Why 2022 will be the year of the everyday life stories

The importance of documenting life’s most precious moments became something of a theme in 2021. With memoirs being released from Hollywood celebrities to members of the Royal Family, it seems now more than ever there is a need to preserve our unique journey’s as we remember them thus far. However, it is not only those in the public eye that have stories worth telling. Each day we are contributing to the telling of our own narrative, through the people we meet, the small acts of kindness, or that one opportunity that you said ‘yes’ to which redefined your journey.

Despite how immense the task may seem, we as a collective document our lives daily. Whether that be through an Instagram post, Twitter update or never deleting our previous conversations with our friends, the data is all there. But what if instead we were to capture, and preserve these experiences into our very own memoir?

Over the course of multiple lockdowns in the UK, national biographer StoryTerrace has seen a huge uptick in demand since the pandemic began, having experienced an influx of requests from people looking to document their journey through life. With now completed over 2,500 unique stories of people from all facets of society, it consolidates the idea that you do not need to have been on our screens to be in a book.

Rutger Bruining, Founder and CEO of StoryTerrace, comments on how the stories that leave the largest impact can’t always be found in store:

“In my experience, the stories that have left the biggest impact on me are ones that I hear from my family. Most profoundly, the stories my grandfather used to tell me when I was younger which have resonated with me since I was young and ultimately inspired me to start this company. It’s easy to get caught up with the lives of other people, most commonly, the celebrities in the media, but sometimes you needn’t look so far to hear about someone’s incredible story. Often the most touching experiences we here about are from our grandparents, or people we know.

It was a pleasure to hear some of the amazing stories that were documented through the pandemic, and I hope that the power that lies in retelling our greatest life stories is a tradition we pass onto the next generation. Though there have been times of severe difficulty for all, the pandemic has certainly made us realise the importance of our families and friends, and the value of documenting the moments we share with them. This has been testament to the fact that everyone really does have an interesting story worth telling.”