I hear that a lot. I just listened to a podcast on NPR’s Hidden Brain called “How Silicon Valley Can Help You Get Unstuck”. It taught me about “Design Thinking” and coming up with different options when I feel stuck about a situation in order to get out of the mindset that there is only one best solution. Listening to this podcast reminded me of a time when I was stuck and overwhelmed…
my son was 3 months old and we were taking tons and tons of photos of him and I was getting them printed…and then digital cameras came out and there were even more photos/images! I had to decide, do I just start storing them in boxes or do I start “doing” something with them…like putting them in scrapbooks where they can be seen and enjoyed? In 2001, I wanted to document and tell the story of our son Ben so…
I went to a scrapbook store where I was very overwhelmed by all of my options. There were just too many choices for book types, styles, papers, tools…it was too much. I went to a Creative Memories party and saw a catalog! It wasn’t overwhelming. I loved that I had a couple of choices of album sizes. I loved that there were themes and a place to start…I would do a Baby Album. I needed some baby paper, a few stickers. There were a couple of tools I needed, a trimmer, pen and adhesives. I bought them and I was off and running. I put his photos in a book when he napped. I invited people over to do this with me. It was social, creative, productive! It was FUN! Ben’s baby album turned in to annual family yearbooks, marking the milestones and adventures our family had each year. Eighteen years later I’m glad I have these books to mark the time; they literally show we where the years have gone and they help me remember!
What should you do about your photo overwhelm?
- Think about 3 stories you want to “tell” or “relive” with your photos. Is it your Wedding story? A Baby Story (Baby’s first year? A Tot to Teen?) A Vacation Story? Your family heritage story? A Tribute Story of an important person in your life? Is there a person or a pet you want to honor or celebrate?
- Decide which story (theme) you will tell first and then gather those photos and/or images. Pull out that box or SD card or download those images on a flash drive.
- Gather any supplies you may have purchased already. Maybe they’ll get used finally or traded in…
- Contact me and I’ll help you figure out what you need to bring your photo story to fruition. Time? Space? Organization help? Products? Someone to put it together for you?
I understand being stuck and overwhelmed regarding photos and digital images and I’m here to find out what you need and how I can help you.