12 in 2012: join me!

One comment I hear often about my work (and is probably the best thing you can tell me by the way!) is how much people appreciate the in-between captures, after the posed smile, when everyone dissolves into giggles, or the toddler’s chubby hands clutching their beloved toy.. those little pieces of life that you never notice until they are gone, the moments that collectively make up the memories of our days.  I beleive my background in journalism has helped me with that aspect of photography, always looking for the bigger picture, the full story. But I also beleive being a scrapbooking mom is just as key.

There. I said it. I’m a scrapbooker.

I don’t know why it feels like such a confession, but it does. As though the label instantly conjures up the image of one of those always-together-I-don’t-know-how-she-does-it-time-for-everything-with-a-smile-on-her-face kind of moms. TRUST ME. That is not the case. But I do take a lot of pictures, and I like to have a way to keep them all cataloged, so my family and I can enjoy them instead of letting them clog my harddrive and never see the light of day.

In compiling my scrapbooks, I always notice how much I wish I had more of the every day stuff, the in-betweens, for my own family. I’ve got each soccer season documented, and pictures from vacations mounted just so, but not enough of the simple stuff. For clients, I offer day in the life sessions, literally an 8-hour session, documentary style, to follow your routine and capture it all. The result is a gorgeous coffee table book that chronicles that little slice of life, a wonderful heirloom memento.  But I know it’s not practical for everyone, or every day. And I certainly can’t do it of myself!

And so, the 12 in 2012 project was born.

I’ve set up a book to record this year, one slice of life at a time.  The same 12 questions to answer on the 12th day of each of the 12 months in 2012. The question pages are already completed, with blank spaces to fill in, and I’ll just add a few pictures on the facing page from that day. I know myself well enough to know that my January enthusiasm will quickly get overrun by May’s madness and October’s insanity. By printing everything ahead of time, and setting reminders on the calendar for the 11th of each month, it’s almost idiot proof.

Almost.

I know the best motivation for me is accountability, and I would LOVE to have some of you join me in this project. I think the result will be a really fun standalone book, a capture of your family’s personality, and a wonderful keepsake. It’s a great addition to any scrapbooker’s collection, but also a wonderful starter album for anyone wanting to get into the hobby.. I promise it doesn’t have to be as complicated and detailed as it looks in magazines!

I’ll be sharing snippets of our 12 in 2012 days here on the blog, and posting reminders on facebook and twitter, so follow me there if you’d like to join in.. and please feel free to share your own moments!

Any questions or comments, post away! To download the starter template, just click here.  I’ve printed one copy of the cover, and 12 of the question pages. They’re all identical, so you can see how your tastes and activities change as the year passes, just circle the month at the top to mark the time. Print them on regular 8.5×11 printer paper, because they make 8.5×11 slip-in scrapbooks, so you don’t have to do anything else, just drop the pages in! I will show an example of my book next month, once I have something to put in it!

Can’t wait to get started.. and see what everyone comes up with.. you’ve got a few days to get ready for the first 12th!