Editor’s Note
Happy Friday all! I’m thrilled to introduce you today to my dear friend Ali Edwards and her memory keeping concept called A Day in the Life. You might remember that Ali is the same person who brought us the notion of One Little Word in December.
Fun fact / related note: I used to be a professional scrapbooker. Yes, you read that right. Back when scrapbooking was a super hot hobby, I worked in the industry designing pages for design teams and scrapbooking websites and such. I even was a contributing editor for Better Homes & Gardens scrapbook magazine! I had a monthly column doling out colorful and creative design advice. Engineer by day, scrapbooker by evening and weekends!
Anyway, that’s how Ali and I connected fifteen years ago! And we’ve been dear (albeit long distance) friends ever since.
While my scrapbooking days are mostly in the past, Ali has carved out a creative career for herself with modern memory keeping. Trust me – this isn’t your old school cheesy notion of scrapbooking. This is a modern way of bringing your words and photos together in a meaningful way.
Now, if it’s been a while since you’ve done anything with all those photos on your phone and camera, Ali’s Day in the Life project is for you! It’s a great way to dip your toes in the storytelling waters.
In fact, my team and I will all be partaking in Ali’s designated Day in the Life next Thursday! I’m super excited about this! We hope you’ll consider joining us as we pause to take inventory of the little stuff of our daily lives.
Day in the Life™
Today I want to introduce you to one of my favorite memory keeping projects: Day In The Life™.
Day In The Life™ is a one-day documentary project that invites you to tell the story of one single 24 hour period via photos and words.
I started this project many years ago as a way to really take stock of the life I’m living at a specific point in time – where I’m going and what I’m doing and who I’m talking to and what’s happening with my kids and what I’m eating, etc. I love looking back over many years of this project and seeing the ways in which my life has changed and sometimes, the ways in which it has stayed the same.
Nothing about this project is rooted in perfection.
This project is about embracing our lives as they are, not how we wish for them to be. It’s about celebrating the little things and looking for opportunities to see yourself in your own story. It’s also about having fun and using this opportunity to take photos you might not otherwise take – these are the ones that often turn out to be my personal favorites.
Another beautiful piece of this project is the community that supports it. I love seeing people all over the world documenting the same day and all the different ways we live our lives.
The most awesome thing is that all you have to do is show up to your own story by being willing to capture it with your camera.
Documenting tips
1. I love using Instagram as a record of my day and including more of the story in my captions. Sometimes I also make story notes in my phone so I remember the thoughts I want to include to go along with my photos.
2. Some people like to embark on this project with a bit of structure rather than as a free for all. Many people have found that setting alarms on their phone for each hour of the day has helped them to remember to take photos and is a great way to pause throughout your day to write down what is happening.
3. This project can be as in-depth or as simple as you want it to be. I’ve done it a variety of different ways over the years – sometimes I include more words and sometimes less words. Sometimes I’ve taken tons of photos and other times I’ve taken a lot less. There are so many different ways to approach this in order to get your story told.
This post is a great example of the kinds of photos I often take.
Photo ideas
1. Take photos of the things that seem insignificant. Life changes so fast in so many different ways. Capturing the little pieces of life right now is a great way to express gratitude for all that we have.
2. It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you have. An iPhone works great for this project.
3. Play around with different angles. Shoot from up high or down low. One of the things I love about this project is that it encourages me to play around with my photography skills and get out of my regular shooting routine.
4. Play around with lighting. Some of my most favorite shots have come from trial and error related to lighting. I love taking photos of my kids in their beds at night with just their bedside lamps lighting the shot.
5. Get yourself in the picture. Use the timer on your phone or a remote to make sure that you are included in this story of your day. Literally seeing myself in my photos helps ground me in the present. I am the main character of this story.
This year’s Day in the Life™
I’ll be embarking once again on the project on March 15, 2018 and you are invited to play along. Even if memory keeping in the traditional crafty sense isn’t your thing you can still play along on Instagram to share the images you capture of this one single day in your life. Telling the story of your day via photos and captions is an awesome way to document your day.
More Information
Find materials to help you document your story here.
Search past blog posts with project and photo examples here.
Watch this video for even more information.
Join my Day In The Life™/Week In The Life™ Facebook Group for more inspiration.
Join in on the fun!
We’re so excited to document our day next week. Our entire team is getting in on the fun, and we hope you join, as well!
Thank you so much, Ali, for sharing this incredible project with our readers.
Have a great day!
Photos c/o Ali Edwards
