Why Do Project Life?
A while back, I stumbled upon Becky Higgins’ Project Life, which offers a simple and convenient way to capture everyday moments. All you need are an album, decorative cards, page protectors, a pen, and photos to share your memories. Using the Project Life style allows you to share your story while still having time to create new ones. The best part is that you can make it as easy or as creative as you like.
I’ve been doing Project Life for a few years now, although I haven’t completed a full year yet. One reason for this is my ADHD, and another reason is that I didn’t always feel like I had enough stories to document every week. And I was missing a “Reason Why.”
I know there are many others like me who want to capture the story of their lives but may feel like they don’t have enough to document on a weekly basis. Maybe because we don’t think we have anything exciting to share or because our lives seem mundane since we do the same things every day.
All of these described me. I didn’t have enough stories every week, I didn’t have anything exciting to share, and my daily routine was repetitive.
After years of starting but not finishing Project Life, I had a heart-to-heart talk with myself. I asked myself, “Why do I want to do this project?” There had to be a reason behind my desire to do Project Life.
The result of this self-chat? I discovered my reason for wanting to do Project Life: I want to tell stories through pictures and leave memories of me for my children and grandchildren. I want them to know the real me, including the good and the challenging parts of my life. Sharing the difficult stuff is a challenge in itself since this project is public and exposes my private thoughts. Finding a way to share the personal aspects in a public book while still maintaining privacy is a dilemma I have to figure out.
Then, the next question arose: Did I have enough material to document?
As these questions bumped around in my head, I realized that I was looking at Project Life from the wrong perspective. I was seeing it as a reader, thinking about what would be interesting, instead of as a storyteller considering my audience. My audience is me and my family. Project Life is a way for me to look back, relive moments, see my growth and changes, and for my family to get to know me better.
The Reason Why
Project Life is about telling stories, both big and small. It’s about sharing what we love, our challenges, our hobbies, and what we don’t like. Our stories can be brief or lengthy, quotes that resonate with us, or even stories about songs, movies, TV shows, books, recipes, favorite foods, current events, weather, or work experiences.
Our stories don’t have to revolve around major events or be extraordinary. They can be about our everyday lives, the routines that shape us. These are the stories that truly reflect who we are.
Project Life is an opportunity to tell the stories of all seasons of our lives. What stories will you tell in 2024?
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