How to Make a Life Map With Pictures

Write down each event that you want to include in your life map. Start with roughly a dozen items. Add more if you wish.

Look for pictures that relate to your life events. Start with family photo albums, picture DVDs and other private picture collections. If you need more, look in magazines, newspapers, the Internet and other sources. Choose one picture for each event in your life map.

Decide how you would like to design the life map. Sketch out your ideas on paper if it helps you visualize it better. Experiment with designs such as a time line (for chronological maps), a tree, a graph, a circle or an irregular shape. Imagine the pictures connected on the life map as you design it.

Lay out a large blank sheet of paper or cardboard. Arrange your pictures on the surface according to your life map plan. Place a picture of yourself or a symbol of yourself first and then lay the other pictures around it.

Use paper glue or tape to attach each picture to the paper or cardboard. To use tape, roll the tape on itself to make it two-sided. Stick one side to the paper and the other to the back of the photo. Press the picture firmly on the surface.

Draw a line between the pictures to connect them with one another. You do not have to link each picture with all the others. Instead, connect the pictures the way the events they signify connect in your life.

Write a brief description of each event below the picture that corresponds to it. This is optional but it will be helpful, especially if you intend to share your life map with others.

Review your work. Add, remove or rearrange pictures as you feel is necessary. When you are happy with your work, try framing and hanging it on a wall or share it with family to relive happy memories.