One of my biggest regrets throughout my teen years was not taking enough pictures.
From the few photos I do have, I can see myself developing into a much stronger and better person. But I would have had the chance to see much more progress and development if I had taken more pictures.
After the years of photography classes I have taken, this made no sense, but my only goal for senior year is to memorialize it.
Phones with digital cameras make this process much easier than it was 20 years ago, but it can still be difficult to remember to take a photo every day or once a week. Some apps out there allow you to ‘journal’ your day. “Day One” is an app I have come to enjoy despite not using it as frequently as I would like.
You can choose from a template what you would like to write about today, or you can choose to free-write. If you do not feel like writing that day, you can still upload your daily image and share the date and time. It is all private, so no one else can access your photos and journal entries.
My personal favorite way to hold onto memories is scrapbooking. I know it sounds like the activity your grandma does with her friends but do not knock it until you try it. Scrapbooking, bullet journaling or whatever you would like to call it, is a fun way to appreciate your photos.
Scrapbooking can be as complicated or as simple as you want it. You buy a photo album to display your images or use any plain notebook.
I have three favorite parts of scrapbooking:
1. Writing, using and doing whatever I want with my scrapbook.
2. Feeling the different layers and textures of paper.
3. A sense of accomplishment when I finish a page or collection of pages, even if my journal is incomplete.
This is no one else’s scrapbook. You can use whatever paper or pictures you want. If you feel that a stapled trash bag should be the background of your page, you are free to do so.
Nearly anything can be used for a scrapbook. I have implemented old magazine and newspaper clippings, paper from paper shopping bags from the mall and even a tag from a Target purse.
Another thing I would like to mention is that you are free to use your scrapbook as a means to showcase whatever you feel is worth displaying.
In my scrapbook, there are movie theater tickets along with film reviews, photos with family and friends, theme park tickets, paintings, Spotify song playlists and so much more.
There is no limit to how creative you can be with scrapbooks. If you want to take a picture of solely your outfit every day and show that, you can. If you choose to document every book you read one semester, you can do that, too.
The joy and relaxation of putting together a scrapbook alone is enough to cure me of any worries and problems of the day. When it comes to your scrapbook, layer it any way you like.
This level of control is often unattainable in the outside world, and this freedom is relaxing and fulfilling.
Nothing feels better than taking a step back to admire your journal. You can decide at this point to rip out the background and start over again or choose to love every decision you have ever made and continue forward.
It has also been a personal favorite of mine to attempt to make my journal as thick as possible. Using layers upon layers of glue and paper or creating pop-ups are some of the ways I have made this possible.
To some, a journal or scrapbook may be too much to commit to. In that case, you can take a piece of construction paper or glue together two pieces of copy paper to make it sturdy enough to create a mini journal or zine.
If there is a small topic you want to write or exhibit, a music album or a week in your life, this is a great way to start memorializing the important things to remember in your life.
Take it from a senior, you do not want any regrets when it comes to high school or your teen years. It is never too late to make or record some great memories (or not so great).
Scrapbooking or journaling is not for everyone. However, everyone does have a cell phone with a camera. Use it.
Photos by Ella Eagan
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