When I was in high school, I was completely obsessed with photography—so much so that I switched schools just for access to a darkroom. Learning to operate a manual camera, process my own film, and make prints in that quiet, red-lit space changed the way I saw the world. Photography became more than a way to document my experiences—it became my language.
In college, I was (of course) a photography major, drawn to alternative processes that blurred the line between image-making and memory. I mixed my own light-sensitive emulsions, experimented with unconventional materials, and even printed photographs on handmade paper. I loved the precision of photography, but even more, I loved the imperfections—the way an image could carry the texture of time, feeling, and experience.
My love of storytelling through images has only grown over the years, which is why I was so excited to share a unique photographic process with a new generation of creators. This month, we partnered with The Nueva School to lead a workshop on storytelling through Polaroid emulsion lifts.
In this hands-on session, upper school students transformed digital images from their phones into one-of-a-kind analog photographs—ones that didn’t just capture a moment, but conveyed the feeling of a memory.
We had the best time experimenting, learning, and embracing the beauty of imperfection. The process required patience and precision, but also a willingness to let go—because, as participants quickly discovered, the unexpected is where the magic happens.
Here’s what we did:
📸 Selected meaningful images from our phones
📸 Created Polaroid photographs using the Polaroid Lab
📸 Gently lifted the delicate emulsion layer from the Polaroid frame
📸 Transferred the emulsion onto watercolor paper using water and paintbrushes
The result? Stunning, ethereal images—each telling a story in a single frame.
“A unique art form that was super fun and meditative to explore. Kathryn was also a great facilitator, would highly recommend!”
Workshops like this highlight the many ways we approach storytelling at The CCC Project. We’re excited to offer more opportunities like this in the future—so if you’re interested in exploring a process like this one, let us know!
A huge thank-you to the Nueva community for welcoming us in. We left feeling so inspired by these young storytellers and can’t wait to see where their creativity takes them next.
In other news..
📚 Have you checked out our books at the San Mateo Public Library? Huge congratulations to Creative Youth Collective authors Millie, Zoe, Amruth, and William for having your stories added to the collection!
✍️ The Creative Youth Collective spring semester is now in full swing—stay tuned for more updates from the next generation of storytellers.
☀️ And don’t forget—our summer enrollment opens March 7, 2025. Get in touch now to join our waiting list!
With endless inspiration,
Kathryn