Hindsight is 20/20: What I'd do if I was Starting from Scratch
11 years ago, I was pregnant for the first time, and we’d just purchased a “fancy” camera, but we had no plan for what to do with all those digital photos.
So I started Googling and stumbled across the Project Life system and Liz Tamanaha’s blog, Paislee Press.
That evening started a creative endeavor and evolution that’s led me here - designing client projects, writing about memory keeping, encouraging women to tell their stories, and rethinking how I document our memories.
I wouldn’t go back and change anything I’ve already documented, but there are some things I wish I’d known back then.
In this post, I’m sharing what I’d do today if I was starting from scratch.
1 / Organize your digital photos
Oh, man. This one weighs heavily on me.
We have thousands (tens of thousands!) of photos backed up on external hard drives - they’re safe! But we don’t have a great, comprehensive Cloud system for our digital photos.
That means I can’t access our library of photos from my phone or computer. I’ve got to plug in a hard drive to find old photos. Ugh.
This has been on our “to-do list” for years. My husband and I both take a lot of photos, but we don’t have a system for our libraries to combine seamlessly.
If I were starting from scratch, I’d do some research and figure out a plan for
How to safely store photos in a hard drive system
How to collate family photos in a Cloud system, so we can access all our photos from anywhere
Establish a monthly rhythm and schedule for doing this on a regular basis
I’ll be using Miss Freddy’s Backup Bootcamp to walk through this process with my husband, and I’ll keep you posted as we start working on it, but this is definitely something I wish I’d done from the beginning.
2 / Begin with the end in mind
This principle worked its way into my subconscious way back in high school, when my National Honor Society advisor (that’s you, Mrs. Rabe!) required us to read Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People the summer before my senior year.
If I started documenting our memories from scratch (or rethinking my process), I’d ask myself:
What do you want to hold in your hands 5 or 10 years from now?
What do you want to leave behind for your kids?
Maybe you think more is more, and you want lots of photo books and albums and boxes of memorabilia in your home.
Maybe you love framed photos and want to collect them and have them displayed around your home.
Maybe you prefer scrapbooks or traditional photo albums.
Maybe you like the streamlined look of photo books, designed digitally and printed like a coffee table book.
Whatever your preference - for style or quantity - consider what you want to hold in your hands.
Is it a lot? A little?
One style or a combination of projects?
One book for each kiddo or a series of family memories documented chronologically?
There isn’t one way to document your memories, but if I were starting from scratch, I’d begin with the end in mind.
3 / Keep it simple
The beauty of keeping your style simple is three-fold:
It’s easier to execute over the long haul.
Your project will likely be more timeless in style.
You don’t need lots of specific products to document your memories.
Over time, I learned how to edit my photos and I experimented with more “fancy” layouts, color, pattern, etc.
But as I look back on those original pocket page albums, my favorite layouts are the simplest ones.
Same goes for photo books.
There are lots of options out there, but white space, fewer photos, and simple and classic font choices will let your photos be the star of the show and keep those projects sustainable and timeless.
4 / Start Small
When you have so many memories you want to document, it’s tempting to want to tackle a really “big” project first, but I recommend starting small.
Pick one period of time, one topic, one vacation, or one year to document.
You can always add projects to your list, but getting one of them done and in your hands gives you so much momentum to keep going.
My first experience documenting our memories was our son’s first year.
I didn’t worry about documenting our whole lives, or the years before we had him. I focused completely on that first year and guess what?
That album got done (actually it was two albums, but that’s another story!).
You can always go back in time and document your memories, but you can’t do it all at once.
So choose one topic or time period and…
5 / Just start!
Everyone starts somewhere.
If you’re a memory keeper and it’s been awhile since you documented your memories, or you’re brand new to this world, just start.
I promise you, my early projects aren’t perfect. They’re filled with photos and layouts I wish were a bit more “refined.”
But they’re beautiful, and they take me right back to those moments in time.
You don’t need to include every detail or edit your photos or find the “perfect” product to start.
You learn as you go, develop your style, and change it up as you like.
Nothing wrong with that, but you have to start somewhere.
Now’s the time!
I’m opening up my signature course, Family Archive Photo Books soon, and I’d love for you to be a part of it.
You’ll get the accountability, support, step-by-step instruction, and simple processes that have helped my clients and students beautifully document their memories.
Sign up for the waitlist, and you’ll be the first to know when enrollment is opening.
