When people ask me why I believe so deeply in what we're building at Artifcts, I could talk about technology. I could talk about digital preservation, AI, or the challenge of organizing a lifetime of memories. But the real answer is much simpler.
It's my mom.
Like so many families, as she got older, my brothers and I wanted to preserve her stories. We wanted our kids and grandkids to know not just who she was, but how she lived, what she loved, and why certain objects mattered.
Through Artifcts, my mom documented more than 200 items, photos, and memories. She photographed treasured keepsakes, family heirlooms, travel souvenirs, and pieces of history that had found their way into our family over the decades. She told stories that otherwise would have disappeared. When she passed away, those Artifcts became one of the greatest gifts she left behind.
The time I packed two Matchbox cars and 60 pounds of rocks for a 10+ hours flight. Artifcted. As my brothers and I worked through her belongings, we didn't have to wonder what mattered most to her. We knew. We knew which objects carried special meaning, which family stories deserved to be passed along, and why she had a rather well-preserved eight-foot snakeskin on her bookcase.
Without Artifcts, so much of that would have been guesswork. And yet...even with more than 200 Artifcts, we discovered something that surprised us. There were still chapters of her life we knew very little about.
The Stories We Never Thought to Ask About
Looking back through everything she created, patterns emerged. She documented many wonderful historic family items. She preserved memories from decades of travel and living overseas in such far-flung places as Kathmandu, Rio de Janeiro, and Liberia. She captured objects connected to raising a family overseas and building a life with our dad.
However, there was remarkably little from her teenage years. Who was she before she became our mother? What were her dreams? What music did she love? What friendships shaped her? What challenges did she overcome before she ever met our father?
Then we noticed another gap. The last twenty years of her life were barely represented.
Without a doubt, those years mattered too. They included new friendships, changing priorities, becoming a grandmother to an ever-growing brood of grandchildren, adapting to life's inevitable changes, and countless everyday moments (hello Rummikub champion!) that become precious only after someone is gone.
Those stories are largely lost to us now. Not because she didn't live them, but because none of us realized they still needed to be captured. We had patted ourselves on the back saying “yep, Gradnmom’s got 200 Artifcts, we’re good,” and, “we’ve heard that story a thousand times, there’s no way we’ll forget it.” Except, somehow, we have. We’ve forgotten the little details and I’m sure mixed-up others.
Even Hundreds of Stories Leave Room for More
One of the biggest misconceptions about preserving family history is that it's about finishing an enormous project. It's not. No one ever reaches the point where they've told every meaningful story.
Life keeps happening. Your story changes every year. The person you are today is different from the person you were ten years ago. The memories that feel ordinary now may become the stories your grandchildren treasure most someday.
I see this differently now than I did before losing my mom. When someone is still with us, it's easy to assume there will always be another holiday, another phone call, another chance to ask, "Tell me about when..."
Sometimes there isn't.
The Objects Matter—Because the Stories Matter
People often ask whether Artifcts is really about the objects. The objects are important; they're the prompts. A cookbook becomes the story of Sunday dinners. A passport becomes decades of adventure. A baseball glove becomes a childhood friendship. A wedding ring becomes sixty years of marriage.
Although the objects may anchor our memories, the real treasure isn't always the object itself. It's knowing why it mattered. If I could go back, I'd ask more questions.
- I'd ask about the years before I existed.
- I'd ask about the years I thought I already understood.
- I'd ask about the ordinary days that didn't seem remarkable at the time.
I can't do that now, but I can encourage others to start today. Take time to document your own story. Take time to capture the stories of the people you love.
Photograph the objects that matter. Record why they matter. Ask the questions you've been meaning to ask. Preserve the memories that seem obvious today, because one day they won't be. My one closing thought? Leave your loved ones a legacy, not a mystery.
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Looking for more inspiration to help you capture your stories? Check out our newest partner, MemoirGhostwriting.com, who has generously discounted their most popular memoir packages for our Artifcts members.
You may also enjoy reading these additional ARTIcles from our Artifcts vault:
From 'Just Stuff' to Family Gold: The Power of Story
Storytelling Guide for Your Family Heirlooms
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