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Photos + Stories Go Better Together: A Conversation with Cathi Nelson, CEO of The Photo Managers

Heather Nickerson, Artifcts
September 20, 2023

Reading time: 6 minutes

One of the great things about being in the ‘stuff’ business is that you never know who you’ll meet! Over the past few years, Ellen and I have had the joy of getting to know and working with Cathi Nelson, Founder & CEO of The Photo Managers. We met Cathi by way of Matt Paxton, who told us upfront that she is the end-all, be-all expert on all things photo managing and organizing. Several years and many conversations later we wholeheartedly agree!

In honor of Save Your Photos Month, we thought it would be fitting to highlight one of our many conversations with Cathi, who really is the undisputed expert on all things photo organizing. 

Heather Nickerson: Tell us a bit about yourself! What led you to get into photo managing?

Cathi Nelson: Reflecting on my career, I realize there has always been a common theme: My love of photography and storytelling. Prior to starting The Photo Managers, I spent 17 years teaching people how to create meaningful scrapbook photo albums. I hosted large events where hundreds of women would come and spend the entire weekend working on albums for their families. Walking around the room, I realized this was more than people cutting photos into shapes and adding decorations. This was a way for people to share their legacies, and photos invoke memories and stories. 

By 2009, I noticed a significant shift in the photography landscape. The rise of digital photography meant that fewer people were printing their photos, and this change impacted my business. The turning point came when a customer asked how much I would charge to organize her digital and printed photos. It was at this moment that I realized there was a growing need for assistance, and I started a business called Photos Simplified.

Nickerson: So you started your own, wildly successful business, why not stop there? Why start The Photo Managers? You were obviously very busy with your own work, raising your family, and authoring your book! What prompted you to create a global network of like-minded professionals?

Nelson: The response from clients to my new business concept was overwhelmingly positive. As other scrapbooking professionals and residential organizers started learning about my success, they came to me seeking guidance in starting their own photo-organizing businesses. I realized that to ensure this emerging profession continued I would need to create a code of ethics, certification, and best practices, thus The Photo Managers was born. I chose a membership model, and over the years we’ve grown into a global community of hundreds of professionals dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich tapestry of memories in our digital age. 

Nickerson: And then you did it again with Save Your Photos Month (SYPM)! Tell us a bit about how and why you started SYPM. I think a lot of people take for granted that SYPM is the month of September, except it wasn't until you built it!

Nelson: I launched Save Your Photos Day for the first time in 2014 as a one-day event. The concept grew out of viewing news stories about people being united with lost photos from Hurricane Sandy and the Joplin Missouri tornadoes. I would watch the news and it was so heartwarming to observe how people rose up to help, bringing food, water, clothes, and kindness.

Once the initial shock wears off a new wave of recovery efforts evolves, finding and restoring lost photos. Hundreds of volunteers have helped in these communities, carefully washing and restoring photos. Their efforts pay off when a family that has lost everything is reunited with even one precious photo. Thus, the concept of International Save Your Photos Day began.

The original concept was to save thousands of photos in just one day. Yet we found that one day just wasn't realistic and realized, why not make it a month!  So, in 2016 we rebranded it to Save Your Photos Month and each year we expand the variety of topics, classes, and conversations. Today this is even more important as the news is full of extreme weather disasters that impact family photos and priceless belongings.

Nickerson: Any tips for our Arti Community Members who are feeling overwhelmed by digital and physical photos? They know they want to do something with them, but don't always know where to start or what to do.

Nelson: First you aren’t alone if feeling overwhelmed. Most do, including me! Second, it didn’t take a weekend to create all those photos, so it does take time to sort through and organize them, but it’s worth it! 

Here is a quick summary of our 5 tips for photo organizing.

