weekend creative : documenting a week in your life

Next week, from Monday through Sunday, I will be documenting a week in my life with photos + words and I invite you to play along. (You could even begin today or tomorrow if you wanted - there is no reason it has to be Monday through Sunday vs. Saturday through Friday.)

This is a creative adventure. It requires little more than a camera and a willingness to pay attention and gather up stuff from your daily life.

Even if you have never scrapbooked before you can do this project.

This will be a pared down project from the one I have taught previously. Right now I am most interested in the photos and the words and that is where my focus will be throughout the week.

Some of you out there may be thinking: my life is boring or I do the same thing everyday or what story do I have to tell? As with many of the projects I have created, the preparation process is just as (and maybe more) important than the creative process of actually putting the album together. Most likely you will learn something about yourself over the course of this project. I learn something new every time.

Daily Tasks For The Week:

Take photos. Commit to keeping your camera with you throughout the day. Capture everything. Capture things that may seem silly or dumb. Capture the normal. Capture little things. Capture your environment. Here's a couple questions I ask myself or I keep in mind as I am going about this project: what's my daily routine, where did I go, who did I see, what do I do, what does the inside of my home look like, where do I spend the most time, etc. Capture stuff that you use everyday: your computer, a coffee mug, a favorite pair of shoes, a book, etc. Make sure to take a photo of yourself each day. See the list of possible photos below.

Upload photos. Take a bit of time each evening to upload your photos for the day. You can use this time to eliminate duplicate shots and if you are really on top of things you could print them out or upload them to your favorite developer to have them ready to create with the following week.

Designate a place for notes. Have a notebook or a couple sheets of paper set aside to jot down notes, stories, things to remember about each day. Don't make this complicated. Don't run out and buy a new notebook. The back of some junk letters, the leftover pages in a journal you have always meant to get around to, etc. You simply need somewhere to write down notes over the course of the day.

Take notes. Once you set up something to write on, do the writing. What should you write? Thoughts you have during the day, things your kids or your boss or your partner say, things you notice (simple and profound), what you ate, etc. Go for the basics. These notes will be transferred into your album when the time comes. See more about recording the story under the category heading below.

Designate a place to store life-stuff. Part of the process is collecting bits and pieces of your life over the course of the week. For this I recommend setting up an envelope or folder for each day. You may use some of this stuff and you may not. I tend to keep things like receipts, handwritten notes, etc. These will be companions to your photos + words.

Possible Photos:

- think about the most basic things/the real life things that you see everyday: those things that are so much a part of what you do each day that they simply blend into the blur of images
- chores
- loves
- dishes
- food you cook
- food you eat
- driving to work
- driving your kids to school/kids at the bus stop
- computer
- what you do for work
- looking down at your shoes
- your front door
- thermometer/temperature outside
- gas prices
- the grocery store/your grocery cart/bags of groceries
- the mess
- piles of stuff
- the funny face your kid is making/funny things they are saying
- laundry
- your child's room, toys, favorite books, etc.
- document the imperfect normalness of your existence

Check out a couple articles I wrote for my Everyday Life photobook at Shutterfly (these definitely apply to this project):
List of Everyday Photos
8 Techniques for Choosing or Taking Photos

For more everyday life photo ideas check out these Flickr groups:
My Everyday Life
Corners Of My Home
The New Domesticity
Self Portrait Tuesday

CATEGORIES:

To prepare for my journaling in the past I have designated categories: food, gratitude, work, stuff, etc. You can totally implement something like this for yourself - it helps keep you focused on what you need to document in a written format - or you can be more free-flowing. This time around I am going for more free-flowing word documentation - capturing bits of my life in words rather than giving myself specifics - either way you go will be just fine. Just make sure you write something as you go along. It is way too hard to try to remember what the heck happened on a specific even a few days later.

A couple things to note:

(1) This is not a class. I do not have a finished project to show you or specific instructions to follow. I will be working alongside and adjusting and going with the flow from Monday through Sunday. It's a journey we can embark on together. One of the big reasons I am doing this on my blog is so that I will actually do the project. You are making me accountable. This project is worth all the effort you will put into it...but it does take work.

