all the time. They want to be dancing every day.”
That’s Trinity, I thought. Trinity is a true dancer, all the way to her core.
“It’s hard on the families,” Tina continued.
And I knew that, too. Right now Trinity dances between 6.5 to 8.5 hours a week, and more the week of recital. She is at the studio 4-5 days a week.
The first couple of years Trinity’s teacher urged us to let her audition for Company, we were positive we couldn’t handle the schedule. When we finally did it this summer, and she got in, we realized we could make it work.
She works hard and slow on her homework (the curse of a perfectionist), and sometimes she’s up late working on it, but she gets it done. The dishes are another story, and we realized we have to rearrange her responsibilties around the house because she just can’t get them done on her long dance days, no matter how hard she tries.
That’s why I thought, “maybe next year,” when Tina said she wanted Trinity on the elite team, despite my exhilarated and racing heart. It would require another two hours of dancing on Wednesdays and two hour every Saturday. We would take her out of her extra tap class, and possibly her extra jazz class as well.
“I’ve been watching Trinity,” Tina said. When she first joined Company in August, she definitely wasn’t ready for it yet. She didn’t have quite the confidence in all of the styles.”
No, she didn’t. Trinity had only ever taken ballet until she made company last August. Suddenly she was thrown into tap, jazz, lyrical, and a little bit of hip-hop. But she progressed fast! I kept hearing about it whenever I went into the studio.
Tina continued to explain, “But I’ve been watching her again — watching her dance next to two of the Elite girls I saw that she was right there with them! She’s got that confidence and the ability.”
She also has the passion.
I told her I would talk to my husband, but we’re still trying to adjust to Company life — we might need to wait until the next opportunity.
When is it all too much? Trinity would have an off-balance life. But as I thought about it, I realized some people need off-balance lives. Some people can do that — can specialize in one thing, throw their life into one passion. Those are the people who become truly great at what they do.
As soon as I told Izzy about the invitation, he jumped on it. He was ready to shuffle everything around for Trinity to be able to take the opportunity.
So we asked her. And she was giddy all day about it. So was I. And when we walked into the studio that evening and told both of the Tina’s — the owner and the dance manager — they acted giddy about it, too.
I’m so proud of that girl. So happy for her.
Keeping Track of Your Photo Stories
Just a quick note to newer readers around here — I have two articles you can read about the simplest possible way to attach the stories and details of your original photo files. That way you can write the stories down immediately, share them (attached automatically!) with others, have them permanently linked to your pictures so you never have to go looking. You can read the articles here:
The Most Important Word for you to Learn This Year
How You Really Can Tell ALL of Your Stories
The Most Important Word for You to Learn This Year
Thursday, January 20th, 2011
Click here to see a large version of this photo.
Remember how we used to write the names of the photo subjects onto the backs of our photos?
Remember how valuable those notes can be when looking back at old prints? Especially our parents’ and our grandparents’ photos?
But you might also remember the way the writing formed permanent indentations into them, visible on the front.
What If…?
What if you could easily add names, dates — any kind and any amount of information relevant to you — to every one of your photos without much effort and without the indentations? No one would ever have to wonder.
What if you could print multiple copies of a single picture and automatically have your photo’s details included on each one? What if you could add the same details to a whole group of photos — let’s say twenty different photos from the same event — without the effort of having to manually copy them over and over again?
You Can, But You Won’t
For many, this possibility must seem like a fantasy, but the truth is, a small few others of you are already doing it! There is one word you should learn this year if you don’t already know and use it to its fullest potential. It’s the most valuable word any memory-keeper and photo-story-teller can know. It will allow you to attach all of the important information, plus your own personal reflections and journaling, to any photo no matter where the photo goes!
Unfortunately, many scrapbookers don’t even want to hear this word because it sounds like it’s technical, and therefore, it sounds like a difficult concept to learn.
But it’s not!
The Word I Can’t Say
I’m afraid to print the word in a sub-title or in the title of this article because some are so scared of the sound of it that they won’t read this if they see it. So instead, let me just share with you the information I attached to some of the photos I’ve taken so far this year. When my kids and grand kids get my photos it will be like I gave them a photo journal of our lives, but they’ll be able to use the photos any way that they want without my words hampering their projects the way the imprinted writing of Dear Grandma sometimes does with her old photos . . .
