Ali's March Documenting | Embracing The Season You Are In
This past month I decided I wanted to simply fill some pockets in my 6x8 2023 album with some March stories.
I'm finding myself in a re-newed creative season that's encompassing a variety of things in my life right now including art journaling/mark making, getting outside in my yard (I sometimes forget in the winter months how much this fills me up), working on content for my Week In The Life™ workshop, etc. I'm so thankful to be riding this wave + I never take these seasons for granted.
Early in the month I found myself inspired that I had some stories to tell - little stories about life around here - and I shared a few on Instagram. I've long loved using Instagram as a holding place for stories I might scrapbook at another time but I've gotten away from that some as I've struggled with my own issues with social media. I decided to take action on those stories and printed them out during the month (sometimes on the day I created the IG post) either as 3x4 or 4x6 images with corresponding journaling cards and just slipped them into pockets in my album.
As the month went on I was so excited that I'd filled a few pockets and knew that I wanted to come back to that album and add more. At the end of the month I went through my photos and printed out about 12 more (sized 3x4) along with some typed journaling on journaling cards and had the best time with this simple approach.
I am embracing the season I'm in by giving myself permission to keep it really simple with these kinds of stories: words + photos.
A couple things I know after memory keeping for over 20 years that feel relevant to share today:
Embracing the season we are in helps in maintaining a lifestyle that values storytelling. Currently I don't want to do any structured weekly documenting but I like the idea of capturing everyday life stories over the course of the month + then simply adding them to a 6x8 album. No embellishments required unless I really want to add them.
This doesn't have to take a lot of time. I spent an hour or so selecting + printing my photos (printing done here at home on my Epson PictureMate PM400), typing up some journaling using digital journal cards (and printing them with that same printer), and then simply slipping them into the pockets.
I always have the option to make it more designed + more crafty + can add more embellishments if I want! Options are awesome.
Albums are just holding places for stories. Check out a video I did on that here.
I can change my mind from month to month how I'm telling stories based on what makes sense for me and my own life right now.
Ride the wave. Ride the wave. Ride the wave.
Here's a video where I'm filling the pockets + wrapping up my March stories:
Here's what March looks like in my 6x8 album:
The basic stuff is the stuff of life.
Sometimes I'm typing and sometimes I'm handwriting.
I loved adding in a 3x8 image of daffodils at the beginning of the month.
From the Make Story Kit classroom.
Love these kids and love having a photo like this of them in here.
A perfect example of a micro story is that one at the top where I paired the "this made my day" card with a photo of my drink at book club.
Often times when I'm printing these I put both the photo + the digital journal card on the same 6x4 canvas for easy printing (and then cut with my trimmer before .
Here's a tutorial on putting two 3x4's on a 4x6.
Simple + more simple. Grab a journaling card + write the story or type up your story and print it on a 3x4 background.
I loved pairing a couple 3x4 photos of our team with one big full page photo of the awesome Graduate Hotel in Nashville.
From the Make Story Kit classroom.
From the Make Story Kit classroom.
Simple scenes of stuff I'm into here at home (and the work I love to do outside).
I also loved being able to grab this 6x8 prompt page from the March Stories By The Month kit to include a few more reflections/stories related to the photos I was simply slipping in the pocket.
Be in the season you are in.
Let's celebrate and flow with where we are at vs. fighting against it for some version of ourselves we think we should be/how we should document.
SUPPLIES
March 2023 Stories By The Month Physical + Digital Kits
Make Story Kit
6x8 Alpha Stamp Set
Brush Pen
6x8 Linen Album