      1. DEFINE YOUR GOAL, what would success look like?
      2. GATHER EVERYTHING and ACCESS what you’ve got. This can be as simple as “3 hard drives,” “4 iPhones,” and “5 boxes of printed photos.”
      3. SORT and CATEGORIZE—sort the photos into categories that make sense to you. Categories might include location, date range, events, products, or something thematic like “landscapes.” Edit your collection as you go, discarding or deleting duplicates and any blurry or “not so great” images.
      4. If you have any printed photos or slides, now is the time to scan. Decide if you want to do it yourself or hire a professional to do it for you.
      5. SHARE . And the options are endless … Artifcts, photo books, websites, slideshows, even the collection itself!

Nickerson: When should you consider hiring a photo manager?

Nelson: When life happens! I just hired a photo organizer myself because my son was getting married, and I wanted to create a video montage of his early years and his fiancé's early years set to music. I just didn’t have the time to scan the photos or sort through hundreds of images. It was so worth it! So, my advice is don’t put this off, hoping someday you’ll have the time.

Nickerson: We've heard our own Arti Community Members say—when they first learn about photo managers —"Ooh, they're like magic photo fairies, how cool." We know they work magic with photo collections large and small, but what are two or three things that make photo managers so special?

Nelson: This is a great question, and I have thought a lot about this over the years. There are two common traits I see in professional photo managers. They are curious about history, stories, and people, otherwise they wouldn’t want to look at someone else's photo collection. Plus, they are usually lifelong learners, because technology keeps changing and to be successful you have to keep up.

Nickerson: Do you have any particular project that you especially liked working on over the years? Something our members may be able to relate to?

Nelson: I really like working on themes and using photos to tell stories. A few years ago, I created a mini photo album as a gift to the important people in my life. I added a few photos, the story of how we met and what I appreciated most about each person. I then sent it to each of them as an invitation to a party to celebrate my milestone birthday and the gift of friendship.

Nickerson: What's next for you and The Photo Managers?

Nelson: The need for professional photo managers is only increasing and I recently formed an Advisory Board of members to help us envision the next 10 years. When I started this over 15 years ago, I never dreamed that I would build something that would live long beyond me. I feel a great sense of responsibility to ensure that this profession continues to thrive for the members and the customers we serve.

Nickerson: Last but not least, you know all about Artifcts. How do you think Artifcts could help photo managers with their work?

Nelson: I love Artifcts because early on I realized that photos are just one piece of the puzzle. People also keep letters, children's artwork, babies' first shoes, medals, and other objects. Having the ability to share those items and stories for future generations fits perfectly into what I intuitively observed all those years ago. We are a people of stories, and we tell our stories and what we care about through photos and keepsake items.

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You can learn more about The Photo Managers and even where to find a Photo Manager to help you based on where you live by going directly to the official website.

© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Keepsake Boxes, Remembrance Boxes, Memento Boxes - Boxes Abound!

Boxes, binders, and bins, oh my! Maybe you know them as keepsake, remembrance, memento, memory, or memorial boxes. Some memory boxes even mirror the binder approach, with tabs by topic, checklists, and pouches for loose keys, thumb drives, and other small and useful or meaningful objects. 

No matter what, before you stick any ‘stuff’ in your box of choice and snap on the lid, Artifct it to remember what it is and why it mattered. Unlike boxes, Artifcts are:

      • Instantly and perpetually organized and searchable 
      • Fireproof and waterproof
      • Able to combine text, video, audio, and photos for every item
      • Easily shareable and accessible online to anyone you choose, anywhere, anytime 
      • Do not take up space or require dusting

And, obviously, the stuff inside your Artifcts collection will not run the risk of outlasting your memories like a box full of stuff will. The memories are captured and preserved. You are no longer the single point of failure, the family keeper of the memories behind the mementos. Breathe a sigh of relief!

Keepsake Box Options Abound

For those of us who relish holding onto those curated items that mean the most, we’ve tried to distill here what we’ve learned about the variety of boxes available. A common search on Google is "acid-free keepsake box," which tells you people care about keeping items for the long haul.

