There’s no doubt we live in a digital age. With smartphones and the Internet, it becomes possible to store, create, and even edit memories from the palm of our hands. This is wonderful news since it does mean that the usual problems that traditional keepsakes involve are largely eliminated by the digital nature of our society, but there are merits to doing it the old-fashioned way.
Scrapbooking was one of the most common ways to keep memories and trinkets, but it’s largely been overshadowed by the development of digital memories and film. While there are fewer people doing scrapbook now than there were a decade ago, scrapbooking is still an effective way of keeping our fondest memories alive.
Here are some of the reasons:
We are still physical creatures by heart
One of the things that the digital age can’t fully replicate is the tangibility of our world. Sure, we can have VR sets and constructed environments that we can interact with using the correct technology, but the fact remains that we are still humans who live and interact with the real world. Digital became a good means of capturing the moment, but not the essence of it.
Scrapbooking gives us a unique avenue to interact with and reminisce those cherished moments. It has a degree of realness that a picture or a video on a mobile device doesn’t have, and a permanence that isn’t threatened by a mistaken deletion of our data.
Not all memories are born digital
Most of the things we value—or at least, give our moments some semblance of value—aren’t exactly digital in nature. Small things like movie tickets, receipts, letters, and other items are things that we can touch and store, and it seems disingenuous to diminish their importance by just taking photos of them and throwing them away.
This is where scrapbooking provides a good middle ground for the sentimental value of such items versus the need to set them aside in an orderly fashion. You get a location where you can store these items without tarnishing the physicality of the moment, which is something digital storage can’t really do.
It’s a creative outlet
One of the biggest reasons you should scrapbook is that it’s always been among the best ways to express yourself creatively. Taking photos and videos requires some level of skill, but the output demanded by scrapbooking can help exercise your inner creative self. It’s a relatively inexpensive hobby to get into and the results are something that you can proudly show off for a long time.
Studies have shown that people who engage in these creative pursuits often have a higher level of intelligence, more enjoyable interpersonal connections, and grown with an increased appreciation for the things and moments around them. Scrapbooking is a great way to draw attention to the present moment, whether or not it comes from making the scrapbook or perusing through one.
So, don’t throw away those crafting adhesives just yet. Gather your small trinkets or ask your friends not to throw away theirs the next time you want to remember something far in the future. Scrapbooking can be one of the most personal and effective ways to remember the best of times.
