In the minds of each of the 8 million people living on this Earth, there lies a story and a unique set of memories that they carry with them. We all live such complex and nuanced lives, comprised of everything — the good, the bad, the ugly and maybe even … the meh.
Regardless of what they’re like, though, we want to preserve as many moments of our lives as we can. Humans treat memories like a treasure trove. How we keep these memories close to ourselves and create our own little “life archives” can take form in ways just as unique to every person as our lives themselves. But even then, so many of the little habits and traditions that we follow contribute to these “life archives” and you might not have even noticed.
Capturing Moments in Pixels
Now that we have unlimited access to technology, nearly every passing moment is a candidate to be added to our “life archives.” With our phones in hand and Instagram on the ready, the act of capturing memories has become second nature to most of us. Just by looking through the lenses of our cameras, we transform fleeting moments into lasting memories, immortalized in pixels and shared with the world. Whether these pictures are candid photos or carefully curated posts, they make for a window into the lives we live.
That one nice breakfast you had that just sat oh-so-nicely on that plate — you had to take a picture of it. Your partner looked so beautiful in the sunlight … you had to capture the moment, what else were you gonna do? Maybe you’re scrolling through your phone gallery and looking for things to delete to make space on your phone and you find that one photo from a day you can never get back; our photographs carry our very life’s essence in them.
Logging of Leisure
We might only be posting or taking pictures of moments that are notable, but what about when you’re watching a movie or reading a book? When you find something you like, you text your friends about it — maybe you encourage them to be engaged in the same thing as you and in turn you memorialize your interests as well.
Platforms like Letterboxd and Goodreads have gained a lot of traction in the last few years. Maybe there’s something to be said about getting to share your opinions on a little book with the world. Or, you know, the three friends you have on there. Maybe, instead, they’re used as ways to remind ourselves of the things we’ve done in our downtime … or for the next time someone asks for your favorite movie (you know, so that your mind doesn’t go completely blank.)
Memories in Paper and Pen
One thing that remains timeless in its own way is the practice of journaling. If you don’t already, VALLEY would definitely recommend investing in a little blank notebook to scratch away at your thoughts. Within the pages of our journals, we capture the nuances of our thoughts, dreams and experiences, preserving them for posterity in our “life archives,” except this time, we do it physically.
Or maybe not! Check your notes app. Maybe you have a grocery list in there that you never used, or maybe you have a detailed entry of how you were feeling in a day. Like everything, journaling has also evolved. Your notes app or platforms like Notion now allow you to document every day of your life with the same kind of freedom that a notebook and pen might give you. Still, whether through the strokes of a pen on paper or the taps of keys on a digital screen, journaling provides a sanctuary for reflection, contemplation and self-expression.
Trinkets and Memorabilia:
Beyond the written word, some of us enjoy collecting items associated with memories. Whether it be the birthday card you got from your friends on your 12th birthday or the ticket from the first concert you went to, these things hold value in the scenes they pull back into your mind when you just so much as look at them.
They might not all be good memories — jewelry that “one” ex of yours gave you or a mug gifted to you by someone you really can’t stand anymore — but regardless, these physical artifacts serve as tangible reminders of the moments gone by. They anchor us to the realities of our lived experiences and enrich our “life archives.”
How do you create your “life archive?” Tell us by tagging @VALLEYmag on X!
