| Having studied sociology many years ago I have an | | | | society we live in today? They will see a great need in |
| enduring interest in society and history, and as one of | | | | us to be creative, there is something about the |
| millions of scrapbookers I consider the activity of | | | | process of making something that absorbs us in a |
| scrapbooking to be nothing less than social | | | | powerful energy, loses us in time and frees our minds, |
| documentation. | | | | enriching our lives, giving us the opportunity to discover |
| There are many themes and styles employed in the | | | | our own true original creativity. Conversely, I'm sure |
| creation of scrapbooks and the keeping of journals, | | | | they will see a very commercial aspect, where caring |
| and sometimes there is apparently no theme at all, | | | | people create books concerning their passions but will |
| merely an interest in color balance, or found objects or | | | | also witness a great similarity between the pages |
| an abstraction of some sort. | | | | wrought by the multitudes of us who call ourselves |
| The creators of themed page layouts and books may | | | | 'scrapbookers'. They may well be quite amazed at the |
| concern themselves with the family archive: it's history, | | | | huge industry behind the scenes of this domestic |
| specific members, events such as birthdays, weddings, | | | | explosion, providing us with vast batches of printed |
| births and deaths, pets and the recording of | | | | matter to buy and use to make pages that are similar |
| achievements in academia and sports. Work and | | | | and formulaic. |
| related pursuits either in training or recreation, and | | | | So what will the sociologists and our future generations |
| hobbies from all areas of inquiry can be and are | | | | learn from us and our endeavors? Among other things |
| included in scrapbooks and journals - from 'at home' | | | | they will learn about how we spend our leisure time, |
| events like gardening including seasonal and planting | | | | working singly, in family groups or 'crop' gatherings. Our |
| observations, cooking with tips and recipes, needle arts | | | | individual works will reveal our interests and passions |
| and DIY home improvements... to notebooks recording | | | | and fashions and our collective works will expose a |
| findings and lessons learned on week-end retreats, | | | | wider picture for the sociologist to unravel. They will |
| educational trips and holidays. | | | | indicate our place in history, we do not stand outside of |
| In short, every aspect of our lives, loves and losses | | | | time of course, and so our works will be evaluted in |
| may be witnessed and preserved for a future | | | | world terms, i.e. - what events are (or were) |
| generation to gain an insight into our individual worlds, all | | | | considered politically relevant, economically attainable, |
| areas of our personal experience take expression in | | | | environmentally important, socially acceptable and |
| keeping notes,taking photographs, collecting | | | | spiritually searching. |
| memorabilia and collating them into a cohesive whole. | | | | So - what do you want to say and what do your |
| But what does our work say about us? What will | | | | scrapbooking activities say about you? |
| future generations see and read into our lives and the | | | | |