Hello! It's Jennifer Larson. As an English teacher, I go through periods where I do nothing but grade. When I finish, I look at my scrapbooking supplies and feel uninspired to create. Too tired, no ideas, no time--sound familiar? I think we all go through slumps like this. So how do we get back to creating? Here's what I did this week when I had a break in my grading:
1. I started with a photo I loved. No story, just a photo that made me smile.
2. I used only supplies that were within arms' reach. Seriously, I pulled from kits and tools that were nearby. I didn't move from my chair. After a day of the most back-breaking shoveling of my life, it was nice.
3. I just layered some papers for the design. This is an easy design: pull papers that you like and seem to go together, then trim them in alternating rectangles and squares and layer them. No thinking required!
4. I went there for the title. We were in a corn field, it was going to be a page about my son's sense of humor, so yes, I used the obvious pun for the title. I used the word corny. I'm OK with that.
5. I put the embellishments in the obvious locations. That would be a visual triangle near the title, the photo, and the journaling. That's OK.
6. I played. I had some sequins near me. I'm not really a glittery-sequin gal, but since they were there, and the background paper had some splotches on it, I added some for fun. And it was fun!
7. I journaled the way I always do with the details I could remember. I could barely remember anything about this story, just generals about my son making me laugh in the corn maze. I used what I had and tried to describe what I could remember. And I used journaling strips, which I pretty much always do. No regrets.
So that is how I got back into the groove! I didn't do anything big or set high expectations for myself. I went for easy and ended up with a page that made me laugh out loud, I was so happy to have made it. If you've been in a rut or lacking creative inspirations, remember my favorite tweet:
And have fun!
