My mother came to visit last week, and that visit was by far the best time that I've ever had with the woman who brought me into this world! I guess I could prelude this entry with the obligatory "I don't share a close relationship with my mom" disclaimer, but it's only relevant in my little sphere of existence. I won't bore anyone with the details.
The reason that last week was so memorable is that for the first time in my life, my mom expressed an interest in my craft hobby,particularly my jewelry making. She has never expressed a desire to even think about scrapbooking and drawing/painting are wastes of time according to her. All she wanted was to learn how to make jewelry. Initially, she expressed an interest in the financial benefits of selling handmade jewelry, but as the week progressed, her outlook changed dramatically. By the end of the week, before me stood a woman who was so proud of having tapped into a well of creativity that she never thought was there, so proud that we could hardly stand to be in the same room with her and her ear-to-ear smile. When she was getting ready to leave she looked at me for a long while and then thanked me for helping her find something that could be hers. My mom has never thanked me for anything, this was a big, huge, genormous deal!
My mom was awarded for her voyage of self discovery. She discovered that she has a keen eye for design and that she could easily duplicate much of the beaded jewelry that she has seen in stores and liked. Not just duplicate though; she could take a piece of jewelry that she likes and create something similar that she loves. It has taken 25 years for her to desire to tap into some of the creativity that runs rampant through her children. I, for one, am glad that she did because I don't feel like such an oddball now.
This whole thing has been flitting around my mind for a few days now. The whole creativity thing. Here was a 54 year old woman who had gotten used to accepting what life had to offer and understanding that little of that offering was going to wind up on her plate. That 54 year old mother of 3 decided in an instant that she was going to find something to do for herself and she nailed it. Yes, she struggled a bit,let's face it, life has been hard on my mom and her eyes and hands don't work the way they used to, but she persevered (and whined)until she had the basics down. I will never forget the way that she would just sit at the dining room table beaming down at a pair of earrings that she'd just made for herself. It meant the world to me.
My mother's visit was also pretty darned inspiring for me as far as my scrapbooking is concerned. I watched her dig and dig until she found her creative well and then I watched her draw from that well with reckless abandon until she created something that held her satisfaction. Not once did she hold up an incomplete strand and asked how I felt about it, though I can admit doing exactly that with my creations. The woman was focused solely on doing what she liked and the only help she needed from me involved making sure she had the various techniques right enough to make a secure piece of jewelry. My mom...my hero...she's where I was 3 years ago, and unlike myself, she will probably never get to where I am today.
So why am I writing this? Heck, I don't know. I just wanted to put to 'paper' all of the feelings that the memory of last week conjures. I am a creative being and I believe with my entire being that all scrapbookers, regardless of the motivation for their creations, are creative beings. My mom re-taught me a lesson that I learned and lost a long time ago: Creativity doesn't necessarily need approval. I plan to remind myself of that every single day because it's important. When I think of how my dad's ill views of anything 'creative' stifled her discovering her inner artist and I remember how very close he came to discouraging my brother and I from pursuing careers that made use of that creativity, I cringe. I'm a Drafter, my brother's a Graphics Designer...I wonder what my mother would've become is she'd not bought into her husband's narrow minded ideas about creative hobbies.
Again, this has very little to do with scrapbooking, but it's an important occurrence in my life. I hope that if anything, someone can read this and get something out of it. If not, oh well...at least I did.
Rambling Complete
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Who died and made me martyr?
******************************************************
Those are two scathing comments that I received yesterday for having the audacity to mention that I'd entered the Scrapbook.com Lucky 7 Contest. I was tempted to shoot from the hip because I was really offended at the judgement and criticism, but I thought better of it (things seem to get ugly when I respond first and think later). After a fairly decent nights sleep, I feel clear headed and emotionally detached enough to respond to these comments. Please, bear with me.
