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“I'm Not Sentimental” 

August 31, 2022

Do you ever watch a commercial, read a book, or learn about a new product (like cremation ashes turned into jewelry or custom framing for an old soccer jersey) and think, "Yup, not for me. I'm not sentimental." I feel this way all the time, and you've told us that many of you feel the same way. 

You know what makes me pause though? The thought that I could very well get hit by a bus tomorrow and my 12-year-old daughter would have very faded memories of me, of our relationship, and of all those things I tried to share with her in life, to help her be her best self. That makes me realize that even if sentimentality does not have a place in my life, making sure my daughter has a history certainly does. 

As it turns out, I’m not sentimental about ‘stuff;’ I’m sentimental about the memories trapped inside the stuff. The stuff is just a great reminder to pull me back and remind me to take a moment to share those stories and memories.

I’m not sentimental about ‘stuff;’ I’m sentimental about the memories trapped inside the stuff.

My sister looks at this a bit differently. Also not very sentimental, she’s more interested in sharing discoveries with others, and these discoveries are fairly endless. She shares to encourage others to see bits of the world—beautifully designed objects, cultural landmarks, stunning photos—through her eyes and then go experience each themselves.  

Put another way, she’s sentimental about the experiences trapped inside the stuff. 

For others I know, keeping a record is unrelated to sentimentality – it's literally about the stuff. What is it, what's it worth, and maybe even what should I do with it now that my parents gave it all to me. That kind of stuff. Inevitably, even this person says, “None of it, well, except these three things, means anything to me. I don’t need it." So maybe if we’re not sentimental, maybe there is something to the idea of a legacy. Not legacy in the sense of wealth. Material possessions are a very small subset of legacy (which we chatted about here).  

Sentimental or Not, Take a Moment to Remember

Memories fade and are imperfect no matter your age. We all face this. We are in the wrong place at the wrong time and never get the stories to those who will enjoy or need them. Time slips away. Capturing bits of you and crafting that legacy is frankly up to each of us. 

Memories fade and are imperfect no matter your age.

There are so many ways to give shape to a legacy. Creating srapbooks and photobooks as well as sitting down for videographies or personal podcasts probably top the list. Open form and fill in the blank journals, pen to paper or digital, seem to still have a place in our modern, digital world as well. We of course encourage you to Artifct. Artifcting is new and we're learning every day how we can continute to build a place to meet your needs beyond what it is today where everything is centralized, accessible, sharable, and transferable!  

The point is, capturing legacy is not something for people who identify as being sentimental or are of a certain age or social stature. It's for all people, all ages, which is the gentle reminder we wanted to offer today. So, what have you done for your legacy lately? 

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Let's see those Artifcts! Have a fun story to share? Ping us at Hello@Artifcts.com. We'd love to feature you in our curator's choice series.

© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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What's New at Artifcts
Using the Artifcts App to Create Artifcts

“ANY of my photos I took on my phone?”
“Can you help with all these voice messages? Are they ‘stuff?’”   
“Oh, I can do that walking around my house! My son thinks it’s all junk.”  
“I have a three-hour layover in Denver. I’ll start Artifcting then!”  
{What will you say?} 

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We took notes as our newest Artifcts Community members tried out our app last week at the RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City. We must have chatted with more than 500 people who stopped by our booth. Some were conference attendees. Others are themselves respected builders of the premiere brands in genealogy services today. The awe factor of our modest app centered around how much you could do with a single, easy to use application. We’re declaring that a win! 
 
On Monday we offered a free webinar to walk through some of the ins and outs of creating an Artifct from the Artifcts app.  You can watch the recording, blooper moments and all, on our YouTube channel ->  

 

Your Turn! Try a Few of the Artifcts App Features

The more feedback from all of you, the better and better the app will be. Download the app to your iOS or Android device, give it a try, and write to us at Hello@Artifcts.com. We review every message! 
 
CREATE A NEW ARTIFCT
Use what you’ve got!  

On your phone, that is. Go for it, scroll 1000s of photos back in your gallery to that ONE photo you’re thinking of. Or pop into your voicemail and rescue that message you’ve saved for months or even years.  

      1. Open the voice message. 
      2. Click the share icon 
      3. Choose the Artifcts app! 

 

Select a voice message on your mobile phone        Click to share the voice message       Choose to add the voice message to a new or existing Artifct
 

Images are from an iOS phone. Android will have slight differences. 
 

Start fresh. Work with the latest. 
From the Artifcts app, click '+ Artifct.'  

How to create a new Artifct on the app 

Now choose to take a new photo, use an existing photo, video, or audio file, and off you go! Remember, you can choose up to five media files per Artifct and rearrange them to flow with your story. 
 
SHARE AN ARTIFCT
Mobile Style

You can always share an Artifct with someone based on their Artifcts screen name or email address. You can even post public Artifcts to social media. But did you know that the Artifcts app offers a special sharing option? 

      1. Click the share icon on your Artifct.
      2. Choose ‘Share link’ to send the Artifct via text message. You don’t even have to enter the email, phone number, or know if they are already an Artifcts member. Simply type to find the contact on your phone and send the Artifct in a text. 
      3. If the Artifct is private, and you haven’t already given the person permission, they will be able to “request access” when they click to view the Artifct link you sent them. Don’t' worry, they will be encouraged to sign in (or create a free Artifcts account) first to see if they already have access.

Bonus! If you have notifications for the Artifcts app enabled on your mobile device, you’ll learn instantly when they request access. 
 

