| Scrapbooking: Unleashing Senior’s Creativity |
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| Written by David Delaney |
| Wednesday, 21 January 2009 12:10 |
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Scrapbooking, even in the middle of the Internet age, has been steadily gathering steam as an alternative hobby. There’s just something intimate about feeling the paper, touching the photos and smelling the scrapbooking glue that make it more real, more romantic, more intimate compared to simply uploading to Flicker, Myspace and Facebook. And this old world charm is only one of the reasons that make it a perfect thing for seniors to enjoy. A scrapbook, simply put, is a personalized and decorated photo album, but as any scrapbooking junkie will tell you, it is deeper than that. Scrapbooking is a combination of history, genealogy, memorabilia collection, nostalgia inducing portal, and personal journal. That makes scrapbooking a multi-creative hobby. Here are some reasons why scrapbooking is surely something everyone, most especially seniors can enjoy.Recovering lost memories For seniors just starting the hobby, it starts with the shoebox. Yes, those old photos in shoeboxes up in the attic, in the closet, and under the books in the library. One of the best things that seniors will enjoy is digging through their life, their past, the people who have come and gone, and the people who are still there. It’s all about recovering long forgotten memories of that trip to Bermuda, that old flame, the first date, the honeymoon. Hunting for old photos and mementos and looking through them makes for a great day or two. It’s a free holiday to all the places you’ve ever gone to without even spending a cent or leaving home. Releasing creative energies While you need not have a degree in the arts to start a scrapbook, it is indeed at its heart a creative endeavor. There are no rules in scrapbooking beyond the long collectively agreed upon sizes and models best for scrapbooking, or what type of non-acidic glue, paper and pen you should use to protect you treasure. Materials are easy enough to come by and are relatively inexpensive. The key is to let the scrapbook come alive with your own creativity. It allows seniors to reacquaint themselves with their childhood art classes or let them discover a creative flair they never knew they had. Releasing their creativity will keep them focused, sharp, and best of all, happy.
Doing more activities, creating new memories With all their life’s memories to put into books, seniors may find they are in for a long project. However, it is not healthy to just keep busy indoors, as people young and old need to get their fill of fresh air and sunshine. Scrapbooking can be one for the reasons to go and do activities that they haven’t gotten around to doing, like learning to play tennis, hiking, or camping. Strengthening family ties And best of all, scrapbooks can bring a family closer together. Through technology, you can now order your genealogy online. But looking at a printed document is meaningless without the knowledge of the people in the list. A scrapbook of the family’s history will not only elicit some ooohs and aaaaah from the grandkids, they’ll also empower the scrapbook maker, being the “expert” and keeper of the family’s rich history. In scrapbooking, the product that is produced is more than the sum of its parts. You can see the photos and the designs, but if you dig deeper and look closer you will see the imprint of a person’s life. It captures not merely the images for posterity, but also the essence of the owner. |
