Hello!
Thank you for your interest in joining the Life Story Professionals, whose members are primarily located in the greater Washington, D.C., area.
Who we are:
Our members are actively engaged in the work of capturing the histories of individuals, families, and organizations through multiple disciplines. This includes writing, videography, the recording of oral history, and a variety of mixed-media work, such as memory boards. Our membership also includes individuals who specialize in services that support these disciplines, such as photo digitization, digital restoration, and material organization.
We meet six times per year, and our meetings are a mix of in-person and online events. In-person meetings are held on Saturdays at a member’s home from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Zoom meetings are typically on a weeknight from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Members are expected to participate in at least four meetings a year. Membership dues are $50 per year.
We strive to make our meetings both useful to the widest number of members, as well as fun and engaging. This gives all members an opportunity to not only learn more about their own craft, but also gain the broadest knowledge of our industry. To that end, each meeting has a different focus. Meeting topics are decided at our annual planning meeting at the end of the calendar year. Additionally, realizing that we are all individual artisans in our chosen media with unique viewpoints, we aim to provide a respectful and supportive environment without proscriptive or negative comments.
Although we do not require that members meet any criteria related to income generation, we are a learning and sharing group. As such, we expect that all members are actively engaged in their chosen life story work and willing to show their work to each other and share their challenges. As an intimate group, we offer a safe place to seek guidance and offer help. We respect differing opinions, and keep conversations on civil. We especially enjoy the opportunity to learn from each other to grow our practices.
For these reasons, it is important to ensure that we are a good match for your goals in this field and those of our membership.
What we are NOT:
Just as important as who we are as a group is what our group is not. We do not:
- Sell our membership list – for any reason
- Provide marketing services
- Offer membership “in name only;” every member is expected to participate in meetings, as well as take an active part in both occasionally organizing meeting content and contributing to overall discussions
In addition, membership is not open to vendors (selling items such as software, video equipment, etc.) or to “agents” offering to publish or produce member content.
Process:
To become an associate member, complete this application and submit it. If you have questions or would like to chat with one of our members before submitting an application, please reach out to us at info@thelifestoryprofessionals.org.
Our members will review your application, and you will be contacted with a status update.
Approved applicants will be invited to a meeting to introduce yourself and your work, and to tell us what you would like to gain and contribute from your membership.
Once approved, each new member is considered an associate member for one year after joining. This gives both the applicant and the members a chance to get to know one another, and to help confirm that both will benefit from the new member’s participation.
Dues for associate members are a nonrefundable $25 (half the cost of regular annual dues), payable upon acceptance of membership.
Note: Associate members are not listed on the Life Story Professionals website or in our directory.