(supplies: Morning Glory paper pack, 6th Hour History elements)
That's what scrapbooking is all about, right? And there are millions of ways to go about it: heavy on the photos, light on the words -- or vice versa. Or any number of other combinations to consider, especially when you start thinking about embellishments, like chipboard letters. Or felt flowers. Or ricrac. Or glitter. Or....okay, you get the point.
But push all that aside and in its most basic form, scrapbooking is about pairing photos + words. I remember back when I first started my job here in Murray, I got an email from Amy, a lady who works here on campus. She'd been following my blog and had some scrappy questions for me. One question in particular stuck in my head, and every time I start an article or a class or even just a blog post about journaling, I come back to this question.
How do you decide which pictures go with which stories?
Well, obviously, I thought, the story you tell is what's going on in the photos. But then I started thinking about all the stories I've told about what's going on in the background of a photo, or what's not even shown in the photo. And what about those stories where the photo and the story aren't even related -- because seriously, doesn't every scrapbook mom have a bazillion close-up shots of their gorgeous kids? Freeing yourself from the idea that your photos and your words have to match can be one of the most liberating steps you can take when it comes to telling your stories.
Autumn Baldwin makes the same point in a recent post she did for Write.Click.Scrapbook., an inspiration collective from many of the former Simple Scrapbooks team. (If you haven't checked it out yet, you should; some of my most favorite scrappers in the world are involved: Elizabeth Dillow, Linda Barber, Sara Winnick, and Celeste Smith, to name just a few).
I'm not going to go back over the points made by Autumn -- just click over and read her post. But I do want to share an easy-to-use technique with you that I frequently turn to when it comes to pairing photos + words. Maybe it's the English teacher in me, but I love the brainstorming process. The idea of coming up with idea after idea after idea -- and NOT CENSORING THEM -- is so enjoyable to me; I love the freedom of exploring new ideas, new options, the constant "What if?" and air of possibility involved. Any time I'm assigned a project, I need that time at the beginning to let it all percolate in my mind; I go about my daily business and the whole while, ideas and colors and patterns and themes and materials are mixing together in my subconscious -- usually I'm not even aware that the process is going on. I just know that, if I give myself a certain amount of free time at the start of any project -- time where I'm not actively focusing on (and stressing out / worrying over) the project -- then when it comes time to get down to business, the details all seem to fall into place. I've come to rely on and appreciate that process because it truly is a valuable tool.
So the technique I'm getting ready to show you basically takes that process and makes it less organic and subconscious and instead turns it into a more conscious, active process, one with steps and even a graphic element to organize everything. I find myself coming back to this technique again and again, because it really is the building block of my whole scrapbooking process, which is all about finding the right words to go with the right pictures. Here's what I do:
Pull out a handful of photos from your album or from one of the folders on your computer. Pick one (or a series of related photos, if they are all from one event), and use it to complete the above graphic. I normally just list all of this information on a sheet of paper (or, if I'm at my computer, on a blank Word document or in Notepad); feel free to experiment and find what works best for you.
1. I start with the obvious things: what's going on in the photo? I answer who, what, where, when, and why. (You can add How? if it is applicable). Try to be specific -- include the date, the time, the season -- all those little details. You never know what bit of information might spark the perfect story.
2. Next, I move out a bit; my observations start to get a little broader. I'll focus on as many sensory details from that moment as I can remember -- what did things taste like? smell like? sound like? I also include any details about information and events in the background of the photo.
3. Here's where the circle really widens. At the third stage, I include anything that I can about what you don't see in the photo -- what happened just before and just after? What's going on in the background that's conveniently cropped out? What details about the day in general don't show up in the frame? Also, what kinds of memories or other associations come to mind when you look at that photo? Are you reminded of a similar experience or another person? Does a certain song or smell or emotion come to mind? Write them all down as well.
Once you get used to looking beyond the basics of your photographs, you'll find lots of great ways to pair your photos + your words. As you grow more comfortable with the process, you'll find yourself automatically making connections; for example, when I heard Julie's mom make this comment about Cassidy, I immediately knew that I wanted to pair it with this photograph. Everything just clicked for me.
If you'd like more ways to generate these kinds of details and stories to go along with your photos, why don't you give my self-paced journaling class, Defining {you}, a chance? It's possible that you might be thinking that characterization is nothing that you want to bother with on your pages, but I promise, it's an easy technique to learn, and it opens up a world of possibilities for you. Plus, the class comes with 80 journaling prompts and 5 templates -- and you know you can ask me questions any time you need. If this one doesn't fit your needs, then check out the other options and keep your eyes peeled for new classes coming soon.
On a final note, do you have any questions about journaling that you'd like answered? Leave a comment and I'll devote a post to answering them. It'll be fun!