Firstly, if I may, I want to address a couple of key points:
You are absolutely right on one point, I don't need money for more scrap supplies, especially not after purging all last week, but truth be told, I do have vertical files full of layouts that have no album to go into. Though it was not my intention to enter to win the contest, as my girlfriend said, 'even an honorable mention could get you a couple of albums'. To some it may appear that I entered for no reason, but my girlfriends understand the underlying significance of my entry. If you have never been terrified of entering a contest to the point of paralysis, I don't expect you to understand. For me, being able to enter the contest without experiencing the anxiety and fear that I felt in the past signified a lot of progress in my personal growth and healing. To the commenter, I had no reason to enter because from a materialistic standpoint, there was no need. From my stand point, it was very necessary to finally silence the oppressive demons that have in the past told me that my work was sub par, unworthy, and a waste of product. I didn't enter the contest for glory or fame, I entered to see if I could do so without emotional consequence, and aside from being blasted on this blog, I think I have taken a huge, positive step. I entered for me...the only person who has a dog in my race for emotional healing. I'm sorry if this makes little sense to the people who read this blog, but I am the type of person who faces her fears head on and staying away from contests forever wasn't an option for me until I could tell myself that I wasn't staying away out of fear, but rather because I found them unnecessary.
Yes, I have posted about missing the good old days of scrapping without pressure, for myself, and without concern for peer opinion. As it just so happens, 1) the layouts I submitted were layouts that I'd already done as a part of the spending freeze challenge that my sisters and I are partaking in...therefore, I neither scrapped with pressure, influence, nor out of my comfort zone. I did not scrap my pages for the Lucky 7 contest, I entered the contest and submitted my already scrapped pages.
I don't know what to make of this comment, but I will assume that I am either being accused of lying about my motivation for entering the contest or that my sisters-in-scrap are not truly looking out for my best interest. I can't and won't take ownership of either one of those interpretations because the person who made the comment hardly knows enough about me to make such an egregious assumption. My 2 sisters have stood by me long enough to know what type of person I am and they know me well enough to know what equates to good therapy for me. When I tried horse back riding and fell off, I was all but forced to get right back on that beast and the reasoning was that if I didn't, I would live in fear of horses for until I did. I was made to understand that even if I never looked at another horse after delivering the one I was riding to the stable, the fact that I overcame my fear enough to finish the ride would sufficiently short circuit any phobic side effects of the initial fall. My sisters know me well enough to know that I needed to take a proactive approach to my fears that even prevented me from dropping my name in a stupid hat for a stupid LSS drawing. More than that, my sisters have been standing by me while I come to grips with my medical condition and Dorkfish was very right about it being something to take my mind off of worrying about my future as a viable human being. I don't begrudge them for encouraging me, now will I stand to have someone who knows nothing of the nature of our friendship cheapen their efforts with venomous accusations.
*****************************************************
I would be the first person to admit that I am inherently flawed as a human being, it is the nature of beings born into sin, however, I will concede that I have done anything wrong, particularly since I've not hurt a single solitary person (including myself) by entering my layouts. I don't know how I was cast as the scrapbooking martyr, but I assure you that it wasn't a title that I wanted for myself, nor is it one that I will tolerate being given.
One of the first things that I wrote about on the blog was the way that peer judgement and the pervasive way that people in this online arena seem to feel entitled to dictate what is deemed "appropriate" behaviour on the part of a true hearted scrapbooker. Those comments were indicative of what I dislike about the industry. I wasn't asked why I entered, rather I was accused based on the assumptions of one person. At what point does anyone have a right to pass judgement on me for doing something that doesn't affect them? At what point did I ever say that anyone who enters a contest is somehow less of a true scrapbooker? At what point did I present a pulpit from which I preached? When have I ever said that optioning to participate in the online communities was tabu? I can tell you, NEVER. The main message that I have been trying to send is one of the importance of remaining true to yourself and not allowing the industry to deviate your focus from that ultimate goal. Scrapbook.com is the only online community that I like and I like it because of the atmosphere of acceptance and the fact that I have such a huge support force there. I didn't care for it a few years ago, but I stumbled upon it again last year and I was very impressed by the way the over all atmosphere was purged of nastiness and elitism. I don't participate far beyond talking to the people in my friends group, but when I do it has proven to be pretty therapeutic and, heaven forbid, fun. Does that negate my feelings about the majority of the industry? Hardly, I've been around the block a time or two and I know what's out there.
My two sisters in scrap are both on DT's, one of them has recently landed a major manufacturer DT. Do I begrudge them because they share some of my views about the way that Design Team contests are run? Do I find them to be 'false prophets' because they still held fast to their desire to be on a team? No, because 1) it is not my place to judge them nor dictate to them how they should behave in order to qualify to be considered to be a scrapbooker who is true to his/herself.
One of my friend's ultimate goal was to land a manufacturer's team, and she was battered and beaten by the industry as much as I was. It just so happens that she worked through her fears and get back on that horse, time after time, until she achieved her goal. Now she won't have to wonder if she was ever good 'enough'.
