But Why?

I still recall my elementary English teacher going over the simple 5W’s rule (who, what, where, when, & why) as it applied to creative writing. She wanted our stories to have the basic details covered, first and foremost. Twenty-five years later, her words ring true each and every time I work on my scrapbooks. The 5W’s are a necessity, whether you include them on the page in your title, journaling, embellishments, or jot them on the back of your page, these are the questions people will be asking 25 years from now as they browse your albums, pouring over each page of a time gone by.

In addition to the basics, it’s important to relay the emotions behind the pictures. The standard 5W’s really don’t tell the most important part of the story--that silly face your son made; everyone’s reaction to a sudden downpour; how delicious (or awful) the food tasted; these are all the things you want to remember, but also the first things you’re likely to forget, if they aren’t documented properly.

How would you journal for this picture? Some would simply use “Ainslie 2 years old” and be done. Sure, this is a picture of Ainslie at 2 years old…but what else can you say about this picture?

Is she wearing her favorite shirt?
Was purple the 1st color she could recognize?
Is she showing off her 1st beauty salon haircut?

This picture could be about so very many different things. Once we get the basics covered (who: Ainslie, what: close-up, when: 2 years old, where: living room, why: because she’s goofy) we can either leave it with that, and know that this is a perfectly lovely picture, or we can keep going, keep asking questions to find out the whole story behind this perfectly lovely picture and give ourselves the greatest gift of memories.

What do I want to remember about this day, this child, this shirt…that I might forget if I don’t write it down? Maybe I want to remember how I’ve tried for months to get a good close-up shot, or how much I love my new camera because it made this shot possible after so many months of frustration. BUT what you would never know, unless I tell you the story, is that this is the first picture in a series of spontaneous poses, which Ainslie decided to do, completely on her own accord. Ainslie said “Take a picture of my sweet face!” and then she shouted out “Sad face!” “Silly faces next!” and kept this up for about 20 minutes. It was the first time she actually sought out the camera, wanted to pose for pictures, and then showed interest in seeing them. I’ve been a scrapbooker for a couple of years now, chasing her around with my camera, trying to get just the right shots for our albums, facing one tantrum after another and toddler screeches of “get dat ting way me!” For her to show some interest in this part of my hobby was a beautiful day for me!

You don’t have to take these questions literally for their answers to make an impact, either. Ask yourself “how does this picture make me feel about…” and if you immediately think of the words “simply amazing” then use them on your layout…a perfect title, for sure. Stamp the words onto cardstock and make your own background paper. Cut the individual letters from magazines and put the words together in a ransom-note style. It’s all about using words to tell the part of your stories the pictures can’t. There are all sorts of products available today with expression in mind (ribbons, die cuts, stickers, tags, metals, etc.) with letters and words on them to help your pages speak. These products allow you to create unique designs which can both ask the questions and answer them, leaving your stories for generations to come, told in both word and picture.

Who asks questions? YOU do! Maybe you aren’t overt about it, but every scrapbooker I know is always on the lookout for the perfect page element. We ask questions as simple as what color scheme to use, whether to include quotes or poems, how many pictures to use on the page, all the way to the harder ones like what do I like about myself, what have I accomplished in my life so far, and what can I change about myself to make my life that much happier? It’s the sharing of moments like these that make our scrapbooks more than a pretty collection of photos. It makes them keepsakes--an album that not only shares our pictures but gives a peek into our lives…not just what we do but who we are.

What are you asking? You ask your preschooler what’s his favorite color. You ask your teenager what’s her favorite song. You ask your husband what he wants to be when he grows up. You can also show these same people the photos you’ve chosen for a layout, and ask them what these photos mean to them. The idea here is to explore your journaling from points of view other than your own. Take one family photo, and ask each member of your family to say what he/she thinks of first when looking at that photo. Your layout may take a different turn than you’d originally planned, but isn’t it a better one? Including your family and friends in the process will make the albums you’ve spent so much time, effort, sweat, tears…and yes, even money, all the more valuable to them, as well as you!

Some other ideas:

• Let some of your pages become an interview of sorts…each year you can ask your children the same questions, and watch how their answers change.


• Write a note to each of your family & friends at the end of each year, recounting the special moments that may not have been included in your layouts, or tell more of the story behind the ones that were. Ask yourself about these memories while they’re still fresh in your mind.


• Do an album “Why do I…?” and let each page focus on this introspective question. Include each member of your family, and cover everything from “Why do I leave my socks on the floor?” to “Why I love myself:” Let some of the pages be whimsical, others serene….follow your style.

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