Stress and Scrapbooking...hand in hand?

If Scrapbooking is a craft...should it be stressful?

Well...first of all... I don't think that there should be any "shoulds" in scrapbooking...but that's just me.

In a nutshell, I think the answer to the stress in scrapbooking question will vary from person to person. It all depends on 1) why you scrapbook, 2) how you scrapbook, and 3) what you seek to get out of scrapbooking.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if scrapbooking is an outlet for you, that stress would better left out of the equation. I have enough stress in my life...I don't need to have it inundating my relaxation time as well...but it does.

I didn't used to...(how's that for baaaad grammar...Ms. Mendiola is probably somewhere balled up in a corner screaming to high heaven for my head on a platter!)

When I was a liberated scrapper, I scrapped to keep myself from hurting the people that I loved. I found that I was less likely to view my family as a Preying Mathis views her mate after copulation when I threw myself into creating layouts. Now that I've allowed stress into my creative environment, my family lives everyday in mortal peril.

Stress has no place in my crafting life...but that is again, my personal cup-o-tea. Make your own tea. Make your own rules. I did...now if I could just live by the darned things!

Stress is the main reason that I had my near fatal scrap-breakdown. My buddy Chicken Louver can attest to the day that I sent her an email telling her that I couldn't do it anymore. I almost short circuited my keyboard with my bitter tears of rejection and walking away from scrapbooking seemed to be the only solution that would end the constant, painful bombardment of rejection. I was a dumb little girl back then...I can't say I'm any smarter, but I did manage to grow up enough to get over myself.

We all need to determine the level of involvement (in this 'hobby') that will magically transform it into a J.O.B. and ask ourselves if we are ready to cross it. For me, that line of demarcation is right at the DT Gig level. I won't allow myself to work for scraps...because despite loving the shower of goodies, the word 'work' is still involved. I have a job...in fact... because I felt the urge to replicate myself...twice...I have 3 or 4 jobs. I need another pay-less job like I need another dimple in my thigh...no thank you very much! If my hobby looks, smells and tastes like work...then I'd better be getting paid for it...and even with paycheck in hand I will denounce it as any hobby of mine.

What I'm trying to say...if I'm trying to say anything at all, is that for me (and hopefully nobody will miss the "for me" part), Scrapbooking isn't about achievements (outside of achieving giddy happiness at completing a page I love), it isn't about goals, it isn't about 'catching up'. It's about release and release is the antithesis of stress...IMHO. Therefore, it only calls to reason that stress has no place in my scrapbooking. However it got there, it needs to exit, stage left and asap!

Now I need to ponder how to get the festering cyst out of my scrap area...

TFR