What is your Why?
Have you ever been asked that question? “What is your why?” It could really be in any context – anything that you have consciously chosen to do. It is a question that is asked a lot in the scrapbooking hobby/community. Why do we choose to document our lives and tell our story? Ask ten different people and you will probably get ten different answers.
One person could have multiple reasons for scrapbooking. For me, it is recording my family history (genealogy), remembering our big events & telling the everyday stories of life. But it is also the creative outlet of playing with paper & all the pretty things just for the fun of it! If you scrapbook or do any kind of memory keeping, what is your why?
A few weeks ago I shared a Family History Index Album on my Instagram feed. I commented that I hoped one of my cousin’s kids would appreciate it one day (I don’t have children of my own). One of my sweet followers, Robyn from Above Rubies or Pearls made this comment: “Who doesn’t like looking at pictures of family members from one’s past, right?”
Now, I’m sure that it was just a rhetorical question, but it made me stop & think. Are there people who really don’t care about their photos? Seeing pictures of their ancestors they have never met or cherishing those few they have of loved ones who have passed? Maybe finding a photo of themselves when they were a baby or a long forgotten school picture?
We take so many photos today, sometimes I think some of them get lost in the shuffle. Some of them are priceless memories we should cherish & preserve for future generations. Now, not every photo has to be kept or printed but a few of them do. Little kids get so excited when they see pictures of themselves and older kids get a kick out of seeing their parents when they were young.
It’s always fun for me to see the younger generation looking through one of my albums. There is always laughing, comments about our outfits & hairstyles through the years and questions about who someone is that maybe they never met. When I was young, it was a shoe box that my grandmother kept in the hall closet.
What is Your Why?
I encourage you to look through your photos and see if any of them stand out as special or meaningful to you. How would it feel if they were printed & in some type of photo book (slide in album, digital photobook or scrapbook) that you & your family could look through and enjoy any time you wanted? Preserving your family memories does not have to be intimidating or hard.
I have a previous post about Story Starter Ideas and a handout you can download if you need some ideas. I also invite you to join me over in the Facebook VIP group.
Do photos “spark joy” for you? If they do, make sure they are safe, organized & enjoyed. Our phones are wonderful for taking photos these days, but they are not a safe place to store them. There are many options for backing up and storing your pictures where they will be safe for years to come. Let me know if you would like some help organizing your photos so that you can find the ones most meaningful when you want to share them. You can message me on the Contact Us page to get started.
So, what is your why? Take a few minutes and think about why you would want to learn more & let me know in the comments.
Until next time,
Machelle