Collecting Memories: The Lost Art of Scrapbooking

Collecting Memories: The Art of Scrapbooking

By: Esther I. Kim

Snip, Snip, Snip. I was in middle school when I was assigned a project: make a scrapbook that timelines the highlights of your life. Highlights of my life? I haven’t gone through enough life to make a scrapbook yet! So I asked my Mom, “What are some highlights of my life?” As she took out our old photo albums, she detailed some of the photos. This was when you were born and had heart surgery at the hospital. This was when you did a performance in elementary school. This was when you were at your friend’s birthday party. This is your graduation. This is when your Grandfather passed away.

As I looked at each photo, I began to see that my life was actually very full. Although I was young, my family had a tradition of collecting photos. My Dad had a hobby of taking photographs, and we had nearly twenty albums full of photos. I took our my trusty scissors and glue, some construction paper, and stickers and I went to work. I would cut each of the photos into shapes like hearts or circles, glue it unto some construction paper into the same shape, and then paste it unto a scrapbook that I made with more construction paper. Under each photo I wrote the year it was taken, and I also the people and place I was at. Unbeknownst to me, I was my own historian, photographer, and creative designer.

Scrapbooking became one of my favorite creative hobbies. Being able to create memories of my own with these photos gave me a sense of preservation of these memories. Things that I had forgotten. Places that I wanted to remember. People that I wanted to see again. I remember my fond memories of stopping by a Michaels and seeing the racks of scrapbooking material: hole punchers, scissors, staplers, glue, markers, stickers, banners, and more. It would make me so happy to make these scrap books for myself and later for my friends. I even made it sometimes for my friend’s birthday parties, and they would be happy to receive such a thoughtful gift.

When I was in high school, I joined the yearbook staff for two years. My yearbook advisor Mrs. Naughtin saw my talents in writing and photography and she made sure that I was on the staff. I made a year book for over 4,000 students, teachers, and staff. It was one of my biggest accomplishments that I had in highs school. Instead of scrap booking with hand materials, I was scrapbooking online through computer software programs like Adobe Illustrator. I was collaborating ideas with my peers and advisor. I was creating a memory photo book for my whole school.

Since everything these days is instant with social media and technology, scrapbooking has become a lost art. We don’t have the patience nor the creativity to be able to sit down for 30 minutes and create a life long time capsule of our photos. It would take weeks for me to develop Kodak photos that I would take with my camera, pick it up at the store, and create a beautiful masterpiece. Now, it takes about 5 minutes to design a photo on your phone, and post it on social media. Times have changed, but this hobby of mine remains. It is far more precious for me to spend time making a scrap book than to make an instant memory that fades as quickly as you post it.

Scrapbooking is like an art to me. It’s something that I can create and make that is individual to myself alone. With this art, I can also share it to the world. The power of memories is so strong that it keeps us focused on our past, present, and future. It reminds us of the good times but also the bad times. So the next time that someone asks you to make a scrapbook, take out your favorite scissors and get to work! All you need to do is Snip, Snip, and Snip. Now you are collecting memories just like me.