I spent a week last summer with my aunt and uncle in Colorado. Each an engineer by training, and family genealogists and historians by passion, our conversations were wide ranging and invariably fascinating.  

What made this visit noteworthy was it was the first since my uncle retired. With a lot more time on his hands, he's in the throes of, you guessed it, #HabitChange. No more daily drive to the university where he worked. No more rush to feed the dogs, take out the trash, and out the door he goes to run his engineering lab. Instead, like a scene out of the movie The Intern, starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro, he now has to make a daily plan to get out of the house and engage with the world as he steps into and shapes his retired life and lifestyle. 

Habits are of course hard to change. I am reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, and it's a must read in my view because it speaks to all of us no matter our day-to-day way of living. 

For example, are you the type of person for whom the moment an item is added to your to-do list you ignore it as though it were written in invisible ink? Or do you sweat that list out until it's done, hopefully as soon as possible, and then cross it off your list with great satisfaction? 

Yup, James Clear sees us all and has strategies to help. 

As I read, I could see how the new habit of Artifcting fits into Clear’s strategies for #HabitChange and wanted to share my translation of a couple of his tips to help you build as you curate your Artifcts collection. Taken slightly out of context, the best line of the book may even be, “Stop thinking about your environment as filled with objects. Start thinking about it as filled with relationships.” Relationships reflect interactions, shape habits. Don’t you want to capture those meaningful relationships, memories, stories? We think so, thus, Artifcts! 

Three Habit Strategies for the #Artilife 

STRATEGY ONE 

Like everything else in life, to create new habits, you need to consider first what “rewards” you want from, in this case, Artifcting. Depending on your situation, maybe you identify with one of these, and it will help guide you to the right habit-based approach to Artifcting and what you do with your Artifct once you create it: 

• I need to be better organized and in greater control of the ‘stuff’ around me. Consider our 5 Ways to Start Artifcting, room by room, most valuable, most cherished, that closet you hate to open … 
• All this stuff will not fit in my new home. There’s no arguing with dimensions. Get Artifcting early and don’t forget to include those dimensions in the Artifct details! 
• I want to make sure my loved one is not forgotten. Artifcting need not be a solo experience. Create an invite-only circle to share and remember those who you have lost. 
• I need help researching my family history. Invite-only circles on Artifcts are one place to start so that you can invite family in to see heirlooms, but social media groups are often another great source of information, and you can easily share your Artifcts into social media for more fact and family lore gathering. 
• I love swapping good stories, laughing and remembering with friends and family. So try sharing an Artifct or two and see how that works for you. 

STRATEGY TWO 

Frame Artifcting as a "when" activity so it becomes intentional. The key here is to be very specific! 

• "Every Tuesday at 9 pm, I'll grab my phone and create two new Artifcts." 
• "When I add something into storage, I'll Artifct it first."
• “When I buy something over $100, I will ask myself, “Is this an Artifct?” and Artifct it on the spot (with receipt!) and fill in the full details later. 
• "When I unpack my suitcase, I'll Artifct my new mementos as I place them around the house." 
• "Every Friday when my son brings his art folder home, I’ll Artifct his projects with him while he has an after-school snack.” 

STRATEGY THREE 

Try out what Clear calls "habit stacking" to incorporate Artifcting into your regular routines and existing habits. 

• "Each season when I organize my closet, I'll Artifct any sentimental pieces, and then sort the items into three piles: keep, consignment, or donation." 
• "As I review my estate plan each year, I will check that my Artifcts are included in the tangible assets memorandum."
• “As I add an item to her baby keepsakes box, I will Artifct it. Then I will put the box away immediately.” 
• "After we clean out the woodshop each winter, we will take breaks. During the breaks we’ll Artifct special projects and tools.” 

Still wondering whether and why to adopt an Artifcting habit? You're busy and you have your ways, after all! My uncle made an excellent point by referencing the 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner, "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain."

Don't lose your history. Pass it on with all the beautiful photos, videos, audio, and story details included, Artifct by Artifct. 

Happy Artifcting! 

