As my 40th birthday was coming I realized that in the last year I hadn't taken very many photos of myself and if I did, they for sure were not printed. This is what kicked off the inspiration behind my 40 Selfies Before I am 40 Album... well that and 3 other things.
This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of Create Often with Jennifer Evans. I am an employee and do receive financial compensation and material product from American Crafts to develop my craft posts. I create what I love and love to share what I create, but all ideas and opinions are my own.
Why 40 Selfies?
Here are 3 reasons why I started this project.
The family albums I had didn't say anything about the personality of those photographed.
This summer I have been working on a lot of family genealogy preservation. I had the opportunity to preserve photos that date back over one hundred years. In every album, these people end up just being a name. We might have an opportunity to hear one or two stories about their lives that might give us a glimpse of what their personalities were like. I don't want to be just a name in a book. I want to leave a legacy behind for my children and grand children to always remember.
What is special about a selfie?
Why do children in this generation not have a problem getting their photograph taken? I think it is because they live in a social media age. Kids are with their friends taking photos all the time - sharing, texting, and uploading them everywhere.
I was feeling like, as I got older, I was taking less photos of myself. Well, let's be honest. As a stay at home working mom there are more days that I am in a messy bun getting stuff done - and even I don't want to photograph myself looking like that. Ha!
My theory was that if I took the time to intentionally photograph myself, like kids today, when I do have my make-up and hair done I would gain some self confidence. Even if it took several shots (with a filter, ha!) to get the picture I want, that would be ok.
I also needed a deadline to finish this project. It would take a lot of pictures to get me comfortable in front of the camera again and 40 before 40 would give me the time I needed.
I haven't really told my story.
There was a lot of fun things about my childhood that I forgot about or hadn't shared with my husband or children yet. As I started to answer some simple questions, the memories started to just flow. Telling my story didn't need to take hours. It was easier to type up a small paragraph on a card then sit down and write a novel. I just needed to write down those simple memories that were coming back to my mind.
What questions did I answer?
Here are some of the simple questions I answered. As the memories started to flood back, I kept on gathering more cards and continuing on to the next story.
What is your favorite holiday?
What is a family tradition you had as a child?
What is your favorite quote or verse from the Bible?
What is your favorite color? Why?
Do you have a silly fear?
What are your goals?
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Is there a miracle that happened in your life?
How did you meet your spouse?
What were your hobbies as a child?
What are your hobbies now?
Do you have any advice for your children?
Where did you grow up as a child?
What did you love to do for fun as a child?
Did you ever compete in a sport or other after school activities?
What did you do during summer vacations?
What was your first job?
Where did you spend Christmas? Any special memories you want to share?
What is your favorite season?
Do you have a favorite flower?
What is something you learned to do as a child? Did you like it or not?
What was your favorite subject in high school?
When did you get your driver's license? Who taught you how to drive?
Did you share a room as a child? If so, what were some challenges?
Who was your best friend as a child?
Now that the album is complete, I am so glad I followed through! If you don't want to do 40 Selfies (hey, maybe you are a whole lot younger than I am) you don't have to! Just getting some photos of yourself printed is what is important. Tell your story because YOU make a difference!
To find smaller Instax albums that would work perfectly with this project, you can use these albums and filler cards by Heidi Swapp!
Take your photo. Print your pictures. Tell your story because YOU matter.
