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Lost & Found

Finding Treasure My maternal grandmother is my earliest recollection of the impact of combining words and photos. I was so blessed by her “pen pal” style letters that periodically landed in my college mailbox. They always included a couple of photos from our last visit, or the latest treasures that bloomed in her garden. Whenever I saw my name written in her handwriting, waiting to be discovered in my mailbox, my heart would flutter with excitement. My Mama Dede was such a fun loving role model in my life. She had a laugh that would make anyone smile or join in- whether you were in on the joke, or not. Reminiscing brings it all back again… so much love. I am so blessed.  Partners in Crime Not only a master gardener, Mama Dede (known as Edith to her peers) was president of her gardening club in the town of Elizabeth City, NC.  She would design, organize, decorate and make the town bloom with her [...]

By |2023-05-24T16:45:19+00:00May 24, 2023|connection, declutter, digitizing, finding help, managing photos, Photo Tips, photos, preservation|
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The Worst Thing Ever

When we struggle When things that happen (or don't) in life and we look at our role in the unwanted outcome, stress & overwhelm take over. Assigning blame doesn't help; It just makes the pain increase. We lose sight of the actual facts of any situation when we are drowning in all of the negative emotions that cloud our judgment. It’s as if our FEELINGS become the negative story tellers. Is that really an objective, helpful, constructive voice?  Are you living your worst case scenario in one area of life that casts shadows on all other topics, too? When we're talking about our personal photo collections, this is a perfect example of how the lack of clarity guides us directly out of success mindset and deep into a mental torture chamber.  When we are full of grief, regret and stuck there, often we discover more layers of  “worst case” scenarios unfolding. If you've ready any of my blog before you know I'm no stranger [...]

By |2023-03-13T17:25:33+00:00March 13, 2023|connection, digitizing, finding help, managing photos, mindset, online course, personal growth, preservation|
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ICYMI: A new lease on life!

Confessions of a Control Freak (COACF-recap) ICYMI - The past few weeks have been full of pain. Just kidding! Quite the opposite.  The “Confessions” or “COACF” series was intended to create honesty, vulnerability and authenticity here in our safe space of photo lovers.  I’m clearing out a lot of emotional and habitual clutter to make room for so many wonderful things to happen. Here’s a recap or remedies we’re relishing: Self-compassion is a shortcut that allows us to welcome positive change Finding trust means letting go of old beliefs that get in the way Trading in perfectionism for joy means letting go of a lot of head clutter And the list of small, measured changes that make the greatest impact over time! Life is precious, memories are priceless and when we share our best memories with those we love, new wonderful stories are created … It’s like the butterfly effect!  Wikipedia says the butterfly effect is when a small subtle change can cause much greater [...]

By |2022-10-10T15:36:32+00:00October 24, 2022|capturing moments, community, Digital Peace, digitizing, gifts, managing photos, online course, personal growth, photos, Sharing Photos|
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Confessions of a Control Freak

This one’s for my fellow life-long learners and uplifters... the ones who know there's always room to grow. It all comes down to how we talk to ourselves. I hope these words find people who also want to live a better way- to prosper, connect, enrich and appreciate the beautiful lives we have. Let’s add more fun and more beauty as we go! What are we telling ourselves? We gather information from our own experiences and by observing others, often mis-interpreting how things unfold. Then our brains file them away as rules to live by- that’s life. Our ego adds details for our own protection… sometimes making the situation far more dangerous to keep us away. Well, that’s how I lived until recently. Decades of gathering mis-information has grown into layers of self-limiting beliefs for me. I’ve been doing some self evaluation, gained new awareness, and now I’m choosing to give myself compassion & forgiveness. I’ve decided to confess & release those layers [...]

By |2022-10-01T22:10:37+00:00October 3, 2022|community, connection, Digital Peace, digitizing, finding help, managing photos, personal growth, special event|
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I was once a bank teller- HATED IT!

Did you know this about me?  First of all- NO DISRESPECT to any bankers out there. I actually may have loved it if I’d taken a different approach. No placing blame, it’s just a story with some lessons.  I was in college and needed a summer job. I jumped at the opportunity to collect a regular paycheck -without considering if I’d LIKE the work. I can honestly say it was the WORST job experience of all time for me. Can you relate?  Looking back, it’s now easy to find so many good lessons that were waiting to be learned from every experience- even the unpleasant ones. At the top of the list- knowing what I DON’T like is just as important as knowing what I DO like.  Without a challenge, or negative emotions to help us recognize something we dislike, how else would we look for something better to aim for and appreciate? Rewards are all around us, waiting to be allowed in!  Now [...]

