Things: personal belongings, items with a particvular purpose or action, Activity, thought. General cricumstances, conditions, approaches or matters that are unspecific.
The topic of "things" probably seems like a great catch-all., But it time to scrapbook things that you might not otherwise think of. What are the things that you treasure, you depend on, you abhor and/or appreciate, and what is something you choose to see in a new, more positive light? These are the things that you need to slow down, recognize and scrapbook in class.
Once you get the hang of noticing all of those everyday things, spend some time exploring your mind and heart of personal opinions, values, principles, and ideas that can also be categorized as "things".
I find myself looking at THINGS a bit differently for a while, and I like that. The topic and idea of THINGS is (obviously) not limited to the tangible, but to focus on THINGS we can see, touch, use or at least appreciate and (naturally) photograph. As you select and work on the assignments that I share, do keep in mind the intangibles in your life that can also be classified THINGS, and be extra vigilant in capturing those in your journal this week. For example, you might list the THINGS you want to impart to your children (beliefs, expectations, hopes, disciplines, etc…).
First up, I’d like you to use your camera—I asked you to bring it to class, remember?—to take a picture of you in class. The THING is, we’re all in this together and it is quite the adventure, so if you haven’t yet taken a picture of this THING we call online education, I invite you to do it. Use your self-timer if necessary and capture YOU in Twelve. When you’ve done that, grab a piece of paper and quickly jot down a list of 50 ordinary, generic everyday THINGS—off the top of your head.
Do this right now.
Next up, I would like you to gather five THINGS (items) that fit inside a brown paper bag that you could use to visually introduce yourself. Naturally, you’ll want to photograph these things too.
While your camera is out, take a picture of your current favorite THING and the THING that is most happening in your home this week.
Your final assignment is to schedule a day in the near future when you have the time to photograph everyTHING you use or consume from the time you get up until noon. I’m really looking forward to giving this a try and can’t wait to trade experiences on the message board.
As a recap, here are tasks in bullet form …
- Continue to use and nurture your inspiration file, read and re-read your topic lists and put more detail to your list of intentions for the topic of THINGS.
- Print and read the THINGS handout.
- Scroll through digital images looking for and tagging images of physical things as well as images that could be used to represent intangible things.
- Quickly jot down a list of 50 ordinary, generic everyday THINGS—if you haven’t done this already—and then follow the instructions below!
- Gather five THINGS that fit in a brown paper bag that represent your life (and as an optional assignment, your life right now). Share these items with a family member or friend and consider inviting others in your home to do the same exercise!
- Photograph your current favorite THING and the THING that is happening in your home this week.
- Set aside a day when you can photograph everyTHING you use or consume from the time you get up until midday.
Here’s my list of 50 ordinary things: toilet, pencil, toothbrush, mop, pen, television, radio, phone, washing machine, book, picture frame, lamp, paper, chair, couch, sidewalk, window, clock, bed, pillow, remote, soap, fork, spoon, knife, plate, bowl, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, mirror, keys, wallet, money, purse, shirt, pants, shoes, watch, bracelet, cups, flowers, trees, computer, mp3 player, video games, car, truck, street lights
Once you have your list, I want you to spend some time with it. Denote those items that your grandmother didn’t have or use and those items that you have seen added or that have somehow changed in your lifetime. You might also mark the items on your list that you have more than one of—ask yourself why this is. My hope is that this exercise will increase your awareness of the THINGS in your life that are unique to you and the time in which you live, so that you might find a way to incorporate them into your stories this year!
We have been on our journey to inspired scrapbooking for two full months. While there will be days when you will undoubtedly feel lost or just plain exhausted, you should be finding your creative groove and experiencing the delight of discovering and documenting stories that matter
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