Welcome To Week In The Life 2012 | Thoughts On Getting Started
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Photo spread from Week In The Life Sunday 2011.
Welcome to Week In The Life 2012!
I know many of your around the world have already started the process of documenting your week - thanks for sharing your excitement via Facebook!
Two things before I share some additional thoughts on this process:
• SHARING YOUR CONTENT |In my post tomorrow morning, where I share my words and photos from today, I'll include a spot for you to link to your photos and words. It's been fun the last few years to check out all the different links to see what's happening for others as they experience the content gathering portion of this project. In addition, here's a couple other places to share: (1) Big Picture Free Week In The Life Community (message board + gallery) and (2) Flickr Week In The Life 2012.
• GIVEAWAYS | Today begins a week long series of giveaways celebrating this project. Each day you will find a new giveaway post featuring two of my Week In The Life giveaway sponsors. The giveaway post will be open from 3am Pacific to 9am Pacific the following day. On Sunday I'll have a giveaway featuring all the 2012 Title Sponsors. All the winners will be posted next week on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Don't miss today's giveaways from Chic Tags and The Vintage Pearl. Click here to see what they are giving away and leave a comment to enter.
THOUGHTS ON GETTING STARTED 2012
As I get ready to embark on this project once again, I wanted to share a few things that are rattling around in my mind:
1. FIND YOUR OWN RHYTHM.I usually begin with lots of enthusiasm and end feeling so very ready for it to be over. And that's totally okay. This can be an intense project - it's also one that is very rewarding when you commit to seeing it all the way through. Everyone is going to have their own pace with this project. Set yourself up for success with the right attitude: you'll do the best you can with what you have in front of you. For some of you your rhythm will be all iphone photos with text documentation via Instagram (love the idea of using that one tool to capture the words + the photos). Others will use the Daily Sheets as you go about your day. Some will use a blank journal or a Smashbook. There's no right or wrong. Make it work for you.
2. USE WHAT YOU HAVE.A combination of iphone and dslr photos will likely make it into my album. With this project I tend to use my big camera more because I'm thinking about it - and it's good practice. So many of my favorite shots happen during this week because I take more photos than usual of whatever it is that's happening around here. And I keep it simple.
3. THOUGHTS ABOUT THE "STUFF."Week In The Life used to be more about capturing the "stuff" than it is these days (for me at least - again, make it what you want it to be). Last year when I did WITL I collected very little stuff - for me it's mainly because I'm already actively capturing those things in Project Life. What I liked and learned last year is removing the "stuff" component enabled me to focus more on the words + photos for this project. It's really totally and completely up to you. I loved the stuff that I gathered in my older Week In The Life albums.
4. NO GUILT. I say this every time - with all the projects. If you miss an afternoon or a day don't throw out the entire project. All the stories and photos you collect can come together into a million different formats.
5. LIFE HAPPENS.Good, bad, sad, crazy, boring, fun, life-changing, life-affirming, life-challenging. Anything can and does happen because that's how life goes. Be open to capturing it.
6. HAVE FUN. Sometimes this project can feel a little like a chore - especially towards the end of the week. Make it fun. This is something I'm going to try to remember as this week progresses. When I start feeling stressed or overwhelmed I'm going to be conscious of it and just take a step back and a deep breath. When it starts feeling like that something that often helps me is to figure out what I haven't captured yet. Did I manage to get photos of breakfast each day but nothing of dinner because I was too busy? Do I have a ton of photos of Simon and very few of Anna? What's missing? Asking myself those sorts of questions usually helps get me back on track to finish out the week.
7. BE REAL. Yes. Your life may look completely different next year or two years from now...mine certainly looks different than last summer. The cast of characters is essentially the same but there are some very big differences. Take this opportunity to document what your life is like right now - all of it. My hope, and one of the reasons I keep doing this project, is that you use this as an opportunity, not just as a creative project, to take a good look at your life. What do your love? What do you dislike? What do you hope never changes and what would you change right now if you could? Show me the wonderful, simple everyday pieces of your life.
Wishing you all the best as you embark on this journey of documentation!
Ready, set, go!
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96 comments
Ali,
Can you double check the link to the Daily Sheets? When I click on it, the link takes me to the give away pages and not the sheet or else I am really messing up.
Have taken tons of photos already today. Am excited to see how it all comes together as the days go on.
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Thanks for catching that - here's the correct link (and it's updated above): http://aliedwards.com/2011/07/week-in-the-life-thoughts-on-the-process-daily-sheet-pdf.html
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here we go...never done this before and life feels a lot crazy this week. i figure that's how life is though, and i am passionate about documenting it so we can look back at it as a family and appreciate this life of ours. i know it'll be a challenge, but i'm really hopeful that with all your insider tips/encouragement, and support i will have a completed album next week. off to grab a photo of the laundry that awaits me :)
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Wow... 3.9 earthquake here in Orange County... That's something to start the week!!!
