Written by Amanda, in the Pickleberrypop! e-newsletter
Recently I have been thinking more and more about the importance of journaling on my scrapbooking pages. Why did I start scrapping in the first place? To ensure that the story of our lives was passed on to future generations, so that they could know who we, their ancestors, are. Not long ago I was sitting with my Mother looking through some old photos of her Grandfather mowing his garden in Wolverhampton. Mum proceeded to tell me a wonderful story about her Grandfather’s retirement gift. When he was approached to find out what his perfect idea for a present would be all he wanted was one of those “new fangled” lawn mowers. Mum told me how very proud her Grandfather was of that mower and couldn’t wait to get home and give it a workout. It struck me that if I don’t make an effort to write down my Grandfather’s story it will be lost and my children will only see an old man pushing a mower around his yard. But I confess that recently I have fallen into the habit of making pages that are more for arts sake than to serve any story telling purpose. So I am going to make an effort in future to journal more on my pages and to remember that I am my family’s storyteller.
It is hard to get started journaling sometimes, and I often feel that the blank space on my page mocks me with it’s emptiness! I sometimes find myself stumped and unsure what to say, I suffer from journaling block. So I looked around to discover ways that could help me kick-start my journaling. The most helpful thing I discovered was to use the five W's when journaling:
WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY
Who - Who are the people in the photographs, what are their names, and what are their relationships to you and your family. This will make it much easier for people looking at your pages in years to come.
What – What is happening in this photograph, what was the memorable occasion or special event that you are recording.
Where – Details about where the photograph was taken is always helpful when trying to work out background information to a story.
When – It is very important to make a note of the date, children especially like to know WHEN things happened and having an idea of the era that the photograph was taken certainly goes a long way to help explain bad fashion choices!
Why – Why did you take the photo? Why did you pick this particular photo to scrap, was there something special about it?
These are very helpful tools in getting your thoughts in order and ready for journaling. But there is one last thing to consider when journaling to tell the story of your life –
HOW. How did you feel at the time, what were your thoughts and hopes and dreams at that special moment. It is the “how” that takes the journaling from the simple recitation of facts to a window into your life.
Now I know that that all looks like a big list of things to talk about and it may appear rather overwhelming at first but if you start by making short points at each of the W’s, and the How, then you are off to a great start. From short points it is much easier to make sentences that flow together in a natural sequence and before you know it you have journaled a lovely story about your photograph. Now it is not just a picture it is a memory, it is a story.
Another helpful journaling tool is to keep a notebook with you at all times to jot down thoughts as they occur to you. I really need to put one in my car because I am sure I have my best ideas while driving to work in the mornings! Some people say that finding quotes capturing the essence of the moment is a very helpful tool in getting the literary juices going as well.
There is a very big trend towards gorgeously lush, artistic pages that have little or no journaling on them. These are all stunning but they don’t tell us very much about the scrappers life, we don’t get to know them. I would like to challenge you (and myself) to see the beauty in journaling, to make a page that not only is lovely but also tells a story. All it takes is a few W’s, a how and a precious memory and you are on the right track to becoming your family’s very own storyteller.