Many major retailers, like Crate and Barrel, The Container Store, Pottery Barn, Target, Hallmark, and Amazon, sell at least one or two. So, we know there’s demand, people are looking for them. We suspect from how they are marketed that a box makes for a simple and obvious gift for special occasions. You’ll see below that the options and qualities vary. There is something for most needs, styles, and price points! 

(Listed in alphabetical order.) 

    • Akin offers custom boxes that fit and showcase the curated items you have chosen to help tell your story - whether it’s memorabilia, journals, photographs, documents, records, or more. What further sets Akin apart is that it offers services bundled around the box for custom-designed books and genealogy research to help commemorate family stories and ancestral histories.

"Present and preserve your keepsakes as opposed to hiding them away. A curated memorabilia box not only holds your most treasured pieces, it should tell their origin story—beautifully and archivally—so they can be cherished and shared for years to come," explained Renee Innis, Akin Founder.

    • Archival Methods offers archival boxes as well as a whole product category for “object storage.” They have additional custom options for fitting objects more snuggly in the boxes, too. Check them out on Allies in 'Stuff' for a discount code!
    • Etsy is a logical choice for creative and custom options you’ve never even knew existed, offering a breathtaking variety of sizes, styles, and materials to match your purpose or occasion.
    • Infinity Trunk is new to this list since we first published this article. If you need more space like the cedar trunks of old, and truly want a box that is fireproof (and will not be damanged by the water to put out that fire either), this is the box for you. And if it burns, still protecting your items, they will even replace the box for free! Designed and built by expert engineers in Chicago.
    • Nokbox is about functional preparedness, organizing critical information about your life in a box. Keep in mind that if you’re going to store and rely on hardcopy, however, we strongly encourage: (1) fireproof, and know what that covers, (2) never put passwords into a single physical, open access, hardcopy location, and (3) use a digital equivalent for all your life documentation (such as a digital vault from Trustworthy). Digital options are less vulnerable, easier to update, and accessible from anywhere.
    • Petite Keep offers more traditional aesthetics for its boxes, sort of a Pottery Barn or Draper James feel, with customization for initials, patterns, and more.
    • Savor, in contrast to Petite Keep, offers a cleaner, more basic style like you might find from archival-quality sources. Its collection has expanded to offer drawers for vertically oriented boxes, built-in envelopes, and more to cover whatever ‘stuff’ you might have in mind to combine.  

Need we say it again? Just as we tell you “Before you store it, Artifct it," before you box that, Artifct that, too. And slip your Artifcts collection QR code inside or as a sticker on the box for safe keeping of all those stories, videos, and more from your Artifcts collection. Your future self will thank you! And if you need a little help getting started, check out Artifcts concierge options. ->

My Artifcts homepage with option to create personal collection QR code

 
 
 
Each Artifct has a QR code as does your Artifcts Collection. Access it from My Artifcts -> 

Before We Go, a Word to the Wise: Know What You’re Buying

Archival does not always mean archival. What? Yes; sad truth. Sometimes archival only means the paper is acid free, for example. And if you are a proponent of recycled paper, you have another potential recipe for disaster once you shut objects inside and create a little microclimate for terrible things to brew.

If you are popping items into a box that you truly cherish, do the homework on your archival products, or speak to a professional. You can contact nationwide companies like Archival Methods—one of our Allies in 'Stuff'—and Gaylord Archival or seek out archivists in your local area for guidance, products, and services.

The same goes for fireproof. Look up the certification on any product that you plan to purchase and see what it was tested to withstand.

 
 
Learn more about all things archival, fireproof, and protecting your photos, too, in this replay of Evenings with Artifcts.

Happy Artifcting!

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You might also enjoy a guest article shared here on Artifcts in response to this story: 

Why One Mom Moved Beyond Memory Boxes and Instagram

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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The Real Gift: Time with Mom Sharing Stories of 'Stuff'

Artifcts is grateful to Arti Community member @Buchalgi for sharing her sweet story of bringing Artifcts into the birthday celebrations with her mother. Do not miss the final words of this story. They are everything.

