From Memories to Paper

Text and design by SARAH BAKHASH and MARTINA MEYERFREUND • Background photos courtesy of ELLIE ROTH • Art by SARAH BAKHASH and KELLYN SCHEEL

The Art of Transforming your World into a Scrapbook

Letters, recipes, art, and poems have been common in books since the 15th century. With the recession following World War I, the art of scrapbooking dropped; people still kept memories of their photos and cards, but they were rarely stored in albums and commonplace books. Memories that would previously be kept in scrapbooks were now stored in boxes and rarely looked at. It was only when digital photography became popular that scrapbooking became another hit. People were eager to purchase photo albums and put memories down onto paper. What has once been considered an individual hobby is now a social event. Scrapbooking has become a popular art form worldwide, and the pursuit of expressing art in crafting continues to grow.

Existing for ages, scrapbooking is a way to preserve memories and capture specific moments. Recently with the comeback of film, it has become increasingly popular to capture the “raw” moment without any editing, sorting through photos, or frequent posing. By taking film photos, using art and using design strategies, scrapbooking has also become a way to bring life to photos as well as express how a moment felt. Paly alumni Anushe Irani’s love for film serves as an alternative to her phone. She thinks that the strategy of taking photos is different for everyone, but for her, it’s about which photos she will look back on.

“When taking a photo I usually like to take candids of my friends and family when they are unaware and happy,” Irani said. “I think it results in the best photo.”

Scrapbooks may consist of multiple mediums including art, poetry, and even small keepsakes such as receipts, movie tickets or even notes. While some scrapbooks center around the written component, other people prefer to add more art to their spreads. The techniques used within the art pieces reflect how people want to express themselves and uncover unique ways to use materials to show art. Illustrator, painter, and collage maker Bianca Dunn prioritizes accessibility and using whatever materials she can find.

“One thing I really like about [collage making] is starting to get creative with your materials,” Dunn said. “Just being on a lookout and looking at everything it could be [as an] art medium.”

Coloring, drawing, stenciling, painting and calligraphy are all commonly used tools when creating a scrapbook. Katya Oks, a Paly junior, has a hobby for participating in making handwritten letters and scrapbook pages.

“I love using random old books which I can get for free, and ripping up pages and using them in my letters to add a cool detail,” Oks said. “I also love using brush pens and stickers, but also would love to start integrating pressed flowers as well as pictures, that would look really pretty.”

A typical scrapbook spread only consists of two to three photos before it turns into a photo album. Therefore, choosing what photos to put in a scrapbook becomes a limited, careful process. Only a few photos can reflect the actual experience while also matching the design of the spread. Taking photos that portray a special memory or meaningful experience becomes a priority.

“I choose to capture moments that I want to be able to look back on, which usually involve my friends and family,” Irani said.

The style of the photo also contributes to the effect it has on the spread. This may be the actual quality of the photo, the specific angle it was taken from or even its size.

“I like taking film pictures because they capture colors that digital cameras are not able to,” Irani said.

While all scrapbooks may focus on different things, they all require and revolve around one thing: design. When it comes to designing around photos and writing, making a cohesive spread that reflects a memory can be challenging but also a relaxing experience. Dunn likes to piece everything together from the inside out while being guided by her emotion.

“I think collage [making] can be really freeing because you’re just using your hands and [doing] less thinking,” Dunn said. “It’s more [of a] feeling.”

The skills don’t come quickly though. Dunn’s process of collage-making starts with magazine flipping, tearing and cutting.

“I just remember spending hours making tons of little rolls of tape and cutting out magazines from National Geographic and fashion magazines,” Dunn said.

Her tasks also include a lot of sorting, discarding, rearranging and looking at the piece from different perspectives. Comparatively to using film, all of the other components added to the spread are required in order to bring the moment to life.

“You can get some really weird images and put them together,” Dunn said. “[Then] you’re starting to play with reality.”

While journaling allows people to note down their feelings and emotions, scrapbooking consists of the art of filling up blank pages with memorabilia.

“I’ve tried scrapbooking, and it not only helps me capture memories, but it also shows a therapeutic way of positively remembering those memories,” Oks said.

Incorporating pictures and souvenirs into scrapbooks help capture and freeze a moment whilst conveying an emotion. Paly junior Kiara Tavakoli uses and publicizes her art in order to express her emotions.

“Photos can help to capture the moment but art has an emotional attachment to it,” Tavakoli said. “When you combine art and photos into a scrapbook the pictures encapsulate into incredible art, which allows for a genuine amount of connection to the moment and pictures.”

Scrapbooking can help people combine the skill of journaling with the craftiness of scrapbooking, and bring appreciation to the ability to incorporate art with memories. By making scrapbook pages, people can bring memories to life and relive them.

“Handwritten letters and scrapbooking have so much more effort put into them, and that’s what makes them so much more personalized,” Oks said. “It feels a lot better to receive a letter as opposed to a simple text message because it shows how someone puts in the extra work into making something.”