I've decided to start using my public Facebook page to ask a few questions here and there as it relates to none other than scrapbooking. It's interesting to me to see how other scrapbookers think about things like, how often they actually manage to print digital photos, or how often they sit down to document their lives with paper, glue or pixels (or all three.)
I've been spending time with older layouts, flipping through albums, looking at scans, trying to decided how I want to spend the year documenting life without going overboard and without missing too much. In other words, I'm looking for my scrap balance.
I love coming across pages that remind me of when the paint was still fresh on this little hobby of mine. Of when the idea of a trip to Archiver's was better than inhaling a bag of Lay's potato chips. I remember making this page in 2002 and thinking, "I am SERIOUSLY good!"
There was something about scrapbooking that made me feel uber-creative and smart. It was as if I'd found the golden ticket to the crafting world that finally had a seat at the table for me.
What made me love it was the chance to showcase my photos and tell stories. I never really did get caught up in products or experimentation. Little art journal ventures always made me feel like I was wearing a dress that was about two decades out of style. Me and UTEE always made for strange bedfellows if you catch my drift.
Sometimes, when you work in the scrapbooking world, you get hung up on thinking you need to always think of a new angle, or a new idea, or a new product. I know I've taken a dip in that pool from time to time, only to emerge a bit more stressed out and a lot less inspired.
But the thing that made me love it always returns me to the basics. Telling stories to go with my pictures in a way that feels right to me.
What about you? What made you love it, and what keeps you coming back for more?
