How to become a better storyteller in your scrapbook albums

Let’s take a walk down memory lane

• What was the first scrapbook album you worked on?
• How did you feel putting it together?
• When you look back at that album what emotions does it stir for you?
• Have you shared that album with others?
• What was their reaction?

It’s interesting that when I’ve asked these questions of other scrapbookers no-one has ever answered with,

“Page 3 had the cutest piece of paper on it!" or

“The way I shaped and layered the border embellishments on page 16 was just awesome!!" or

“I am sooooo pleased I spent 2 hours deciding on the shade of blue to use on page 27 – It’s perfect”

Instead, album makers talked about remembering and connecting with the experiences. The memories were the most important part of the album. That’s not to say the creative journey isn’t a valuable one.  I LOVE trying new creative techniques on my own album pages, it keeps me interested and motivated to work on my albums but I know that bit is only for me – and possibly my scrappy friends.  I know the value placed on my albums by others is in the stories told and the memories captured in the photos.  Would you agree?

Are you a great storyteller?

Blending photos and words to capture the essence of the stories that mean the most to you can be a challenge. 

• Do you think others reading your albums will have a good understanding of the stories you are sharing?
• How do you feel about story telling in your albums?
• What messages are you trying to convey when you choose photos and write about them?
• What is holding you back from writing more or writing on a deeper level?

In my experience, most scrapbookers find journalling the most difficult part of the process – you can’t think of the words to use, you’re not sure where to write, how much to write.  For most of us, it’s an afterthought – the photos have priority and then there is no room to tell a long story.   Often, the design of the page takes so long; you are weary by the time you get to the writing. The story becomes the traditional Where, What, When, Why sort.  There’s no reflection; no linking the experience to family traditions or to past experiences; it’s a list of facts, not a story. 

In most case, the meaningful story comes out only when you are standing beside the reader and telling him or her about the experience.  What happens if you are not there?

Future Project

Let’s think about an album project you would like to complete.  Imagine a perfect world, one where you have time to devote to a special album, you have awesome storytelling skills and can write a meaningful and heartfelt story for every page, your design elements are on point and everyone just LOVES looking at your album over and over.  What would that album be?

What is holding you back from starting that album?

• Need to organise resources
• Need to find the time
• Need help to write the stories

How long do you think it will be until everything is organised and planned, ready for you to start?  For most of us, we’ve had projects on this list for years and we are no closer to getting started.

Start now

• What if I told you, you can begin it right now? With no perfect plan.  With missing information. Without choosing the paper pack.
• What if you became an ‘anti-chronolgist’?  Working with photos that are not in date order!
• What if I told you to start with a story and find the photos to go with it?
• Would you be willing to try?

Chances are, you’ve already begun without knowing it.

Close To My Heart offer a 4 step programme to help you see that you are not ‘behind’ in your album making; that you have exactly enough time to tell the stories you love the most and that the way we’ve been organising photos and making albums in the past is only one way of many. 

The program is called Story by Stacy.  It includes kits for 4 projects.  Each kit teaches you a different journalling technique and way to display your photos.  The first 3 kits are small albums; the last one shows how to apply what you’ve learnt to a 12” x 12” format.

Story by Stacy - 4 parts to the series. 

• First up is Story Starter.  This 4” x 4” album kit and it’s workbook helps you delve into your attic of memories.  Open boxes of stories you may have forgotten and find ways to tell those stories with photos and words.  You will learn a simple process to write a short story for each of 9 photos relating to one person, place or thing. 

• The second kit is called Short Story.  This 6” x 6” album project helps you build on your intuition and storytelling skills to share your memories through the process of visual storytelling.  You will take 30-40 photos relating to one person, place or event, arrange them so they capture the reader’s interest and finish off with a story written at the end.

• Stories I Love is the third kit. It is all about the photos that mean the most to you.  The workbook helps you explore the memories behind the photos and write a detailed story to capture the elements of that moment.  You follow a very simple pattern to display single photos on the left hand page and a story on the right of a 6” x 8” album

• The fourth kit is called Storyteller and looks at producing an extended story.  This is like a chapter in a bigger album, building on what you have learnt in Story Starter, Short Story and Stories I Love.  You may like to take it a step further where what you have experienced is compared a contrasted to another person, place or time. 

The first 3 kits help you create different styles of memory books.  You can keep these as discreet projects or meld them into your larger project. 

What do you think?  Is this something you’d like to try?

You have two ways to work on these projects:

1. Visit my website and order your Story by Stacy kits for home delivery anywhere within Australia.  Simply follow the workbooks included in each kit to learn the 4 different storytelling models.  If you need help, private message via my Facebook page
2. Attend a face to face class.  I am teaching each of the four projects.  If you live in Perth, Western Australia, I’d love you to join the fun.  Simply head over to my Facebook Page and send me a private message. 

If you’d like to be kept up to date on all the events I offer, sign up for my newsletter here. 

Happy Scrapping,

Shaunna