After Inauguration Day 2021 the world is abuzz about Amanda Gorman. She was the first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017 and the youngest known inaugural poet. Her words inspired me, our nation, and the world. Some say what she did for poetry is akin to what Lin-Manuel Miranda did for musicals.
You may not be a Laurette but your words matter. Words can lift up or tear down. What do you want this generation and future generations to know about you? I look at old photos of my ancestors and I have so many questions. I especially want to know what they think, how they feel and what they hope for. Even when I come across recent photos, I think “when was that? why are we all laughing?…”
Dates, names and places are interesting and a good place to start in journaling. I encourage you to go beyond the Who, What, Where. If you struggle with what to write in your scrapbook, cards, or journals, it’s ok to use quotes and sticker titles that inspire you. Bible verses, poems and song lyrics are another way to write down how you are feeling about a particular event or time in your life. In my wedding album I printed out the entire words to the song we chose for our first dance (“The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes).
Next time you have writer’s block, try this:
- Imagine you are sitting down with a friend.
- You haven’t seen that friend in awhile and you are eager to show her photos of your most recent fill-in-the-blank {trip, birthday party, surgery, whatever}.
- Imagine telling your friend about the photos.
- Write that down.
I would love to know if this exercise helped you. Send me an email hello@adashofstory.com if there are other topics you would like me to cover that would help you with your journaling. If you are interested in simplifying your Scrapbooking or getting back to basics, start with my Scrapbooking 101 videos.
simple scrapbooking | cardmaking | journaling