Izzy’s workspace for the afternoon. Next we moved on to lunch at Udupi’s and then worked at Starbucks for a short little half hour.
Very most favorite restaurant. We always leave here feeling unbearably full and wishing we could eat more!
Very most favorite restaurant. We always leave here feeling unbearably full and wishing we could eat more!
We went about a week with no heater. I don’t care if it is Arizona — 63 degrees inside the house is not warm enough! We all slept in our camping sleeping bags and often sat in them during the day. We even managed to scoot around the house with them sometimes!
For New Year’s Eve we had bought sparkling grape juice for the kids and wine for the adults. But we had gotten such a late start for the holiday evening that we forgot to pull it out.
The next day I served it to the kids with their Mac ‘N Cheese. They have no need to have a fancy entree with their fancy drink! All three were very happy and felt very adult.
I got a kick out of Blake insisting that their drink looks “just like” our wine! Ummm, not exactly.
The next day I served it to the kids with their Mac ‘N Cheese. They have no need to have a fancy entree with their fancy drink! All three were very happy and felt very adult.
I got a kick out of Blake insisting that their drink looks “just like” our wine! Ummm, not exactly.
Boots and tights are the best.
My second place. Home away from home. Long live the Apache Junction Starbucks.
What happens when Dad collpases onto the floor.
Trinity, Gatsby, Gizmo, Dad, Aiden
Trinity, Gatsby, Gizmo, Dad, Aiden
The chaos of rounding up 5 people and heading out the door as a family.
On Mondays Trinity dances for three hours from 4-7. She dashes home from school and grabs a snack to eat while she does as much of her homework as she can.
About 30 minutes later she’s getting her dance clothes on and heading out for jazz, tap, and lyrical.
About 30 minutes later she’s getting her dance clothes on and heading out for jazz, tap, and lyrical.
Done at 7, we have a late dinner around 7:30, after which she tries to finish up the schoolwork and then heads to bed.
We try to remind her to eat a substantial snack before her intensive workout. Today she grabbed a pizza to eat on the way to supplement the apple she ate earlier.
That One Word — Shhhh!
So what is this one word? What is this magical function called? You’ve heard it from me before. It’s called “metadata.”
Metadata is just information that is attached to your digital photo. Some of that information is the camera settings, the camera itself, the date and time. But you can add your own metadata. If you tag/keyword your photos with names and other categories, you are adding metadata.
Why This Makes Life Easy
Notice a few things about the journaling on my photos above . . .
- Same journaling for a set of photos - Two of the photos have the exact same journaling. When you only have one thing to say about each photo in a set, you only have to type it once. Then you can copy your journaling into the metadata of all of the other photos!
- Journaling on your scrapbook pages - When it’s time to scrapbook, you can copy and paste it into a word document to print on paper. Or you can paste directly onto a copy of your photo, like I did with the set of photos of Trinity at the top of this article!
- Postponing a scrapbook page - No matter how long it takes you to finally get around to scrapbooking a photo, you’ll have the details right there with the photo to remind you! In the same place as the photo! You can expound on it for your actual scrapbook page if you want, but at least you won’t forget the details! Sometimes I copy my journaling from the metadata, sometimes I expand on it, and sometimes I’m scrapbooking a different angle on the story and write something completely different.
There are other benefits when it comes to sharing your photos and your layouts with others and online…
- Sharing online - If you upload your photos to Flickr, your words will automatically appear as the photo description. You won’t have to write your descriptions twice! If your family downloads one of your pictures from Flickr, they’ll automatically get your words, too! (This may also work on other photo sharing sites I haven’t used. It might also depend on the photo managing software you use, though. I use Aperture).
- Giving to friends - When you give copies of your photos to friends and family on CD’s, DVD’s, or by transferring them with an external hard drive, your journaling details will go right along with the photos!
- Sharing scrapbook layouts - When you photograph your layouts to share online or for publishing, you can enter the page’s journaling and supplies into the metadata and it will always be right there for you, as well as on Flickr!
So how do you do it?
It’s going to be different for every type of photo manager. Mine (Aperture) has a metadata panel with all of the information the camera attaches to each photo. It also has any metadata I automatically add on import, like my copyright notice.
On that panel there is also a blank field called, “Caption.” That is where I enter all of my journaling or any other important details. It looks like this. . .
To the left on the photo is my metadata panel. Look for “caption” and you will see a very short bit of detail I attached to this photo.