___________________

What do you get your 85-year-old mother for her birthday? She doesn’t need a thing. She doesn’t want a thing.

Does she want to go out for the day and have lunch or go shopping? No, not really.

So, what does she love? Well, she loves her friends, her family, and telling stories about the past. Bingo! I decided to fly down and spend a day last week asking her about things that I’ve seen in her home, but never knew the story behind them, and then, Artifct them!

We started the day with me choosing 5 items in her house.

It started with the green metal plate on the wall. I remember that plate forever, in all the homes we’ve lived in, always on the wall. I never knew the origin or who gave it to her, or why, or when. She told me how the plate was a gift from her grandmother who had come back from her honeymoon in Isreal in 1968. She wanted to bring something back for her eldest granddaughter (my mother) and her husband. My mother remembered the level of detail to say they were all together on Cozine Street in Brooklyn and I was there (aged 19 months) wearing a pink & white dress that she had bought me to celebrate their wedding. She told the story like it was yesterday and delighted in the fact that I was typing as fast as I could to keep up with the details.

 
 
Did you know you can record audio and video directly in the Artifcts app? Or add the same to your Artifcts on desktop/laptop computers? Get Mom's stories her way, funny expressions, intonations, and bluppers included, for always. 

Next was the candy dish. I have seen this dish on every end table or coffee table for as many years as I can remember. It was usually filled with hard candy but got filled with better candy when company was coming. And I can remember reaching into it for a hand full of M&Ms on many occasions. I didn’t know that the dish was given to my mom and dad as a gift when they got their first place, and I didn’t know it was a hand-me-down gift from my grandparents who also received it as a gift for their first apartment. It was from the Fostoria Glass Company in 1952. They closed in 1986 after 100 years in business, but I imagine their pieces have a place in a lot of family histories.

glass candy dish from Fostoria Glass Company

 
 
We wonder, how many people have Artifcted candy dishes? We know it's many, including this dish. If you do not have a candy dish in your family yet, maybe it's time to get one!

We went on to talk about Nana’s hot chocolate pot, the framed family photos found in a box, the baby record books with beautiful illustrations, the favorite pieces of artwork, and so much more. Hours had gone by. I was tired and she wasn’t. She was elated. She honestly loved that I asked for these stories. This is how we celebrated her birthday, but who got the gift?

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Mother's Day Surprise!

We always honor Mother's Day with our deepest sale of the year at Artifcts.

We love our men, don’t get us wrong, but it’s more often than not the women who:

- Keep our homes and lives decluttered and organized on a daily basis
- Play the role of family keeper and the memories, birthdays, and family history that entails
- Become the caregiver, even when still raising their own children
- In the end, take on the role of estate executor to clean-out the homes of our loved one’s when they pass.

This year, in addition to our 30% off sale, we are also offering a special gift FREE with any purchase of a bundled Artifcts membership + virtual conicerge session. We will ship our premier Artifct That! Kit to the destination of choice, gifting ready. Just look for the "Bundle & Save" at checkout!

bundle and save

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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What I’ve Learned In 400 Artifcts

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

During a virtual webinar of #longevitech (meaning, longevity technology) thought leaders in the early days of Artifcts, I was invited to present Artifcts to the group. As always, talking about Artifcts brings out stories and connection, breaking down barriers in a group of strangers as we all recognize that emotional pull to the objects we’ve collected over the course of our lives.

At the end of this particular event, one of the participants asked me for a follow up call. I would casually describe this person as a “highflyer” for their frequent appearances on the conference circuit as well as in mainstream print and broadcast media.

I was delighted. I thought perhaps they were interested in helping Artifcts break into the media spotlight, a huge challenge for a startup. 

No, it turns out that they had a different objective, an objective to reshape our vision for Artifcts.

“You have built a brilliant product that focuses on a critical gap no one else is addressing and will be hard pressed to address with the integrity and thoughtfulness that you have done. But you talk about it all wrong.”