(2) This does not have to be a 12x12 album. It can be smaller or larger. You can include tons of stuff or just photos + words. Part of the process will be figuring out how to showcase your photos + stuff. One of the things I am excited about in relation to sharing this journey is the variety of different albums that will result. Part of what I will be thinking about as I go along next week is how I want to put the album together. I am envisioning a hybrid combination of paper and digital elements. Other than that I will be using things I have on hand here at home. I will post some ideas for supplies/formats for putting the album together on Monday or Tuesday next week.

(3) Take this one day at a time. If you take a ton of photos on Monday and only a couple on Tuesday - no big deal. Let's get rid of that pressure before we even begin.

Special Request:

I know there are a bunch of veterans of this project out there. If you completed this album in the past, would you post a link in the comments section to your album if you have it posted it in an online gallery or blog? I would love to give people who are considering this project a peek at how some have turned out in the past (there have been more than one design for this album and lots of variations).

Also, if you have photo suggestions from your experience that would be great to share as well.

Dottedline_2

My friend Tracey over at Shutter Sisters is highlighting this project today and is planning to do a book giveaway with all four of my books. Click on over to enter and check out the Shutter Sisters blog.

Dottedline

A complete list of posts related to the week in the life project can be found here.

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149 thoughts

  1. denali says…
    09/29/2008

    To 'Sara', homebound & sick - your life fascinates ME to no end, so please go for it! If it helps, just think of your album as telling US your story. Show us what being homebound and sick looks like. Do you have a pile of medications you take daily? Photograph that. Do you monitor your condition using any tools (meters, injections, etc)? Photograph them. Are you able to do your own housecleaning? Are there special adaptations you make to be able to do that? Photograph it. Does someone else come to clean? Ask them if they'd pose for you. Is your mailbox clogged with medical bills? Photograh it. Do you have a favorite beverage? snack? photograph that. Do you cook or are your meals delivered? Photograph that. Do you have a favorite pair of slippers? t-shirt? sweatshirt? Try that. What do you do to pass the time? Photograph your computer. Do you have a favorite spot to sit? does it change during the day as the light moves? does your dog's favorite spots to hang out change during the day? Photograph those. Do you spend time watching out the windows? Show us what you see. Are there certain people you see, talk to, or chat with every day? Print their photos, your phone list, your online buddies' avatars. Print a transcript of the last chat you had. Print a recent blog entry you particularly enjoyed (print Ali's Weekend Creative prompt!) Are you reading any books? magazines? photograph those. Dive into the minutiae and show us what you find :)
    Hope this helps!

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  2. denali says…
    09/29/2008

    Oh goodness, I didn't mean to write a novelette. Sorry 'bout that! :D

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  3. Nicole says…
    09/29/2008

    Okay I'm in....I had something similar "come across my desk" a while back and I wasn't in the way mojo-wise to do it. I'm starting today.

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  4. shimelle says…
    09/29/2008

    I'm in -- it will be the third week in my album but the first week I've documented as a Mrs. (And yes, I am sappy enough that we are *both* filling in sheets for each day. If he makes it through this, he's game for anything, right?!)
    I shared a few pages from my book here: http://www.shimelle.com/paper/378/things-i-have-learned-from-a-scrapbook along with some of the reasons why I love this project. :) Thanks so much for this little push to do it again.

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  5. Alease Michelle says…
    09/29/2008

    Hello Ali,
    I going to try this project also. I enjoy taking pictures, but really never had a project or goal in mind when taking photos. I am hoping this project will help me in looking at my artwork with fresher eyes. I love this ideal and I hope to share the finished outcome with everyone. - Alease Michelle- www.aleasemichelle.com

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  6. Michelle Clark says…
    09/29/2008

    I started this on Saturday and am having so much fun. It is really forcing me to notice the little things in my life. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  7. lynn says…
    09/29/2008

    I am going to give it a whirl. I need something to get me motivated and this might just be the ticket! Thanks for the wonderful inspiration. Can't wait to see what blooms out of me.

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  8. kreativekate says…
    09/29/2008

    Oh, Ali, thanks for the jumpstart! It's been raining on the east coast for days, and I needed this to bring me out of the funk and get me excited! Count me in!

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Cami says…
    09/29/2008

    Housebound Sara- I too am interested in seeing your "small" life. I'm betting it isn't small at all! You could incorporate drawings/paintings/collage as a way to get "photos" of your thoughts- you must do quite a bit of thinking/daydreaming/dreaming while housebound. Maybe a fun opportunity to get out the trusty Crayola's and play around?
    And the dog sounds like a good subject,too.
    I'm notoriously bad about starting things and not finishing them, but I'm shooting for doing this next week.

