My Mom Was an Excellent Keep-er.
What we choose to keep can tell us who we are.
My Mom was an excellent keep-er.
Near-perfect records of my entire childhood medical history filed in a single box.
The receipt from when she bought my favorite stuffed animal.
The user manual for every battery-operated device since 1972.
So when I finally decided to go through the box labeled “Sarah’s Educational Records,” I braced myself.
It took me a full day.
The band camp itineraries.
The school play programs.
The official and not-so-official forms from every club, activity, and extracurricular I tried.
There was a lot of paper.
But when I narrowed it down — when I asked myself what was actually worth keeping — I discovered what really mattered in my memory:
Photographs. And handwritten letters from teachers, friends, my sister.
In other words: the things that showed me who I was and told me who I was becoming.
Yes, the band camp itinerary documented what I did at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 24, 2001.
But it didn’t tell me who I was.
For that, I needed the handwritten note from Mrs. Webb: “Keep on being a leader — you're smart, hard-working, honest, and creative!”
And the photo of me dressed as Christa McAuliffe next to my award-winning science fair project. #DenimOnDenim
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Those are the artifacts that reveal my story — far more than any form, schedule, or list ever could.
And it’s the same for your business.
Most firms get stuck talking about the “what.”
The equivalent of my band camp itineraries: detailed, accurate... and completely forgettable.
But what your clients really need is the who.
Show them who you are. Tell them who you are. Give them something real to hold onto — through images, stories, moments, and the words others use to describe their experience of working with you.
Because that’s the part they — and you — will crave to hang onto well beyond any one project, company milestone, or website refresh.
Sarah Dowlin
Sarah Dowlin is a photographer by trade, an observer by nature, and the founder of WorkLife Studios.
More Observations
Small Deposits
Simple ways to put relationship into practice.
Keep the note. If a client sends an email that captures something meaningful about your work together, don’t let it disappear into your inbox.
Save the photograph that tells you something. Not necessarily the most polished one. The one that reminds you who was there, what was happening, or why it mattered.
Write down the words people use. The throwaway comment in an interview. The compliment someone gives a coworker when she isn’t in the room. The sentence a client uses to describe your business better than you ever have.
It’s ok if you don’t know what you’ll do with any of these moments yet. Just notice it. Keep it.
On My Radar & In My Rolodex
Things I’m reading, saving, and sharing — and an introduction I’d like to make.
Loneliness Is a Personal (and Business) Problem
Everyone’s lonely — the old. The young. Men, women, executives, and managers.
One suggestion that stood out: choosing not to uproot your life for a “better job” may be one of the smartest moves for your long-term well-being and influence.
“If you choose to turn down a job that would mean moving far from your social network, you should not be judged.”
A powerful reminder for firms trying to build true belonging — not just better benefits.
Ford Knowlton of Work With Mean.ing
I’ve had two meetings with Ford, and he’s a kindred spirit — deeply committed to scaling trust and connection inside professional relationships.
If you’re exploring how to operationalize relational capital (beyond “networking”), he’s worth following.
Table Topics
Take these to your next meeting, coffee, or school pickup line.
What I’m Giving
Skip the week-before-Christmas chaos. Give something the Monday after Thanksgiving instead. I tried this approach for the first time this year, and it freed up so much mental space in December.
Our gifts were a simple, intentional invitation for teachers to slow down and savor the season:
- An Advent devotional from Truth For Life
- A set of four Advent candles
Thoughtful, under $10, and genuinely appreciated.
What I’m Reading
I just picked up Brené Brown’s Strong Ground. It’s no surprise that her work is giving language to so much of what I’ve felt this year:
“I don’t think, in this moment, that we’re very good at what makes us human.”
What I’m Savoring
“Coffee snuggles” with my youngest — three precious minutes of holding him as he wakes up while I finish my first cup of coffee.
Small ritual. Huge joy.
PS: How do Christmas trees get ready for a night out? They spruce up.
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