Journal Entries
I made a journal of stories from my friends and family for my photography class. It was displayed in a exhibit in the art building on campus. To further explain the project I will include what I wrote on the first page of the journal (edited for clarity).
Hi,
This is me.
I feel like I sometimes have a hard time talking to people and getting to know people. This project was a way for me to get to know some of the people I'm around better.
We all have a story. You just need to ask sometimes.
I asked each person in this journal to write a story, which I would combine with a portrait of them. I showed them the finished photo of myself and gave them the journal page from my picture so they could see what I wrote. I let them read what I wrote and told them their photo would look like mine, but I wouldn't let anyone else read the page they wrote. This was the Process.
I got to know some people better. I just asked.
I bound them in this journal because this work is very personal to me. They story I wrote for my photo is something I have definitely journaled about.
I have sewn a pocket into the back of this journal. As I write this I am debating if I should include the story I wrote for my photo in that pocket. If I choose to include it, and if you choose to read it, then thank you for taking the time to listen. All I ask in return is that you write a short story, about anything, so I can get to know you better. I've included blank pages to write on, and since I can't promise that no one else will read it, you can remain anonymous. I spend a lot of time here (in the art building). I want to know it, and its people better.
Thank you,
– David
The project was up for about a week and I had a few pens by the journal that people could use to write. It took a while for people to write – it is a bit intimidating – but by the end of the week I found that six people had written in it. While this was not as many as I had hoped, I was relieved that there were some that were willing to participate.
Some wrote a full page, while others wrote a single sentence. All the entries, from people that I probably have’t met, live between the faces of people I know and their stories they shared. People, whether they are strangers or friends all have a story.
