As many of our clients know when we’re not working on our clients projects – we are homeschooling our two kids ages 7 and 12. We’re on our 6th year! Wow. A worthy reason for not updating this blog 24/7 ….. 😉
Once a week I take them to a co-op where they do all kinds of amazing enrichment classes – PE, theatre, sign language, art, drawing, knitting, creative lettering, book clubs, duct tape creations, Glee, dance….. whatever you can image – hundreds of kids are exploring their interests in huge ways. My volunteer role is Yearbook Director handling every aspect from design, production, documenting+gathering content, printing and distribution. This was my second year working with Picaboo Yearbooks.
By chance, the Director of Marketing and Education saw the cover on Facebook, then sought me out via this HappyFish website to ask if I would like to be a guest blog writer and share tips, challenges, logistics, planning, cover design concept etc. with their customers. The focus was inspiring and helping other homeschool groups to create their own yearbooks.
I joyfully said “absolutely!” and started writing……. and writing. Well, with over a decade of designing books in particular, I was a bit verbose and had so many things to share from my experience with Picaboo Yearbooks. It was SO much fun, they loved the article and it’s now published! You can read it here:
http://yearbooks.picaboo.com/designing-homeschool-yearbook-karen-dahlquist/
By the end of the article after exhausting every conceivable thing I wanted to tell fellow yearbook customers ….. the irony hit me with joy ending with this:
I’ve told our clients for over a decade ‘you don’t want your wedding or portraiture album to look like a yearbook!’ Busy layouts, lots of small images, kitschy added graphics – anything that will date a design in a negative way.
. . . It’s a bit ironic that I’ve secretly had fun breaking my own rules when designing the Branches yearbook . . .
Now that we’re homeschooling our kids I have a fresh appreciation for capturing the fun activities and milestones that they and their friends in our community experience as the years go by. Yes, yearbooks are busy, vibrant, full, lighthearted, often messy and not at all perfect…. just like real life.
Yes, some of you have heard this mantra from me over the years!! There is a place to enjoy the messy joys of childhood – and yearbooks are the perfect place for this to shine! 🙂
I know many photographers and designers are homeschooling these days since we’re independent, creative and resourceful folks often with flexible schedules……. if you’re pondering this choice for your family I’d love to chat with you! (Right now, there are already a few of our clients who have been pondering and/or recently jumped in!)
While it’s not easy……. we have never regretted the extra time we have together as a family. The days are long, but the years are short. If it weren’t for photographers Mae and Jamie sharing their homeschooling experiences and successes with us many years ago we may not be enjoying the journey today. With much gratitude, thank you. 🙂
graphic design, books, covers, yearbooks, Picaboo Yearbooks
