Fragments of your past are what shaped you into who you are today. In many ways, your memories are you. So, of course you don’t want to forget them. Here are a handful of ways to help preserve those past chapters, ensuring they’re never forgotten:
Get creative: Many times, the best ideas require thinking outside of the box. Dedicate a wall or door in your home to handwritten memories outlined in Sharpie. Write your parents’ favorite quotes in a book. Keep a daily log of random stuff your kids say. Print your children’s’ Crayola drawings on a metal canvas, and get wedding photos produced onto magnets for your fridge. Whatever your approach, be bold.
Scrapbook: A scrapbook is like a photo album on steroids, packed with personalized notes, stickers, and colorful decal. Print your favorite photos, hit the craft shop, and get to scrappin’! There’s no better gift — to family or for yourself — than this tangible time machine of nostalgia.
Make a website: Whether it’s a blog, a slideshow of photos and video, or a collage of randomness, a website is a great way to organize your inner thoughts and showcase your distant memories. Hop on Squarespace and let the ideas flow. Add photos, audio recordings, video, drawings and more. The possibilities are endless on the magical Inter-web.
Get on the ‘Gram: Instagram, that is. Or Facebook. Whatever. Most of the world uses social media, mainly because it’s a great way to share photos with friends, and vice versa. And — no shame — it’s an excellent way to creep on your own memories. Whilst scrolling through, you’ll probably have several, “Oh, I forgot about that!” moments.
Journal: Writing elaborate stories of day-to-day life in a diary isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s no one-size-fits all requirement to scribbled recollections. Make bulleted lists of things that made you smile today. Jot a couple of sentences once a week, or a paragraph once a month of anecdotes that pull at your heartstrings. These don’t have to be award-winning bits of personal nonfiction — just something authentic you can use for reflection!
A Visual Journal: It’s much like a journal, but this time with photos, not words. With the Polaroid’s comeback, some photo enthusiasts fill journal pages with mini pictures to tell stories of what their days looked like. Got asked out today? Take a pic of your new boyfriend. Visited with Grandpa? Snap a shot of the pie he made for you. Spent all day sick in bed? Capture a moment snuggled up with your pup, eating chicken noodle soup.
USB it, Cloud it: Upload your favorite photos on a thumb drive, or to the Apple Cloud. As you add more files, be sure to organize them appropriately into folders, so you know where to find them later on.
Come to Us: At Southtree, we digitize old audio recordings, video, and film photos, while preserving your original formats. Bring your Grandma’s 20th birthday pics, Mom’s college Euro-trip Polaroids, and Dad’s infamous Macarena video to us, and we’ll be sure your memories last a lifetime!