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

Any mistakes in the interpretation of the habits to Artifcting belong to Artifcts. In fact, we would encourage you to download the free habit cheat sheets from the author at atomichabits.com/cheatsheet! 

Be Real and Try Not to Assume 

When it comes to family heirlooms, even setting aside family dynamics, we are inundated with media headlines telling us “No one wants it,” whether the “it” in question is artwork, china, jewelry, or furniture. Maybe. And that might hurt. But maybe not. Have you asked? Someone in the family might be interested for an entirely unexpected reason, like their own memory or history related to the object, or a special interest in it, or an idea on how to make it live on with a new use. 

Capturing the story behind an heirloom might be the best and final way to honor its family heritage and history and potentially find it a new home. Here are some interesting combinations we’ve seen at Artifcts: 

• The baby bassinet + a photo of two generations of babies in it + the details on who owned it, why you have it, and what’s next (you hope) for the bassinet. Click the image below!
• A photo of Dad in a suit + his cufflinks + an appraisal report + the story of that day he wore them and maybe even who gave them to him. 
• Grandma’s front hall painting + a picture of the artist’s signature + her on video telling you where she and Grandpa bought it and why. Always remember the importance of gifting your loved ones a "why."

Don’t Forget 

"In the future" is an optional field when you Artifct, but it’s a powerful one too (especially when then shared with your estate planner or uploaded to your digital will!). It can help see your wishes through and relieve the burden, guilt, and strife that could befall the next generation who is tasked to rehome it.  

Feeling torn whether to sell it or keep it? Maybe you need more information. After Artifcting, you can always click, “What’s it worth?” to get a free valuation from Heritage Auctions Appraisals. 

Small museums, historical foundations, and even professional archives may be interested and will in fact preserve them!  Here’s a useful starting point for help: The Society of American Archivists. 

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Have another tip or approach for heirlooms?  

Share on social media or write to us at Editor@Artifcts.com.  

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Capturing Simple to Complex Collections 

Don’t hesitate, dive in! Those collections of wine, dolls, watches, art, stamps, and handbags all have stories to share and will not speak for themselves.  

We’ve learned that Articting collections often relates closely to your motivation, that’s your motivation to collect something in the first place as well as what you would like to one day become of your collection. Is it a casual hobby that brings you joy, an investment that you will sell off in part or whole with time, or is this a passion that you will transfer one day to family or perhaps a philanthropy or foundation of choice?  

See if one of these Artifcting approaches will help you to preserve the ‘why’ and greater ‘value’ and also align with your motivation. 

• Put on your sentimental hat. Think about the collection this way: If someone were to inherit your collection, are any pieces of particular value to you? Why? Start with these because there’s no time like the present. 
• Most collections have natural groupings. Start and complete Artifcting for one group before moving on to the next. 
• Attach inventory lists as “Documentation” in your Artifct and use the Artifct photos and video to go into the true value (market or sentimental), your personal ‘why’ behind the collection, and highlights pertinent to any special pieces in the collection. 
• Start big, work your way down by taking a video to scan the collection. You can then dedicate a certain amount of time per day, week, or month to add more details to individually Artifct each piece or Artifct together in “like” groupings and add to the description details about individual pieces of the collection. 

Don’t forget! 

You can request free valuations after you Artifct an item if you have a paid Artifcts membership so you have more information to decide how to store, distribute, insure, and otherwise manage your piece for the long haul. 

Documentation is your ally. Inventory lists, warranties, certificates of authenticity — the full story you don’t want everyone else who views the Artifct to see... endless possibilities. Attach those documents in the "Documentation" field when creating an Artifct to keep them private and only viewable to you. 

Digital storage is your secret weapon. Artifcting the most revealing family photos to make sure history is not lost? Still have 1000s more where that came from? Digital collections can sit happily where you have them. Simply provide the file path/folder/site information in your Artifct under “Location” so those you give Full Control or pass on your Artifcts too will know where to look for more if they are interested! 

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Have another tip or approach for collections?  

Share on social media or write to us at Editor@Artifcts.com.  

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

It’s that time of year again! Time to make promises to ourselves to be better, work smarter, live healthier, and so forth and so on. I swore decades ago that I would not make New Year's resolutions. Nope, not me. I would make New Year's goals instead, family (and pets) included. 