That was one hell of a way to start the conversation. They continued:

“Never again tell that story about the first Artifct ever created. It diminishes and confuses the value of what you created.” 

The Story of the First Artifct

When we were first building Artifcts, we invited a small group of trusted allies and friends to try us out. They were our beta group.

The beta member who created the first Artifct gave us a shock. He Artifcted a living, breathing cat: Princesa. He and his wife had adopted Princesa off the streets of Sao Paolo, Brazil, and now she enjoys total reign inside their new home back in the United States.

“While we chatted with [her fosters], she walked off to explore. After about 15 minutes we went looking for her and found her lying in a sunbeam, asleep in our home office. We decided that she had chosen to adopt us,” recalled Charles in his Artifct.

Never had we imagined that living creatures, human or otherwise, would be Artifcted. We were focused on solving our original problem: the inanimate ‘stuff’ in our homes and what its value is to us.

Princesa the Artifct, however, lines up beautifully with Artifcts and why we took out that second 'a' in “artifacts.” We are redefining artifacts from conventional objects of absolute financial and/or historical value that may belong in museums to items of meaning and value to you. In this process, yes, we can easily Artifct items of financial value, collectibles, fine art, and more, but we can also capture the ordinary and sentimental items that represent important pieces of our life stories, our legacy.

Princesa is a story of compassion and warmth and speaks volumes about the person who created the Artifct in her honor. We like to think of her as the Arti Cat.

What Do I Personally Artifct?

True enough, no cat Artifcts for me. I would say that I Artifct the 'stuff' that I care most about, truly has a great story, or I want to be sure stands out from the rest of my 'stuff' for my family so they know what it means to me. My Artifcts are a roadmap for my loved ones.

My top 5 Artifcts categories: 

I smiled when I looked to see what my top 5 categories were, because there are no surprises here. I cherish moments, invest a lot of time and energy decorating our home, and am certainly a lover of books (especially REAL books, not digital). My top 5 Artifcts categories are:

      1. Life moments, with “photographs” and “life’s firsts” my most popular topics 
      2. Home, which is dominated by recipes and holiday ‘stuff’ 
      3. Art, with kid art far and away the top subcategory I’ve used 
      4. Textiles, and here apparel was my top subcategory. I said, “Really?” Sure enough, hats, t-shirts, Halloween costumes and more are all represented.
      5. Books and other print media, with a fair balance between fiction and non-fiction and a dash of signed editions, too.

My top 5 Artifcts tags: 

Since you can create custom tags and add as many as you want to each Artifct, tags are both practical for easy sorting and personalized reflections of why things you Artifct are important to you. My top 5 Artifcts tags are:

      1. #Violet, my daughter. Enough said. 
      2. #ArtifctsVideo, but rarely do I record a video to tell a story. Instead, I am almost always adding a video from my phone that I recorded at an event—family gathering, concert, swim meet, etc.—that relates to the Artifcted story. 
      3. #WorkLife, because it’s good to see how far you’ve come, what you’ve done, easily share that with others, and lessen the burden of keeping all those mementos. I don’t even have an office to display them in! 
      4. #Decor, as I mentioned, I put a lot of energy and thought into our home with authentic personally meaningful items to make it warm, inviting, and comfortable. 
      5. #Christmas, because no matter your religion, it’s a time of year when people are a little bit kinder, have an excuse to be a bit merrier, and we take a breath to enjoy more time together.