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  10. Tiffany Green says…
    10/01/2008

    Hi Ali! I'm doing this project right along with you and LOVING it! This will my third time. The first was at CKU Nashville in August of last year (where I met you and happily had my pix taken with you- it's on my corkboard in my craft room:). The second was digital last May after the release of your Shutterfly book (LOVE that book and how it came out. It's resting nicely on my coffe table. You did an incredible job with the template for that. I love how it came out. And so easy to just click and drag pictures into perfect layouts!) I wasn't planning on documenting another week so soon, but when I saw your posting in your blog, just had to join you. I love having a book about "life right now" (especially with young ones who change so quickly, as do our schedules from year to year), but one of my favorite things about this project is that I always end up with a few shots that I NEVER would have gotten otherwise. Reading time, at work (I'm a cardiac nurse and typically don't think to bring my camera to work with me), volunteering at the kids' school, piano lessons, at the grocery store (including my 4 year old son riding the horse near the check out counter), a picture of my shadow while running (when else am I carrying a camera out on a run other than during this week?)- all great shots to have that I will treasure for always. Thank you for the work you do. Thank you for sharing your artistic talents (particularly through your books- I own them all- and articles in CK- and blog, of course!). Thank you for being such an inspiration to me and so many others. And thank you for doing this project again and encouraging us to come along. I'm sure enjoying the ride! xo, Tiffany Green, Fort Collins, Colorado

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  11. karen says…
    10/03/2008

    Oh I didn't get this at first, but now seeing your blog the light bulb has gone off! :-)
    I LOVE looking at all your family photos - your home looks so warm and inviting.
    I've not done anything like this before. I may try to be brave and jump in.
    LOVE all the links to the digital stuff for the album - that's what really got me excited. It kinda all makes sense now...
    Off to take some photos... :-)
    Kx

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  12. Peace is Every Step says…
    10/05/2008

    I'm so happy to have found your blog. I will give this a roll and see where it takes me. I'm especially excited to capture not only the "home" me, but the "work" me too. Not many people know what the week in the life of a Public Health Nurse looks like. Here goes.

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  13. Peg Graham says…
    10/08/2008

    I am starting this Monday (Oct.13th).
    I LOVE this idea (and all youir other ideas, of course)!
    Downloaded the overlays and printed them off...ready to start taking daily photos.
    Thanks for the inspiration...
    Peg Graham

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Lisa Coughlin says…
    10/12/2008

    Hi there--I found your website through another website (Amanda Soule). I would like to suggest you and your fans/readers check out "The Beckoning of Lovely" on YouTube. I think you would have something to offer this project.
    Thank you for making the "ordinary" noticed and appreciated. Sincerely, Lisa

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Melissa says…
    10/15/2008

    hello friends!
    I'm so glad I stumbled across this lovely blog and very exciting project. I'm going to get started right away! xxoo melissa

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. farmerjulie says…
    10/21/2008

    hi..thought this looked fun and interesting..thank you for all of your tips! I do think my life is boring though. it would be fun..thanks Ali,
    Julie

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  17. Myra says…
    10/27/2008

    Ali
    I'm definitely going to try this one. Thank you for the inspiration and sharing.

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  18. Christine Drevo says…
    05/15/2009

    This sounded really interesting so I'm in. It will be interesting to see what conspires over a period of two days!
    Thanks for the idea.

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  19. Lili Sulastri Zainal Abidin says…
    10/02/2009

    Ali, this is a good idea. I've never done this before and it will be great to document the everyday things in life we take for granted. Thx again for the idea and probably I'll play along.

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  20. Rebecca Harper says…
    10/07/2009

    I am so happy you are doing this again... I wasn't sure if it was going to happen again. Thanks for the inspiration Ali

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  21. Molly Irwin says…
    04/02/2010

    Re-reading this makes me want to commit. I'm glad you've decided on spring this time around; much easier time for me.

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  22. Mandyb says…
    04/12/2010

    I've already done my week (due to being on holidays now)but will try and put mine together as you all do... maybe with my PL kit....(which is still un opened in my scrap space)

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  23. Myra says…
    04/13/2010

    This will be my first time to document a week in the life. I'm very excited!

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. Karen says…
    04/13/2010

    I will give it a try too, it look so much fun!

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