FIND OUT: WHAT'S IT WORTH? 
When you supect real market value or historical relevance

You can find out if your treasures are authentic and potentially valuable!

      1. Click to view one of your Artifcts
      2. Scroll to the end of the Artifct and click "What's it worth?" to ask Heritage Auctions.
      3. After expert review, Heritage Auctions will attach directly to your Artifct a free valuation within two to three weeks. Be sure to provide helpful details. We offer tips in our FAQs for valuations.  

Happy Artifcting!

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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The Artifcts Bookshelf: Books About or Related to 'Stuff'

Here you'll find a simple listing of a wide-ranging and growing collection of books, with 'stuff' as the unify theme. Now and then we may post a link to an online article, podcast, or similar, but given how impermanent those links can be and the frustration paywalls can present, we'll mostly stick to books.

We use tags to organize them for your quick scanning. Click any image below to review the book over on the author’s site, Amazon, or elsewhere.

What are you reading? Share with Editor@Artifcts.com and we'll check it out.

(Please note: These books are literally on our nightstands, coffee tables, and bookshelves. We are not paid to list publications here.)

THE ARTIFCTS BOOKSHELF

The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance

By Edmund de Waal, Jan. 2010

FICTION, COLLECTIBLES

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

By V. E. Schwab, Oct. 2021

FICTION, ARTS

Uncommon Type

By Tom Hanks, Sep. 2018

FICTION, COLLECTIONS

What to Do with Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want

By Marni Jameson, Jun. 2021

NONFICTION, INSTRUCTIONAL

108 Beloved Objects: Letting Go of Stuff, Keeping Our Stories

By Jeff Greenwald, Aug. 2021

NONFICTION, THE EVERYDAY

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

By Margareta Magnusson, Jan. 2018

NONFICTION, INSTRUCTIONAL, THE EVERYDAY

The Dig

By John Preston, Apr. 2016

FICTION, HISTORY

goodbye, things: The New Japanese Minimalism

By Fumio Sasaki, Apr. 2017

NONFICTION, THE EVERYDAY

Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness

By Ingrid Fetell Lee, Sep. 2018

NONFICTION, THE EVERYDAY, INSTRUCTIONAL

Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life

By Matt Paxton, Feb. 2022

NONFICTION, INSTRUCTIONAL

Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things

By Gail Steketee, Jan. 2011

NONFICTION

Book Cover of The Book of Form and Emptiness

The Book of Form and Emptiness

By Ruth Ozeki, Jun. 2022

FICTION, MENTAL HEALTH

Book Cover of What We Keep

What We Keep: 150 People Share the One Object that Brings Them Joy, Magic, and Meaning

By Bill Shapiro & Naomi Wax, Sept. 2018

NONFICTION, COLLECTIBLES, TRAVEL

Book Cover of Taste

Taste: My Life Through Food

By Stanley Tucci, Oct. 2021

NONFICTION, RECIPES, TRAVEL

Read more
Muriel the Welder: A Woman Who Inspires Us

We're unequivocally in awe of the women we've been surrounded by as we've struck out to build a private and secure place to bring the stories and memories behind the objects of our lives. Friends from kindergarten and new business associates alike have stepped up to offer feedback, cheers, introductions, and inspiration.

Today we share a bit about Muriel, who at age 97 continues to live with vigor and purpose and has oh so many stories to share and inspire those of us who are living in very different times than she did at our age. You might notice, it has strong echoes of Rosie the Riveter. Perhaps she inspired Muriel, all the way down to the bandana, or maybe that was standard issue?

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At the age of 20, Muriel set down her apron at her parents’ shop and began attending school with “the boys” who would stop into the shop on their way to class. What were they studying? Welding.  

From here it was a small matter of an acute attention to detail and the joy of being underestimated that drove Muriel to receive an Excellence in War Production Army-Navy Production Award from Lyon Metal Products, Inc., for her welding. Her specialization welding tail surfaces of small planes required a delicacy that was unfamiliar to many more experienced male welders at her school.   

“We were putting ribs on tubing that was much heavier than the rib. So, if you didn’t apply the heat from the torch onto the heavier metal then the thin rib was, poof, gone, melted away.” 

We’ve heard the stories before, women stepping in across a broad span of professions and industries to ensure life went on at home while primarily men were off fighting. Advertisements abounded, opening the labor market to women. 

single sheet of paper with details of welding jobs at Lyon Metal

 
 
Lyon Metal Products job brochure than Muriel kept all these years! Why do you think the age ranges differ for men and women?

Yet, to hear the story firsthand, a story that was otherwise only a photo with a note “Lyon Metal, 1943, Montgomery, Illinois” on the back, brushing off this woman’s place in history, was awe inspiring.  

Black and white photo of woman with bandana holding back her hair while welding

 
 
These photos and brochures are among the last physical reminders of her contributions to WWII. Click the image to view the Artifct and hear Muriel's story in her own words.

What if no one had asked Muriel the question, “What were you welding?” “Or, why do you have a pair of old goggles?” Would this history have been lost forever? What histories lie hidden in your own family tree? What storied objects lie lurking in closets, bins, and drawers?  

We encourage you on this day, International Women’s Day 2023, to reach out to a woman in your family and ask to hear more about their life. You never know how many, “I never knew that about you!” moments await. 

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You can read more about Muriel the Welder in our story on ARTIcles by Artifcts, "She's the Last of Her Generation."

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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