Self Pages: Who are you?

by Rockester

"Whhoooo are you? Who? Who? Who? Who? I really wanna know!" These are the lyrics of a popular song by a classic rock band called The Who in 1978. (Am I dating myself?) Well, who are YOU?

Have you ever done a page just about yourself? Well, you should. You are an important part of your family and YOU need to be documented too! Your parents, children, and siblings as well as friends and coworkers would love to see a page about you now and then. Put one in your own personal albums or in group albums. Tell the world a little about the things you love and hate and enjoy. Don't be shy! Tell them the foods you love, your pet peeves, and the highlights in your life so far. Here is how I did a page about myself recently for a group directory I participated in for a chat/message group. You can use it as a model for your own Self Page.

Choose the Photo

Choose a photo or two that show your real self. You may have a quiet side that no one sees. Include that. Or perhaps you have a wild and crazy side? Express that in the photos you choose. Or even blend the moods by showing several photos that show your different moods. You can also do a sequence like a filmstrip showing "The Many Moods" of (your name here).

Choose the Papers

I went through certain steps to determine what I wanted my page to look like and to say. First I chose a photo as above. then I chose papers that I loved that really expressed the mood of my photos for my Self Page. My favorite color is blue. So I used that color scheme. Perhaps you love a certain color. Use it! Or perhaps a certain artist and style is a favorite. (Think Mary Engelbreit, Jill Rinner, Sharon Ann, Rebecca Sower, K and Co, or Debbie Mumm??) Use their papers if so! Since I was going with blues, I chose a set of blue papers that were soft and muted. Perhaps it was just my mood that day but they seemed right to me. Don't think too hard on paper choices. Your first inclination is probably the best one to follow.

Add a Poem or Quote

I think the written word conveys so much of our true selves. We may not all be poets but we can use quotes or poems written by others to express beautifully what is INSIDE us. I searched several different poem and quote sites and found examples to fit my mood and the photos for my Self Page. I searched for keywords like Self, Me, Hope, Dream, and Life until I found a few good ones to choose from. I printed them out so I could see how I liked them. I settled on one that expressed my message about myself the best. As you can see you do not have to be a scholar or a writer in order to use great words! Just borrow some of these!

Add Some Artwork if you Like

My choices of the Mothers Day art and the Scrapbooking Day art seemed to cover all the bases for me--both my private side and my professional side. I printed both sets onto vellum on the computer printer so I could color behind the artwork with chalks for a soft effect. Combined with the "Who You Are" poem, a few page accents from the artwork and my photos, I should have enough for a very nice Self Page.

Add Some Personal Journaling

If you like, you can add a touch of personal journaling to your page. Certainly you can add vital statistics like your name and height and personal favorites. Or write a little essay on the important things in life or about your philosophy. Be sure to add lots of descriptive words and emotion to your words. Don't worry if it seems pained, corny, sentimental, or gushy. That is just what we want. A hearty message. If it is sappy, but genuine, be proud of it! Tell us not only that you love gardening, but WHY!?? Who introduced you to it? What does it make you feel like? Are you a kid again digging in the dirt? This is just the kind of thing your loved ones will want to know about you. You can even hide this kind of journaling underneath a piece of artwork like I did under my vellum accents.

Create that Self Page!

Put it all together in a pleasing layout format that you like and presto! Your photos, poem, quote, artwork, journaling and paper all combine to quickly create a work of art that tells us who you are. Don't let your own identity get lost in your albums. We want to know the scrapbooker behind the lens! Put yourself on the page soon! You might just learn a few things about yourself in the process!
Happy Scrapping!