Welcome back for our final day in our week looking at Starting Points. It's Marnie, happy to be here for our last day together.
A few years ago, I had one of the world's greatest jobs, as I traveled round the country teaching scrapbook classes at the Creating Keepsakes' Conventions. I loved meeting so many lovely scrapbookers. Not only did I get to teach our class materials but I got to talk with people just like you and me and learn what makes them tick as scrapbookers.
One thing that stands out to me is meeting people who would ask me why I bother with creative ways to scrapbook when there were just so many pages to get through: event pages, daily routine pages, and other sorts of commemorative pages. As we would explore journaling ideas, inevitably someone would express a sense of disbelief that this was a good use of scrapbooking time.
So for some of you, this week might have been a wash. Perhaps you would just rather open your photo folders, pick out the next photo in line, and scrap the who what where why and when of that photo. And if that is you, that is awesome! Your scrapbooks will be wonderful records of your life. I commend you for being so good at doing and finishing pages. For staying on course and getting things done.
But not all of us are so capable. I take loads of photos. Truly. Here is a snapshot of my May photo folder.
There are 2468 files in 73 folders. Which means there are at least 75 who what where why and when layouts in there. And while I would love to say that I have them done, I haven't. And when I open May 1, I think, "Meh. I don't really want to scrap those photos today."
And the same might be true of the next day and the next.
So if I only scrapbooked the deets, I mightn't scrapbook at all. Because I have been at this for nearly 15 years, and sometimes I get bored.
But if I can find a way to change things up, to shake up the routine, and make it fresh, then I can sit down, and let my creative juices flow into a page that I love. When I worked for Simple, I answered every page call, and also took on assignments. Some were smack dab in my comfort range. Some wildly afar. But no matter, I always seemed to make something in the end. Because I had to. And often I made 3 or 4 so that I could pick the one I was most proud of to send in.
I learned from that that my creativity enjoys parameters. And perhaps deadlines. Knowing that, it is logical that creativity "games" work for me. I come up with number of items allowed; I limit my time to pick out embellishments; I pretend I have a magazine assignment. Or I could pick out a color scheme, a word prompt, or a mood. Oh, hey wait, that sounds so fun...
Was it fun for you, too?
I know many of you read in your reader, and I am not one to often leave comments so I understand not doing so, but I hope you might leave me a word and let me know how you keep it fresh. And whether our week of quirky and offbeat starting points was helpful to you and your pages.
Thank you for spending your week with me! And with us. Before you go, I owe you a page created with a moody starting point. I chose grateful. (Forgive me for the sap. ♥☺)
Thank you for spending your week with me! I can't wait to read what inspires you to keep scrapbooking. I love learning from you and look forward to reading your responses.
ps - the giveaway will remain open throughout the weekend and the lucky number will be posted Monday morning. You will totally love this album, so leave a comment so you can take one home for free-ee!
