kris@krisledonne.com
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declutter

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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A Legacy of Kindness

Kindness has been a recurring theme lately. I find myself talking about it, noticing it in the others, and also encouraging my children to be above all else, kind. With this filter in place, I find myself saying thank you more ofte n, gathering more smiles, giving more smiles and attracting a kinder world around me. Even the restaurant who gave me a free smoothie because I thought I' d ordered one... (I hadn't but they still gave me one regardless.) Kindness is a happy space to live and breathe in. I also find it easier to return to this mindset when I slip up; My practice must be paying off!  I recently lost a customer (it feels strange to call her a customer because she meant so much to me.) Emotions come in waves and instead of sharing words of sadness, I’ll honor her memory by sharing a taste of the kindness she brought to my world. Judy was one of my favorite [...]

By |2022-08-01T19:49:40+00:00August 1, 2022|albums, capturing moments, declutter, digitizing, finding help, gifts, managing photos, photos, Sharing Photos|
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Here’s Why Frustration Helps

I’ve been talking a bit about frustration this month: …Frustration not finding photos, …Frustration not having a system, …Frustration over wasted time, …Frustration that breeds frustration, But the truth of the matter is that this often perceived negative emotion serves great purposes.  The purpose I refer to is not to make us miserable, but to cause enough discomfort for us to consider looking for a solution, an improvement, or a chance to grow. It takes motivation to try something new, and a small irritation is often not enough for the average human to search for an improvement.  Sometimes our pains [frustrations] are the only things that push us to take a new action. Inspired action like this unlocks the blessings. If we don’t let it motivate us and choose to stay stuck we can slip into helpless and immobile states. That's when it's most important to seek out someone who can get us unstuck; That's when we need someone who can bring objectivity and [...]

By |2022-06-21T21:08:35+00:00June 21, 2022|finding help, managing photos, Photo Tips, photos|
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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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Wait-“Replaceable & Duplicatable Albums”? Are you kidding, Kris?

NO, I'm not kidding. This is a thing. And if you never considered this, allow me to explain... If you've been around long enough to hear my story about a garage fire that threatened to take my home along with all of my photo, video memories away, you already know why I made it part of my mission to protect these tangible treasures. This is part of the insurance I love to deliver my clients. The ability to not only replace, but reproduce albums so they can be preserved and shared with more than those who have the originals in their hands. Here are some examples of when digitizing albums has been the go-to solution for some of my clients: Families who are re-organizing, splitting up or transitioning to more than one home. Giving reprinted, streamlined copies to grandchildren, relatives and loved ones, Sending digital printed copies to seniors moving into senior housing with smaller spaces, Downsizing individuals who simply don't have space in [...]

By |2022-05-20T17:04:10+00:00May 23, 2022|capturing moments, digitizing, Photo Tips, Uncategorized|
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6 Ways to Slice a Pie (manage your memories)

I love a good metaphor... Let's slice this pie and enjoy the sweet rewards!!! May people have an assortment of memory formats- whether films, slides, printed photos, films, video tapes, flash drives, all sorts of digital memory cards and it’s crazy how quickly they collect and grow in numbers. Clutter and overwhelm are frequent occurrences in these situations. When enough is enough and you really are sick and tired of the situation, there are strategic approaches to delegating some tasks to professionals while the owner/family are making decisions on what to keep and what excess may be tossed. My hope is that this gives you a much needed leg up in this process. This approach will keep you moving forward with the most efficiency and get you to the finish line in half the time.  This is what I do with/ for my private clients and occasionally  some get started in this method and decide to hand it all off to me. Others do [...]

By |2022-05-17T02:13:46+00:00May 16, 2022|digitizing, managing photos, Photo Tips, photos|
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Let’s do this!

Now is the PERFECT time to get those photos managed... or at least SOME of them so you can ENJOY them.  No, I'm not shouting, just using the CAPS to express my enthusiasm and encouragement during this strange new "normal" we're working with. "Social Distancing" is a term I never imagined but am so thankful for all officials, experts and those in positions of authority have.  Since so much of my services are done with "in home" interaction (and quite honestly I miss visiting my clients dearly) I have put some learning and lots of time into making some videos so you could feel like I am with you. NO WAY would I claim these videos to be professional quality... they're perfectly imperfect. However humans are not perfect, we are relational and I hope you feel better connected, empowered and supported by receiving these videos (which can always be replayed if you forgot something!) ;) Well, here's the first one of a series to [...]

By |2020-04-02T14:50:21+00:00April 2, 2020|Uncategorized|
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Why Bother?

OK, so maybe it sounds like a lot of rambling, but really knowing WHY you want to start a project and WHAT YOUR DESIRED OUTCOME IS, will make sure you make the most beneficial decisions. When getting your photos managed, there are TONS of choices but I offer you these thoughts (through video link) to offer you a personal reflection based on decades of working with family memories and those of clients. I have learned how to WASTE time and money, and that's why I come to you in hopes of helping you do a better job of "time-proofing" your memories in formats that will serve you now and down the line. Why put something away twice when you can get it categorized and easy to access THE FIRST TIME? Let me know what questions come up after you VIEW THIS VIDEO MESSAGE.

By |2022-03-24T13:45:23+00:00April 2, 2020|managing photos|
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