By |2022-09-15T19:15:02+00:00September 19, 2022|capturing moments, connection, digitizing, finding help, photos, Uncategorized|
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Don’t drag emotional truckloads with you

Did you know the average American car owner buys 9.4 cars in a lifetime? Imagine if you parked every car you ever owned in your driveway or garage? How much space would that occupy? And what if they can no longer be driven? Do you keep the broken down ones, bring them with you if you were to take a job or retire across the country? Of course not!  The added expense and logistical annoyances are too great to consider this. Trade in, sell or donate them and welcome the space for vehicles that serve you.  And yet it happens all the time with our captured memories; Our photos and memorabilia are completely irreplaceable if they were to be lost, so we literally drag 'emotional carloads' from one place to another until we either decide to UPDATE the formats, edit them down, or do the unthinkable; Toss them out! Some see little value in these captured moments, but let's be honest- That's not the [...]

By |2022-08-26T15:54:58+00:00August 22, 2022|capturing moments, community, connection, declutter, digitizing, finding help, managing photos, Photo Tips, photos, Sharing Photos|
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Doing [Scary] New Things

I was a guest on a podcast!!! You may be thinking… ‘So what, Kris; What’s the big deal? You’ve been on stage, TV, directed countless productions and are no stranger to a zoom call. Why not a podcast?’ Well, it was a FIRST for me, and I honestly got REALLY nervous beforehand. Firsts can be scary When I booked the appointment to record with the host, I was actually living in a dorm room in downtown Chicago with my younger teenager, dreaming of the comforts of home. I was excited to find a new platform to find more of the audience I want to serve. It was a small win. It seemed so far in the distant future… but then the day arrived and my nerves set in! My stress response was pretty significant, and a racing heart was only one noticeable symptom. I am coming clean when I admit that I generated so much mental drama- yikes! But then I decided to practice [...]

By |2022-08-15T15:57:42+00:00August 15, 2022|capturing moments, community, connection, finding help, managing photos, photos, special event|
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Demo to Delivery; Kindness shines brightly

MORE KINDNESS: It’s the soothing emotion that calms a feeling of need. It’s the gold bottle of water from a Lyft driver on a hot summer day. It’s reminiscing over a rediscovered moment, for the purpose of letting a grandchild know their late grandfather better. It’s the card my grandmother wrote me when I was away at college, that I keep in my old Bible so I find it when I open it each time and her voice is immediately brought back to mind by the sight of her handwriting. That's one way I practice kindness for myself; I allow that memory to continue to bless and affirm me. In my work, I love witnessing and delivering moments of kindness through my clients' rediscovered memories. That’s why I love #DeliveryDay. Kindness is the current that flows, but it doesn’t happen instantly. Much happens behind the scenes before #DeliveryDay can happen. Speaking of "behind the scenes," those close to me can attest to my love and adoration [...]

By |2022-08-08T16:28:01+00:00August 8, 2022|community, connection, managing photos, photos, Sharing Photos, Uncategorized|
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Saving the World With a Photo Album

Ok, ok. Maybe that's a bit over-the-top, but the truth of the matter is we are living creatures in an energetic world, meant for human interaction and without "touch" we would cease to exist. Literally, we as a human race cannot thrive without human touch.. sure we have discovered many things we didn't think of doing virtually until a pandemic hit, and now we are masterful at things we didn't know we would be. However the suffering from separating loved ones from one another and their communities has taken a toll. I am so thankful that my immediate family survived and in some ways thrived through new skills acquired, however I've never been more committed to my mission than I am today; Helping people live their best lives and share them with other to inspire greater connections, stronger communities and an enriched future! I just happen to use photos/videos to accomplish that. Now, back to the topic at hand: PHOTO ALBUMS. This is an [...]

By |2022-06-28T23:20:03+00:00June 28, 2022|albums, community, connection, finding help, photo albums, photos, scrapbooks, Sharing Photos, Uncategorized|
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Is it Time to Tidy Up Your Camera Roll?

It's finally happened; What I said I would never do... I did it and likely you did too. We use our cell phones as our main cameras. Why not? It's with us all the time! It fits in pockets, the lenses are far more powerful than any point-and-shoot camera I ever owned. Honestly these photos are fantastic (many of them) so why not? Cell phones have made it easy to constantly take tons of photos for free. (That actually depends on the definition of free.) Here are some questions to answer to know if you may be in need of a little tidying up in your photo library. Do you have over 1,000 photos in your phone? Do you have too many frames to look through to find a good one? Do you take longer than a minute to find a given photo? Would you lose your photos entirely if you lost your phone right now? Do you take photos on your phone regularly? [...]

By |2022-05-31T17:24:31+00:00May 31, 2022|community, managing photos, Photo Tips, special event|
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