Shared Memories

Many of the images reproduced in “Scrapbooks: An American History,” by Jessica Helfand, date back 50, 80, even 100 years. Reproduced colors and spead across wide pages are treated as good example of creativity. It often happens the anonymous scrapbook creators could imagine fate for their work. In today's world scrapbooking is very known.

Helfand said that roots of scrapbooking can be traced to the “commonplace book” of the Renaissance; in 19th- and early-20th-century America they evolved from group parlor activity to something more personal. In addition to writte notations, newpaper clips, photographs, actual scrap like sopa cover, chocolate wrappers, tickets, stones, envelopes.

Helfand pored over saying that she also encountered a pasted-down cigarette butt. In an interview, Helfand explained that these collagelike collections of images and exsisted things and the narratives they suggested frequently impressed her with their aesthetic impact and originality.

In 19th century there was a commercial aspect to scrapbooking. One of Mark Twain’s many side projects was a line of “self-pasting” albums. Passing through 20th century books with graphic themes built in. Than stickers, buttons, patterned papers came in. That was the trend which grew later by 21st century as the web. Like posting the individual page designs and layouts online.

Ali Edwards in 2002 she decided to organize her pictures and some of her momentous with the birth of her son and she came up with twopeasinabucket.com. Later her scrapbook designs won a contest which was run by the popular scrapper magazine Creating Keepsakes and later she was writing for the magazine and her own ad-support blog, she also gave her own ad-support blog. To be creative is sure but also to be recognized as creative is very essential.

Her fan really like her layouts because of her personal touches especially the way her handwriting across the photographs and pages showed. She encourages workshop attendees to think of process as its own reward and also to focus on telling them their personal stories.

She has also introduced her made unique handwriting which are for free available in form of digital font. Her style attracted her audience but later she gave up as she said, “if that’s going to help them tell their stories.”
Article talks about how scrap book came into development gradually.


Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/magazine/14wwln-consumed-t.html?ref=design