Artful Kid Memories
Managing the multitude of photos on our devices can be overwhelming, but what about the precious artwork our kids bring home from school, camp, and art class? It often ends up in a neglected pile, awaiting attention that never seems to come. Attempting to frame the most cherished pieces becomes a futile effort as the stack grows, collecting dust over time.
A few years ago, during a much-needed basement cleanup for home improvements, my husband and I stumbled upon a box filled with accumulated art. Enlisting the help of my kids, who were 9 and 11 at the time, we embarked on the task of identifying and organizing their creations by grade. While my 6th grader adeptly sorted her pieces, my 4th grader required some assistance. Together, though, we were able to create a structured organization by artist and year.
While I love my kids and their artwork, museum-quality displays of elementary school art seems a bit excessive. My philosophy leans towards “done is better than perfect” (read previous blog on March 2, 2023 for a more in depth perspective on finishing our creative projects), so I quickly got to work to get this done and not let it linger.
When it comes to scanning our kids artwork, museum-quality perfection is not necessary.
To address this philosophy of completion over perfection, I devised a solution that digitally preserves their creations while showcasing their talents in personalized Artists Books.
The straightforward process involves three key steps:
1. Organizing by Kid and Grade: Fortunately, my kids managed this step mostly independently, creating order in their artistic journey.
2. Phone Scanning with Photomyne: I opted for the Photomyne scanning app on my phone, allowing for the creation of separate folders for each child and grade. This choice, distinct from using the camera, prevents art from getting lost in my already cluttered Photos App.
* A note of caution: while Photomyne is ideal for children's artwork, I do not recommend it for preserving archival family photos.
3. Designing a Photobook: The final step involves designing a personalized photobook for each child, showcasing the evolution of their artistic skills over the years.
Being able to remove the physical artwork once it's scanned and compiled in a book is a great relief, freeing me to concentrate on other creative projects.
While I acknowledge that my process could be refined with color correction or an alternative scanning method, the relief I feel in preserving their work outweighs the need for perfection. Minor variations in color are inconsequential to my children, who will delight in flipping through a book of their own creations—an invaluable sentiment that far surpasses any minor imperfections.
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