The Art & Practice of Journaling free mini-course from Simple Scrapper offers a guided path to better scrapbook journaling.
Lesson
There are many ways to slice and dice the scrapbook community. One method divides scrapbookers between those who emphasize the creative process and those who emphasize telling the important stories of life. Of course there are some that regard either aspect equally as well, but I believe they are the minority. Most of us lean one way or another, and I suspect those of you here at Simple Scrapper prefer to focus on the stories.
The reason I point this out is because there are just so many stories to tell and just so little time in our lives. To me, this means that each layout should really count – should do its best to celebrate the small slice or big chunk of life it represents. You need words to do that though, and more than just a few.
That said, it isn’t just about writing more. Adding more meaning to your journaling is about uncovering more of the story than the photo’s simple facts. This is where your journal-keeping practice comes in. As you spend a little more time writing outside of your scrapbook pages, you will naturally discover the key paths to deeper meaning, the how and why of the story:
- relationships – why the subjects and their history matter
- changes – how the subject has developed over time
- traditions – why the subject is meaningful to your family
- journeys – how the subject has traveled (emotionally or physically)
Assignment
Look at 10 of your most recent scrapbook pages and answer the following questions:
- Is there journaling on each page?
- Does the journaling go beyond who, what, when and where?
- If you already write a lot, does the journaling hit on the why and how?
Now choose one scrapbook page and use your journal to explore more of the story. Compare what you originally wrote on the page with what could have been. Don’t have any regrets – instead use this wisdom to inform how you create your next page.
Further Discovery
Meaningful Journaling – A blog post with simple guidance on going deeper in your scrapbook storytelling.
Your Words, Your Story – A print book dedicated to helping you improve your scrapbook page journaling.
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