Look, I entered the contest. I don't expect to win anything because I already feel like I won simply by being able to do it without having an anxiety attack. If I do win and I am able to get my albums, I will be stoked, if I don't win anything, I get to walk away knowing that I didn't compromise myself in any way shape or form. I'm sorry if some can't accept that, but it is not my intentions to try to cater to the expectations of others. I would never dream of publicly judging someone who's personal decision of what's best for self differ from my own, nor would I lambaste them for failing to meet up to an expectation that I set for them.
I have said it before, and I guess I have to say it again, I don't write here FOR anyone other than myself. If my actions equate to loss readership, then so be it, could I possibly be any less true to myself by doing otherwise? My convictions are still intact and my feelings for the industry have not changed because I chose to partake in a contest. The main sermon that I see coming from this "pulpit" is truth to self and as far as I'm concerned, I am 'practicing what I preach'.
TFR
Anonymous July 17, 2007 1:41 PM :*************************************************
I visit your blog weekly and enjoy your ramblings, however this marks the last time I will read your entries.I feel like you are not understanding what you are posting and simply repeating the same ideas with different wordings. You wish for a simpler time where you enjoyed your hobby, the supplies you had without worrying that they're outdated, your photographs, and your memories. If that's what you want than do so. But you ate your own words when you entered Lucky Seven for no reason at all. You say that you don't need the money for more scrap supplies, you say that you don't need the glory, you say that you wish you could scrap like you used to, you say that you want to scrap without pressure and you don't want anyone else's opinion to influence you.So start practicing what you preach.
Anonymous July 17, 2007 7:43 PM
Yeah! I was reading through and nodding and agreeing with you and then when I read you entered the contest, I was taken a-back! Like, WHAT the HECK! That sentence really threw me for a loop! You tried to pretend or make us believe that your scrap-sister encouraged you! Hmmmm...
Those are two scathing comments that I received yesterday for having the audacity to mention that I'd entered the Scrapbook.com Lucky 7 Contest. I was tempted to shoot from the hip because I was really offended at the judgement and criticism, but I thought better of it (things seem to get ugly when I respond first and think later). After a fairly decent nights sleep, I feel clear headed and emotionally detached enough to respond to these comments. Please, bear with me.
Firstly, if I may, I want to address a couple of key points:
Anonymous wrote: ...you ate your own words when you entered Lucky Seven for no reason at all. You say that you don't need the money for more scrap supplies, you say that you don't need the glory, you say that you wish you could scrap like you used to, you say that you want to scrap without pressure and you don't want anyone else's opinion to influence you.
You are absolutely right on one point, I don't need money for more scrap supplies, especially not after purging all last week, but truth be told, I do have vertical files full of layouts that have no album to go into. Though it was not my intention to enter to win the contest, as my girlfriend said, 'even an honorable mention could get you a couple of albums'. To some it may appear that I entered for no reason, but my girlfriends understand the underlying significance of my entry. If you have never been terrified of entering a contest to the point of paralysis, I don't expect you to understand. For me, being able to enter the contest without experiencing the anxiety and fear that I felt in the past signified a lot of progress in my personal growth and healing. To the commenter, I had no reason to enter because from a materialistic standpoint, there was no need. From my stand point, it was very necessary to finally silence the oppressive demons that have in the past told me that my work was sub par, unworthy, and a waste of product. I didn't enter the contest for glory or fame, I entered to see if I could do so without emotional consequence, and aside from being blasted on this blog, I think I have taken a huge, positive step. I entered for me...the only person who has a dog in my race for emotional healing. I'm sorry if this makes little sense to the people who read this blog, but I am the type of person who faces her fears head on and staying away from contests forever wasn't an option for me until I could tell myself that I wasn't staying away out of fear, but rather because I found them unnecessary.
Yes, I have posted about missing the good old days of scrapping without pressure, for myself, and without concern for peer opinion. As it just so happens, 1) the layouts I submitted were layouts that I'd already done as a part of the spending freeze challenge that my sisters and I are partaking in...therefore, I neither scrapped with pressure, influence, nor out of my comfort zone. I did not scrap my pages for the Lucky 7 contest, I entered the contest and submitted my already scrapped pages.
You tried to pretend or make us believe that your scrap-sister encouraged you!
