Find Your Voice, Share Your World and Tell Your Story
Description: Embrace the power of storytelling with Little Stories of Your Life. Start telling your own story, find your creative self and be more mindful.
Combining the wellbeing benefits of mindfulness, creativity and daily photography, this book shows you how to use words and photographs to capture precious little moments and how to share these in order to connect with others.
Each chapter explores the different ways you can tell your own stories, considers why you might choose to tell them and helps you to create a patchwork of tiny tales about your life, however small they might be. Throughout the book, Laura shares her own personal stories and research that shows you how to tune out of the bigger picture and focus on the everyday. There are exercises to gently guide you through how to journal and harness your inner creativity, as well as tips on improving your photography, photo challenges and writing prompts to get you started.
It’s easy to feel that our own lives are not enough, but real lives are not defined by bright, exciting events: we don’t need a grand narrative arc. It’s the stretches of time in between that matter, the tiny moments and the daily choices that make us who we are.
Why We Liked It
This is such a thoughtful book, and very much of the moment. We have all been through a very difficult period, and as a result many people have changed their priorities, their life choices and generally are more thoughtful and reflective and this book is perfectly positioned to guide you through.
The content is carefully constructed around the following:
Introduction
Part 1: PAYING ATTENTION
The Magic of the Everyday
Being in the Moment
Looking Inwards
Part 11: FINDING YOUR CREATIVE VOICE
The Mystery of Creativity
Seeing Things Differently
Finding Your Creative Voice
PART 111: TELLING YOUR LITTLE STORIES
The Power of Story
Crafting Little Stories
Your Story
Afterword
The content is exceptional and particularly well-researched; throughout the book there are uplifting quotes, inspiring and meaningful exercises and activities to encourage you to take steps forward in discovering your own creativity and ways of recording your own stories of your life.
This is a book that you will return to over and over again, it’s a book to start, or end the day, open on any page and you will find inspiration in Laura’s writing,
‘Capturing and recording the little stories of our lives involves consciously slowing down. It means stopping to notice ordinary moments and familiar details. Telling the little stories of our lives is about cherishing what truly matters to us, making memories, capturing life creatively and finding out what makes us who we are’.
As well as her beautiful writing Laura also shares with us her inspiring approach to photography:
‘Photography, like writing, is a tool with which to capture butterfly moments, pulling them out of time and preserving them for posterity.A camera records what exists in front of the lens, but also records something of the photographer who stands behind it. In a sense, every photograph is a self-portrait, offering a glimpse into the mind and feelings of the photographer who framed it. We leave indelible emotional fingerprints on every image that we compose. Capturing a meditative moment with a camera allows us to return to that moment in the future.’
Throughout the book there are stunning examples of Laura’s evocative photography, and guidance and encouragement about how to create and capture your own images.
If you are looking for a book to inspire you and take you into 2022 with a feeling of positivity this is a beautiful example! Highly Recommended!
Little Stories of Your Life – Find your voice, share your world and tell your story – Laura Pashby – published by Quadrille – Hardie Grant Publishing