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The
Journey toward Meaningful Journaling
©
2001, Angie Pedersen
So often I look through people's scrapbooks
and just cringe. Not because their layouts are poorly designed, or
because of their paper choices -- no, the first thing I notice is a lack
of journaling. When I ask the scrapbooker to share who is in the
photos, or what was happening at this time, she is more than willing to
show off her family and share the story. I have to wonder....Why
isn't it written down then?? What will happen to these stories when
she is gone? So
many people balk at including journaling on their layouts, but it doesn't
have to feel like pulling your own teeth! Combine a few key
elements, and you're set! Consider these points when faced
with adding journaling to a layout you're working on, and you'll tell a
more meaningful tale:
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The Good Ol' 5 W's are the absolute
bare minimum for relating a story
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Who is in the photos? |
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What's going on? An
event? Or is it a "slice-of-life" moment?
Describe it. |
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Where were the photos
taken? Name the site, and consider adding the city
& state. |
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When were the pictures
taken? Month & year is generally sufficient,
just provide some sort of historical reference point.. |
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Why were all these people gathered
together at this event? Why this location? |
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Consider what is NOT included in the
photos
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Who is not in the photos, but was
at the event? Or who do you wish had been at the event? |
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What happened right before the
pictures were taken? Or right after? What part of
the story do the pictures NOT tell? |
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What sounds could you hear, that
the photos cannot demonstrate? |
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What smells were present?
What smells do you associate with the people who participated in
the event? |
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Why was this event important
enough to you that you had to capture the moments on film?
What was significant about this gathering, outing, or group of
people? |
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What else happened in your family
around the same time as the event in the photos? How does
the event in the photos connect and relate to your family
historical timeline? |
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If this were an event in your
grandmother's life, what would you want to know from her? What
thoughts would you want her to jot down about an experience in her
life?
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Generally we wouldn't want to
know, "This is a picture of me in a dress in 1918." |
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We would want to know that she
made that dress, or that she argued with her mother right before
the photo was taken, or that the photo was taken right before
she moved across the country to be with the man she loved. |
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We want to know the thoughts
behind the person in the photo, their reasons for choices &
decisions, and how their life played out to bring them to the
point in the photo. |
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We want to know what things came
to her mind as she looked at that photo years later. What
sensory descriptions came to mind for her? What past
dreams and current regrets? |
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If these are things you would want
to know about your grandmother's photos and life, chances are
there is someone out there wondering the same things about
you. Include these kinds of journaling tidbits on your current
life event layouts. |
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By just considering these points, you'll go
beyond the simple captions beneath photos, proclaiming the "5
W's". You'll get at the essence of the lives of the people in
the photos, and reveal a glimpse of what's most important to you.
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