7 REASONS WHY PHOTO CAN BRING HAPPINESS
Photographs
play an important role in everyone’s life – they connect us to our past, they
remind us of people, places, feelings, and stories. They can help us to know
who we are. For people who grew up in children’s institutions, photographs are especially
important – sadly, this is because for so many people, the photographs most of
us take for granted We live in a world
where everyone has endless access to a camera and pictures are constantly being
taken. But does that mean we appreciate pictures any more?
Are we doing7
reasons why photographs can boost your happiness.
Photographs
are such a joy, and I don't know about you, but I'm much more focused on taking
photographs now that cameras and phones have evolved to make taking photos so
much easier. I used to begrudge the time that I spent on photos, but now I realize the role they can play in
happiness.
1. Photos
remind us of the people, places, and activities we love. Many people keep
photos in their homes, in their office, or in their wallet, and happy families
tend to display large numbers of photos at home. In Happier at Home, I write
about my "shrine to my family" made of photographs.
2. Photos
help us remember the past. One of the best ways to make yourself happy in the
present is to recall happy times from the past. Photos are a great
memory-prompt, and because we tend to take photos of happy occasions, they
weight our memories to the good.
3. Photos
can save space while preserving memories. Through a friend, I heard about a
fantastic service, Plum Print, "the simple solution for storing and
preserving kids' artwork." I mailed in a giant, awkward pile of my younger
daughter's artwork and school work from her early days, and Plum Print
transformed it into a lovely hardback book. That's the final product, in the
picture. My daughter's work looks great,
she's thrilled with her "book," and I have a slim, tidy record of
everything she made for several years. I saved a few of the actual pieces, then
threw away the rest. A friend was shocked that I tossed any of it, but I have a
record of it, I kept the best pieces, and I've found that mementos work best
when they're carefully culled and displayed.
(Disclosure: I got my Plum Print book for free.)
4. A photo
of something can sometimes replace the thing itself. After my friend's beloved
father died, she wanted to keep his enormous desk, as a memento--but she really
didn't have space for it. She took a photo of it, and then was able to let go
of the desk. Strangely, too, a photograph of something can be more beautiful
than the thing itself. Consider Edward
Weston's photographs of peppers.
5.
Photographs allow you to curate things you love. Taking a picture is a way to
"claim" something. On Pinterest, I love to add things to my From the
Ministry of Happiness board. It's a way to make a collection without having to
buy or cope with anything.
6. Taking
photos fosters creativity. My delightful friend Maria Giacchino, who does my
videos, takes and posts one photograph each day. The images are beautiful, and
the need to find the day's photo keeps her engaged with the world in a creative
way.
7. Taking
photographs can act as a diary. I'm always trying to figure out ways to keep
hold of memories. My one-sentence journal, for instance. I try to use photographs
to record the little moments that are so precious but also so easily
forgotten. One thing I wish I could tell
my younger self: take photos of everyday life, not special occasions; later,
that's what will be interesting to you.
What have I
forgotten? What are some other ways that photos can boost your happiness?
pictures right?, don’t exist.
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