More Than a Memory: Why Photos are the Key to Communication
I still remember the sting of it. I was eight years old, returning from a family trip to England with a stack of Polaroids. But in my hands should have been a red notebook, where I had meticulously documented every detail of our trip. I had lost it on the way home. Even then, at eight years old, I knew the photos were only half the story. That feeling has shaped my life's work.
This passion for documenting continued. When I was 10, I was the designated photographer at my sister’s baptism party. With my camera always at my side, I took photos of everything. It wasn’t until the end of the party that we realized no one had put film in the camera. Again, the story was lost.
My tools got better as time went on, but the passion remained the same. I was fascinated with making family albums. As an adult, I took photography classes, exploring architectural shots in New York City and abstract images like the wing of an airplane or the wheels of a bicycle. But as life got busy with my own family and a demanding career as a Speech-Language Pathologist, my focus shifted from the art of photography to the simple, vital act of documenting my own children’s histories.
Now, as I enter a new phase of my life with grown children and a career that I love, I finally have the space to explore that lifelong interest again. I found it in professional photo organizing. It re-ignited my passion and took it to a whole new level, allowing me to combine my clinical career with this passion in ways I never thought possible.
It led me to ask the big question: 'Why do I love photos so much, and why have I always been driven to capture and organize them?'
Then, it came to me. The ‘magic’ in a photograph is how it can unlock communication.
It’s not just the communication that was happening at the moment the photo was taken, but the communication that occurs when sharing that photo later. Even if I look at a photo by myself, what am I telling myself about it? If I am sharing the experience with another person, what is being said? If I share one particular photo with my child, then my grandchildren, and maybe my great-grandchildren—one image, taken in a snapshot of time, can create conversations for decades.
That's the magic. And that is why I built my entire business—and my StoryTree Method™—around that single idea. It's not about organizing paper and pixels; it's about curating joy and building a bridge to the people we love.
If you are a caregiver feeling stuck, or a family wanting to connect more deeply with your legacy, this is your path forward.
A great place to start is with my free 5-tip cheat sheet, "What to Say Instead of 'Do You Remember?'" You can get it here.