My 5 favorite Artifcts: 

Favorite is probably relative to my mood. But the ones that pop first to mind as I write this article are these:

      1. Aquamarine Ring. I have no heirloom jewelry to pass down to my daughter, so through a bit of adventure, I bought a ring to pass down to her one day. I Artifcted the crazy story of my trip to Brazil and included the receipt and appraisal in the Artifct, too.
      2. Coqui frog. On a trip with my co-founder Heather and her daugthter, hiking in the rain forest of Puerto Rico, my daughter picked up a whisteling coqui frog keychain. The Artifct includes a video proving that she had learned how to whistle just like the frog.
      3. Ice Skating in Russia. Russia was never a country I imagined visiting once, nevermind half a dozen times. So finding myself ice skating there was surreal. One of my colleagues even captured a video of me on the ice, my Wisconsin roots serving me well.
      4. Muriel the Welder. My great-aunt didn't think people were interested in her stories. She was 97 years old when I flew to Arizona to Artifct with her and I learned she was a Rosie the Riveter during World War II. Such a powerful combination of personal, family, and world history in one little Artifct of a photo of her welding, the goggles she wore, and a video of her telling me all about it. 
      5. Petra 2023. I wish everyone could visit each of the Wonders of the World. Petra was worth the 12+ hour bus ride, and then some. I'll never forget it.

Interesting aside: As I wrote about those favorite five, I realized there are two themes among those Artifcts. First, every one of them is tied to travel. And second, all but one includes a video. I think you can learn a lot about yourself simply by looking at WHAT you choose to Artifct.

I think you can learn a lot about yourself simply by looking at WHAT you choose to Artifct. - Ellen Goodwin, co-founder, Artifcts

What I've Learned in 400 Artifcts

Why I am sharing all this with you?

Earlier this year I passed an arbitrary threshold of 400 personal Artifcts. My 400th Artifct was a special Christmas present from my daughter: the vinyl version of Adele 21, “I remember you playing this album in the car when I was little,” she said, as I unwrapped it Christmas morning. 

In full disclosure, I never expected to have so many Artifcts. Like my critic who told me to never again speak of Princesa if I wanted insurance companies, financial planners, and estate attorneys to take me seriously, I had a narrow “let’s get started somewhere” vision of Artifcts. To me, Artifcts was first and foremost about capturing items of significant financial value or that were family heirlooms. And I don’t have many of either.

But Artifcting is as much a stress release and therapeutic benefit to me now as anything else. I love that I’ve captured these great moments in my life AND digitally organized it all for myself and my loved ones in case I get hit by a bus, so to speak. It’s connection, peace of mind, and a creative outlet.

Looking inside my Artifcts collection, several life themes emerge:

      • I’m reconnecting with people through my Artifcts. Sometimes I’ll go months even years without talking with someone. We’re both busy, geography has divided us, life has happened, but that has not diminished their importance to me. Sometimes I no sooner create an Artifct than realize I must share it with So-And-So, they’ll love the memory, they’ll laugh, they’ll feel better. I’m not demanding any time from them either. I can share it, and they’ll see it when they see it, like a surprise gift in the waiting.
      • Maybe I am funny. Lately, other professionals in my sphere keep remarking that I’m funny. Come to think of it, even at the car dealership last week, the guy who insisted on calling me “young lady” (really, I’m not young), also said I was funny. But as a kid, I’m not sure my family ever thought I was funny. Now when I re-read Artifcts I’ve created, I realize I tend to tell stories as they are, no holding back any of the color, and they are funny. Sometimes it’s more like “you have to laugh or cry” but funny all the same.
      • Appreciation for life. I’m far from perfect; I make mistakes and try to learn quickly from them. I hit roadblocks like cancer. I come through it all seeing so clearly what a great life I’ve had. Maybe a bit predictable and boring according to some, but I love my family, community, amazing people I’ve met, and world travels and petite road trips. I’ll take it all with gratitude. 

I challenge you all to take a look at your Artifcts collection as it grows and see what themes emerge. 

_______________

Artifcting has so many benefits in life. Which of those benefits are most important to you is personal. And you may discover, like I did, that the benefit you care about most changes over time, too.

As always, we love to hear your stories and hope you’ll write to us (Editor@Artifcts.com) to share what Artifcts and the act of Artifcting means to you. We’d love to share with the broader Arti Community in future editions of ARTIcles by Artifcts.

Happy Artifcting!

###

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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