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Thanks for sharing all your thoughts and ideas, Ali. I took my pics last week and am going to put it all together this week. I did 2 WIL last year and I love going through them-I think they're my favorites of all my albums. Thanks for all your encouragement! Your sharing of your life has made a BIG difference in many lives around the world!
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Okay it's time for me to join in instead of following. I took lots of pics yesterday not even realizing the Week in the Life started yesterday. Went shopping with my future daughter in law for bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses.
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Love your projects Ali!
Forgot to do anything this morning but then shot lots on my phone. So happy to be doing a Week in the Life! thank you!
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Great to hear what the details are of doing this project. I am doing Project Life so I don't think I will double up. But it is good to see what you capture in photos and stories.
Aloha, Kate
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Great thoughts! I went to my daughter's preschool this morning and caught their day in pictures. I'm so excited to put it together. I wouldn't have done it if I had t been prompted by WITL. Thanks!
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HELP!!! I'm starting to panic, I'm not going to have "enough" photos for today or "good enough" photos. Although it happens, my entire day was changed. Both of my kids are home sick from school! As a result, I'm home. Tonight we had a school/family night event (I thought for sure that is where I would capture my enlarged photo) we will miss because they are sick. It's been rainy here all day so going outside for photos will have to wait. I SO NEED some inspiration! I still have plenty of day left, I have to keep telling myself that!!! I NEED some positive INSPIRATION.......SUGGESTIONS.....
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Audra - do not panic LOL. Take a step back and a really deep breath. Let go of "good enough" and think with your heart vs. your head about what you'd like to capture in what's happening right here and now. Take photos of precisely what's happening - your kids in their beds, you taking care of them, pouring juice or water, a photo of your calendar as a representation of what's changed in your day. Take advantage of being at home and go around your house and take shots of the stuff you see all the time but don't "really see" because you are moving too fast...
Ali,
THANK YOU! I SO needed that! I CAN do it and I WILL do it! Looking forward to seeing your images!
I love what Ali said to you, keep going this is what real life is like. This has happened to me also and in my December Daily when the kids got sick and we canceled plans. The kids love reading back on these times just as much and it really shows what our day was like even when it's changed. You can really get good shots for this day and lots of good writing about your thoughts on what happened. Don't give up and even with only a few pictures it's still enough!! ENJOY and hope they feel better soon.
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I wasn't super excited about this project last night but I knew that once I started taking pics today I would get into it. It's 2:30 and I've already taken 119 pics. Glad I found my groove! Love WITL!!! Enjoy everyone :)
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I think i need a little planning.. very few pictures up to now but possibly a busy evening for photo taking!
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Ali, what type of lens do you normally shoot with on your Canon? And do you shoot auto or manually? I wasn't going to participate this year cuz I am in a weird photo-taking funk lately--but then I decided to give my inner self a break when I realized that I just need one shot to consider the day "recorded." Thank you.
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I use a 24-70 lens. I use AV mode - I've been in that funk and what actually got me out was taking a ton of photos that I didn't care about (at least not initially) - just trying stuff, playing with angles and height and light.
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I was so excited about joining in this week, but then we had a problem in our house that we've had to deal with and repair, so we're living with my parents for a few weeks. I'm already stressed out over everything, so I decided that I need to NOT take this project on this week. But, I am really looking forward to checking out what everyone else comes up with!
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I am so pumped! This is my first year participating and I'm so in love with it so far.
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Looking forward to this, it will be different in many ways for me than last years. I almost decided not to join in as I was feeling unsure of what way to document it album wise, I decided on the mini smash journal and then created and printed forms for what I wanted to document along the week for each day!
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I have a friend who is doing 52 weeks and she is loving it - I think I will start my week today (even though its Tuesday here). Thank you for the inspiration.
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I started WItF last week because this week is not a typical week for our family. So, I am almost finished! Only two more days. It has been so much fun and I learned last year to document really well using Ali's Daily Sheets. My emphasis this year has been to capture the stories better. The babysitter, my husband, and I all write on the Daily Sheets. The sheets will be part of my final documentation so that my daughter can see how we all participated in this project to document a week in her life. Such a fun project. Can't wait to see how it turns out for Ali and the rest of you.
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I can't wait! I have decided to start on Wed Apr 25 as there is too much unusual stuff happening today and tomorrow. I am SO excited to get into WITL for the very first time - and for me, rebelling by starting on a different date than everybody else will really set the go-with-the-flow tone that I need for this project!! :) GOOD LUCK & ENJOY THE RIDE, EVERYBODY!
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I've never done this project before, and since I don't do PL (I'm scared), I'm really excited to try. I'm looking at it as a smaller version of PL. I have a template set up, and I'm looking forward to see how it comes together.
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Dude. 1st day in, and we've had first-time dent fillings, and now a trip to the ER for a broken wrist! This could be a looooong week.
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