There are two things you should know about me.
They're kind of contradictory, I know.
A. I am a sap for sentiment.
B. I love change.
Right?! I don't get it either. I love the old. So much so that I chose to study History for a major. But the new? That's where the action is-- keeps things interesting. Still, I can't just move on and leave things be (there's a good southern phrase for you). No, no. I'm much too sentimental for that.
Yes I do exhaust myself, thankyouverymuch.
Here's how all of this has to do with my project proposal for the semester:
My Dad (pictured below with wax Beyonce)
just took a job offer to move 2 hours Northwest of Little Rock (the capital is pictured below)
(where my whole family is currently located)
(whole family)
for a really cool, program building, technology integrating, innovative teaching position.
We are so excited. (that's the change-lovins in me)
But. I grew up at this house for literally my entire life. Save for the first four months. (herein lies the sentiment-lovins in me)
We are now officially in the process of packing up 21 years, and I treasure the little things that mean much more than they let on. Specifically, I treasure the 3 boxes of miscellaneous memories my Mom has been collecting over the years--Papers, particularly meaningful cards, scribbled notes and four-year-old's drawings, journals, diplomas. I know that my family probably wishes I'd treasure these things a little less, because as they do actual work to pack up the house, I'm sitting in the corner with these "treasures."
My proposal, then, is to make sitting in a corner with these things an assignment. "Sorry, y'all, I have to do this." ;)
This project is my out from packing.
Win for me. Hopefully win for you. Definite loss for the packing effort.
Here's the plan:
I'll archive these objects that've collected over the years. From one medium (card, paper, printed photo) to another (digital, baby!), I want to document the 21 years this box represents. There are many ways to do this, but I will limit myself to 3.
1. Take photos of the actual documents themselves-- not a whole digital archive of each page, but one (or 4!) representative picture of each object to convey what it is.
2. Type up the content. Mother's day card, acceptance letter, kindergarten journal-- no matter. With the transcript, I will offer a few words of context. This will be to convey what the document means.
3. I'd like to do a little video-documenting along the way. An interview of my Mom explaining how she chose what to keep and when she decided to start keeping this collection. A video of my sister describing what it was like to win first chair of All-State madrigals-- alto. Dad discussing highlights of working for the same hospital for 21 years and how it has changed over time.
I'm excited for the possibilities! I'll be able to grab these boxes from home over fall break and plan to document at least two objects from them every week. I'd like to do so here on this blog, with all of my entries for Operation Sentimental Heart classified under a separate page.
You may now consider my idea proposed.
I really like your project idea, and deciding to store your memories in a different medium. I unfortunately never had the experience of having one BIG move, rather my family moved around every 3 or 4 years. I think that this will be really rewarding for you when you come across objects that trigger almost forgotten memories :)
ReplyDeleteMoving while you're in college is weird. That's all I have to say. Granted, I hadn't lived in the same house for my whole life..only like 3 years, but it was WEIRD. It still is weird. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing all your treasures. Especially, because my "teacher brain" loves reading things that kids write. Even "baby" Sadie. haha :)
ReplyDeleteSadie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jenn, this is an excellent project, and I too look forward to the results. fact is, my family made a big move after being in a house for 25 years, and it was devastating for me, but at the same time I think if I would have had the idea of archiving that house and all its memories, it would have been a lot happier in many regards. It's like Claudia Emerson says, I house is alive, and the example of her house hits home for me, the previous owner let her a manual for taking care of her house, how wild would that be if you left a manual for the new owners. What should they know about your house? A kind of frame for the memories, and what happened there, both materially and otherwise.
This summer I worked at a historical society where there were PILES of artifacts and ephemera just waiting to be digitized but without anyone to do the work. It was a frustrating sight because many of the items (WWI & II letters, journals, photos, etc.) are in good condition now, but who knows where they'll end up in 10 or 20 years. My job really taught me the significance of preserving documents, so I think your project will give you worthwhile results even if digitizing is time-consuming process.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to your project so much! What an awesome way to document your past and prepare for your future. Can't wait to see this unfold!
ReplyDelete[...] I’ve begun the project proposed in this post. [...]
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