What’s the difference? In my mind, goals are things that I work to achieve over the course of the year. Things that I can make incremental progress on and forgive myself if I don’t follow through on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. To me, goals are the friendlier version of resolutions; goals don’t require me to give up anything or go all draconian on one thing or another. (And good thing too since only 9% of Americans follow through on their resolutions by the end of the year!) 

Here at Artifcts, we’ve spent a lot of time looking at the most common goals people set for themselves for the New Year and thinking about how Artifcts can help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be. Okay, there may be some limitations, as I have yet to find a way that Artifcts can help me run a 5K with my daughter, but you can bet that we’ll be Artifcting the medal after the 5K! As for my goals, here’s a peek at a few along with tips for how Artifcts can help you make AND keep New Year's goals. 

My goals for this year are: Spend more time with my family, clean out my junk drawer, organize my digital photos, and run a 5K with my daughter. Sound achievable, no? Let’s break it down: 

Goal: Spend More Time with Family 

Artifcts is a great way to spark intergenerational conversations and stories. Visiting an older relative? Look around their house and pick an interesting object. Ask them the story behind it, what it means to them, and why they keep it. We can’t wait to hear what you discover! Same goes for kid art (what is it and what were they thinking), old photos (who is that and what are they doing), really, anything that sparks your curiosity and makes you ponder “Why?” Ask the question, create the Artifct, and share the memory.  

Goal:  Clean Out [Insert Space in Your House Here]  

We all have those spaces in the house where ‘stuff’ lurks. For me, it is my junk drawer. My husband may have moved a full trash can between houses, but I moved a full junk drawer. I need to stop making excuses. Out with the junk and in with the Artifcts. That Red Sox ticket from 2003? There’s a reason I’ve kept it all these years, time to Artifct it and move on. Same goes for the nearly impossible puzzle I bought years ago. My entire family will thank me for this goal.  

Need more decluttering support? Check out this story on ARTIcles. 

Goal: Organize My Photos 

Did you know that the average American has over 2,000 photos on their phone? That’s a lot of photos! Ellen has previously discussed the overwhelming nature of digital photos in this story on ARTIcles. So what do you do with all those photos? Artifct the ones that mean the most; the ones that have a story behind them; the ones that you are going to want to remember decades from now. And when we say the “ones,” we really mean the “ones.”

I Artifcted eight photos last year; four were old photos, two of which I had the story behind, and two of which I am still searching for the stories. The other four were photos from events and moments in time that I wanted to remember not only for myself, but for my daughter, too. Artifcting is my way of remembering for her, of ensuring she will have the story (and memory) when she wants it.  

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

You’ve started an Artifcts collection. You know stuff and stories go better together! Now what?

Artifcts already take your stories and memories beyond anything you can do with traditional photos, inventory lists, or social media. Now we have released a set of new features we hope will make it still easier to bring families, friends, and stories together across time and distance.

But First... Remember Networks?

Introducing Sharing Lists and Invite-Only Circles

Now your Artifcts networks can also help you instantly share Artifcts with lists of people and form invite-only circles. Why would you create lists and circles? Save time, connect easily and privately with all the people you want to, and gain access to more Artifcts you care about no matter who has them and where. 

SHARING LISTS

Lists save you the step of sharing an Artifct with each of your nearest and dearest over and over again as you build your collection. Simply create a list, choose it when you share, and each person on the list will instantly receive your Artifct in their inbox. Popular sharing lists among our early testing group included: immediate family, neighbors, friends from school, colleagues, and travel pals. 

INVITE-ONLY CIRCLES

Think of circles like group chats, but here your language is objects, photos, recipes ... and their stories! Anyone you invite into the circle can share Artifcts with the circle for all circle members to enjoy. The sky is the limit: train car collectors group, ceramic artists network, church groups, quilting circles, virtual family reunions, and more.

And, as always, list and circle members only need to have a free Artifcts membership to view Artifcts you share!

