In an age when our lives are increasingly digitized, people either regard traditional forms of communication as vestiges of a bygone era (aw, letter writing! Landline phone calls!) or attach greater value to them as they become more rare. The same is true for entertainment and even the way we record our experiences.
As my days flow from one screen to another and my life becomes ever entwined in the nebulous morass of the internet, I find myself leaning toward the traditional. I don’t read books on a digital device and I don’t send e-greetings – the joy conferred by a handwritten missive simply cannot be replaced by an email or text message. And the more I travel, the more I feel impelled to do something more meaningful with the photos I take than fill virtual space. My Flickr is certainly robust but online collections hardly transport me back to where the photos were taken.
Immediate solution: a DIY book of photos. Here’s the rub: most photo books produced from online services look cheap. Plus, they’re typically quite cumbersome and almost always end up relegated to the back of a bookshelf or the nether regions of a coffee table. Thankfully there is Colorado-based Artifact Uprising, a company that aims higher, ‘inspired by the disappearing beauty of the tangible’. They do this through a selection of products comprised of personal photographs -books, cards, calendars, etc.- and made entirely from recycled paper and locally-sourced wood.
At the end of 2013, I tested them out and made a soft cover, Instagram friendly book to document two years of travels. Then earlier this month, I prepared a book for mom with photos I took during her trip. Everything from the paper quality and the richness of the colors to the fantastic customer service and quick delivery makes this book an incredible value. It sits in plain view on the table next to our couch so that we never miss it. I believe in the company’s mission, I believe in their product and I will continue to use their service to make our travel memories as tangible as possible. Now, your turn!
MAKE YOUR OWN:
The team at Artifact Uprising has kindly offered a voucher toward one of their photo books for one lucky reader. Enter the giveaway below!
RULES TO ENTER:
-To enter, follow the steps laid out in the widget below! You may enter without any obligation of using your social media accounts however they will count as an extra entry. 1 winner will be selected randomly and notified via email and at the bottom of this post on Feb. 5th.
-This contest is open to U.S. residents only (foreign readers: if you have a U.S. mailing address or a very kind friend or relative, by all means join the fun!)
