I love good stories and I am passionate about sharing them.  Stories about family especially interest me. Very few of us know much about our great grandparents and their grandparents. Helping people discover and record stories about their heritage has developed into a career for me.

​

As an adopted person, I knew nothing of my heritage.  After 55 years of wondering, I embarked on a journey to discover my past.  Through DNA and lots of research, I found my biological family.  I was able trace my family back 10 generations. Missing from all this newly discovered history were the values and traditions my family shared.  No one recorded or past down personal stories for future generations.

​

Family stories provide us with a since of community belonging.  Stories link us to our past, present and our future. I would love to know more about the seven generations of maritime captains in my family.  How did my grandmothers adapt to being head of the household for months on end?  How did they celebrate special occasions?  What traditions did they follow?   

​

Today, I use the skills developed uncovering my past to help others discover and record their past. My clients trust me to capture family stories and preserve them for future generations. This is important work and I am grateful for the ability to share these skills.

​

In addition to recording family stories, I love to document stories in nature.  My deep love for nature has been with me all my life.  I was always drawn to the ocean and that led me to study marine science.  Discovering my past help me to understand my deep connection to the sea.  I came from seven generations of maritime captains off the coast of Maine!

Eventually, I combined my desire to create art with my biological background.  I started capturing stories about our natural world.  Now, I work to raise community awareness through art, video, sound and still photography.  I want people to better understand our role in nature.  I also raise awareness in our community as a volunteer for Wild Amelia, a local non profit dedicated to environmental education.

By combining my love for art, history, nature and research, I offer a unique set of skills that enables me to capture a story and share it well.          

History is the tapestry of life woven out of nature.  Share your story for future generations to know.

Lauri deGaris