The caption field seems to have no size limit. I’ve added enough journaling to some photos that I have to scroll way down to finally get to the end of the caption field.
Instructions for other photo managing software:
This article has instructions for most other photo managing software, including Picassa, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, as well as how to add it if you’re just using your computer’s picture file system without additional software. Just scroll down through the article until you find the name of the software/system you’re using.
Don’t Let Fear Stop You from Telling Your Story!
I really hope this article has demystified metadata for you! It’s a simple concept and it’s simple to do. It might be new but it’s not hard or complicated at all! Avoiding it because it’s a new concept would be like avoiding modern medicine because you don’t fully understand it.
As memory-keepers, you can’t get much better than the ability to add information and thoughts to a photo so that it follows the photo no matter where that photo goes or how many times it gets printed!
Seven Why’s & How’s to Keep Memories via Scrap-Journaling
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
From age eight to college I was an avid journaler. For most of that time I journaled daily. I could spend an hour or more pouring my life and views into my journal, and I think it may be one of the reasons I remember so much of my childhood.
As an adult, four activities replaced my old method of journaling in big blank lined pages:
- scrapbooking
- blogging
- journaling into the metadata of my photos
- art journaling
But all of these journaling methods are lacking one thing, and recently they haven’t been enough for me. What could possibly be missing from traditional scrapbooking and my other three journaling forms?
IMMEDIACY.
I wanted to be able to write just a sentence or two about my day — every day — and include some little bit of ephemera, like a receipt or some scrap paper I took notes on. I wanted to document the kind of stuff that is just way too mundane for even the scrapbooks of the most everyday kind of scrapbooker. I wanted the ability to record something on the spot without having to wait for a photo, without having to pull out my art supplies, or be tied to my computer.
A few weeks ago I added a fifth way to share my story, and I now feel totally and completely fulfilled in my ability to express myself and share my thoughts, whether it’s through my photos, through writing I develop on my blog, through some uninhibited art activity, or through a few words and bits from my day.
Scrap-journaling
This is my scrap-journal. In it you will find my words, my doodling, my brainstorming, my extra-mundane bits of ephemera, and an idea of who I am right now. It’s currently one of my favorite things. You could use a “normal” blank lined book intended for journaling. Or you could make a scrap-journal out of cute scrapbook or found papers.
I keep a stack of unloved hardback books that sit and wait for me to alter them, and I decided to use one of them as my scrap-journal (you can see its spine in the top photo. It’s a hard-cover book of short stories). Why would I use a book that is already full of somebody else’s words? And how do you do it without turning it into a project instead of a quick spontaneous three-minute activity?
Here is the why and the how . . .
- It’s green. I am trying to decrease the amount of manufacturing I cause by buying something new. I figure, every time I buy something, they’ll make another one. I know that’s a simplified summary of how the system of stuff works, but it keeps me on the green path.
- There are some blank areas at the front and back of the book, and at the beginnings and ends of chapters.
- I like to play with the words already on the book — circle some, cross out others, or even respond. The words also inspire little humorous (to me) thoughts, and that encourages a light-heartedness that I enjoy with my scrap-journal.
- I add journaling to my own scraps of ephemera when the typed words of the book don’t give me enough writing space of my own.
- The book’s text encourages me to doodle. I don’t want to have pages and pages of the original text, so I doodle on top of it. The doodling makes it feel more mine — more like me. And doodling is always good creative brain food.
- It’s not intimidating. I don’t have to fill a blank page. Because I do so much journaling in the other ways I listed above, my goal with my scrap-journal is not to get deep or to say a lot. I just want to share a little bit of myself every single day without the task of making it “pretty,” or making it into a project that takes time.
- The text causes the writing “canvas” to be non-linear. I get to write in different spaces around the book, and this is much more similar to the way we think. Our brains bounce around from thought to thought and it’s good for the brain to develop thoughts the way it is naturally inclined, instead of in the linear fashion of typical writing.
Above: a summary from my dentist.
Below: a scrap of paper I used to test paint colors I had mixed that day.
Since this added form of memory-keeping has been so fulfilling for me, I decided to share it with you. It’s not typical scrapbooking as we know it today. But it’s easy and spontaneous. It’s fun. It’s real. It’s definitely scrappy. And you don’t have to wait for a photo, or a time slot, to sit down and do it.