Create your first sharing list or circle >

Another New, Powerful Feature: @ Mentions

The joy of each Artifct you create is that it is so much more than a photo with a caption, scrapbook, or video. Each Artifct weaves together any combination of photos, video, audio, text, and documents in one place to give more color and meaning (and usefulness!). 

Simply type @ as you write your Artifct 'Description,' and you will be able to select from people, other Artifcts, sharing lists, and circles to link into the story, historic account, or (maybe) tall tale. Learn how to use this feature on our YouTube channel. 

Check out the "Cape Cod Whale Tale" >

Reorder Artifcts to Shape Your Story

Did you know that the singer Adele required Spotify not "shuffle" the songs on her newest album, ensuring the playlist mirrored the curated sequence on her album? She tweeted in part: “We don’t create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason. Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended.”

While we don't "shuffle" your Artifcts, they do appear in the order you created them ... until now! If you feel the same as Adele, go ahead and customize the order in which your Artifcts appear, as co-founder Ellen Goodwin shows in this video on YouTube.

 Choose 'My Artifcts' and click 'Re-order' >
 

On the Artifcts App: Rescue Artifcts with a Click!

Ever find yourself scrolling back through the 1000s of photos and videos on your phone and suddenly think, “Oh, I should Artifct this?” Well, now you can!

With the photo you want to use selected, click the share button, and scroll through your apps to find the Artifcts app. If it's your first time choosing the Artifcts app, you might need to click "more" or a three dots (...) symbol to find the Artifcts app. Don't worry, your phone will learn to show the Artifcts app after you use it a few times.

That's all for now. We'd love your feedback, always. You can contact us at Hello@Artifcts.com.

Happy Artifcting!

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© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

He's authored 1000s of articles, several books, and what's maybe the first known travel blog. And during the Fall 2022 series of Evenings with Artifcts Jeff Greenwald shared with us simple but powerful tips, and a healthy dose of perspective, to help us craft our own stories behind the objects of our lives.  

Watch the full Evenings with Artifcts event here.

• It is hard to write about an object with no personal meaning but even harder when it has tremendous personal meaning. Bear that in mind and go easy on yourself. 

• Start with something true. This is the trick to writing anything nonfiction. For example, start with a little line about where you got the object: “I bought this in a street market in Istanbul.” And from there go on to describe the scene a little bit and what happened there that connects you with the object.  

Start with something true.

• Other starters for your Artifcts:  

  • • • Where were you when you acquired the object? 
      • Was it a gift? Who gave it to you? Tell a bit about them. What was your relationship with them that they felt they should give you a gift like that? “The moon Rocket was a gift for my friend Dave Mccutcheon, and he and I have been friends for many years and share a love of robots and spaceships and dinosaurs... all those things we loved when we were kids.” 
      • Why is it important to you?
      • What feelings does it evoke in you?

• If a story comes to mind, you can just start jotting it down anywhere. Let your thoughts go where they will. It can be a collection of random thoughts that you can look at later and put together into some sort of a story structure. 

• We all have stories. Writers block comes from our internal critic. It challenges you with, “Why would anybody want to read it? What could you have to say? What makes you think you're so great that anyone should listen to anything you're telling them?” You have to tell yourself, “I have a right to do this because I’m a human being with a story, and the story deserves to be told whether or not you, my internal critic, thinks that it does.” Push the internal critic aside. 

• If you value the stories and need motivation to begin capturing and preserving those stories with Artifcts, make a deal with yourself like Jeff did. Jeff made a pact to give away the objects once their stories were told. Maybe you’ll choose to Artifct twice per week. Or perhaps you’ll start with those items that are most meaningful to you.  

• A bit of advice Jeff shared from esteemed author Kurt Vonnegut: Write your stories as though you are writing them for one person, as if you are telling this person each of the stories. It gives all the stories a similar tone, a singular voice. 

• Always include when and where the object was acquired. These are important details.

• Struggling with a title? Write out 10 of them. It will help you to start to shape your story, too.

Our stuff, the objects that we collect, that inspire us, they are really not what's important. We do not need to keep them. The only thing that is important are the stories, and the only way to keep the stories is to tell them.

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© 2024 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.