Today I’m introducing another monthly series…
The Word of the Month
Once a month I’ll pick a word and create a layout based on that word. I’ll also share some writing prompts and ideas that fit the theme of the word. I encourage you to challenge yourself and join me in creating a layout using the word of the month.
This month the word is:
Freedom
The definition of freedom is: the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance; the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved; the state of being physically unrestricted and able to move easily
Page Ideas:
• a child taking their first steps
• a child learning to climb out of their crib
• a child’s right to free speech (the hilarious, candid things they say)
• an animal running away or out of their kennel or fenced yard
• a child running away from an adult
• a child trapped by their clothes or a baby gate (the pursuit of freedom)
• a teenager being left home alone for the first time
• celebrating 4th of July
• military
• a day way from your kids
• leaving a difficult situation
Writing Prompts:
You can use the following writing prompts to inspire your own writing or layouts or use them to interview the subject of your layout. Some of the questions may seem like they are geared more for adults, but kids can give some very interesting and hilarious answers to these prompts.
• What does freedom mean to you?
• What does freedom allow you to do?
• What does freedom allow you to say?
• How do you enjoy your freedom?
• What does it feel like to be free?
• What do you appreciate most about your freedom?
• You’ve got 3 minutes to share your right to free speech with the whole world, what do you say?
• What has been the most freeing experience in your life?
• What is something you wish you could free yourself from?
• Write about a time you felt trapped. How did you free yourself? How do you reflect on the situation now? What has changed because of the situation?
• Who can you personally thank for your freedom?
• What do you do to show appreciation for your freedom?
• How do you feel when you see your child growing into their own freedoms?
• How do you enjoy your freedom away from your kids?
• What are some fears you have about your children and giving them freedom?
I used the word freedom to inspire a layout about two of our dogs and their tendency to escape our house and yard when the backdoor would open. They loved to chase each other and often times would become oblivious to where they were going and how far away from our house they would get. They also seemed to lose their hearing or forget their names because it did zero good to call their names. Thankfully, they have short little legs and can’t run all that fast so my husband could chase them down before they got too close to the highway at the end of our road. Eventually we fenced in the yard and they were able to run to their hearts content without us having to worry about their safety.
When it came to design, I used large triangles as a background and then accented those with small triangles arranged in rows. I love using arrows on layouts that show movement and so that's what I intended for those rows of smaller triangles.
On this layout, I’ve got the idea of movement from the dogs running away and then I’ve got the photos that show movement with my husband walking back home, carrying the dogs.
If you create a layout based on this month’s word, be sure to share it in the comments!
Paper and embellishments from Echo Park Paper