I don't know what to make of this comment, but I will assume that I am either being accused of lying about my motivation for entering the contest or that my sisters-in-scrap are not truly looking out for my best interest. I can't and won't take ownership of either one of those interpretations because the person who made the comment hardly knows enough about me to make such an egregious assumption. My 2 sisters have stood by me long enough to know what type of person I am and they know me well enough to know what equates to good therapy for me. When I tried horse back riding and fell off, I was all but forced to get right back on that beast and the reasoning was that if I didn't, I would live in fear of horses for until I did. I was made to understand that even if I never looked at another horse after delivering the one I was riding to the stable, the fact that I overcame my fear enough to finish the ride would sufficiently short circuit any phobic side effects of the initial fall. My sisters know me well enough to know that I needed to take a proactive approach to my fears that even prevented me from dropping my name in a stupid hat for a stupid LSS drawing. More than that, my sisters have been standing by me while I come to grips with my medical condition and Dorkfish was very right about it being something to take my mind off of worrying about my future as a viable human being. I don't begrudge them for encouraging me, now will I stand to have someone who knows nothing of the nature of our friendship cheapen their efforts with venomous accusations.
*****************************************************
I would be the first person to admit that I am inherently flawed as a human being, it is the nature of beings born into sin, however, I will concede that I have done anything wrong, particularly since I've not hurt a single solitary person (including myself) by entering my layouts. I don't know how I was cast as the scrapbooking martyr, but I assure you that it wasn't a title that I wanted for myself, nor is it one that I will tolerate being given.
One of the first things that I wrote about on the blog was the way that peer judgement and the pervasive way that people in this online arena seem to feel entitled to dictate what is deemed "appropriate" behaviour on the part of a true hearted scrapbooker. Those comments were indicative of what I dislike about the industry. I wasn't asked why I entered, rather I was accused based on the assumptions of one person. At what point does anyone have a right to pass judgement on me for doing something that doesn't affect them? At what point did I ever say that anyone who enters a contest is somehow less of a true scrapbooker? At what point did I present a pulpit from which I preached? When have I ever said that optioning to participate in the online communities was tabu? I can tell you, NEVER. The main message that I have been trying to send is one of the importance of remaining true to yourself and not allowing the industry to deviate your focus from that ultimate goal. Scrapbook.com is the only online community that I like and I like it because of the atmosphere of acceptance and the fact that I have such a huge support force there. I didn't care for it a few years ago, but I stumbled upon it again last year and I was very impressed by the way the over all atmosphere was purged of nastiness and elitism. I don't participate far beyond talking to the people in my friends group, but when I do it has proven to be pretty therapeutic and, heaven forbid, fun. Does that negate my feelings about the majority of the industry? Hardly, I've been around the block a time or two and I know what's out there.
My two sisters in scrap are both on DT's, one of them has recently landed a major manufacturer DT. Do I begrudge them because they share some of my views about the way that Design Team contests are run? Do I find them to be 'false prophets' because they still held fast to their desire to be on a team? No, because 1) it is not my place to judge them nor dictate to them how they should behave in order to qualify to be considered to be a scrapbooker who is true to his/herself.
One of my friend's ultimate goal was to land a manufacturer's team, and she was battered and beaten by the industry as much as I was. It just so happens that she worked through her fears and get back on that horse, time after time, until she achieved her goal. Now she won't have to wonder if she was ever good 'enough'.
Look, I entered the contest. I don't expect to win anything because I already feel like I won simply by being able to do it without having an anxiety attack. If I do win and I am able to get my albums, I will be stoked, if I don't win anything, I get to walk away knowing that I didn't compromise myself in any way shape or form. I'm sorry if some can't accept that, but it is not my intentions to try to cater to the expectations of others. I would never dream of publicly judging someone who's personal decision of what's best for self differ from my own, nor would I lambaste them for failing to meet up to an expectation that I set for them.
I have said it before, and I guess I have to say it again, I don't write here FOR anyone other than myself. If my actions equate to loss readership, then so be it, could I possibly be any less true to myself by doing otherwise? My convictions are still intact and my feelings for the industry have not changed because I chose to partake in a contest. The main sermon that I see coming from this "pulpit" is truth to self and as far as I'm concerned, I am 'practicing what I preach'.
TFR
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Zen Scrapbooking...the art of unhappy perfection.
My thoughts have been plagued with how my perception and appreciation for scrapbooking has evolved over the past few years...so much so that I feel compelled to purge on this blog.
I've read comment after comment about how beautiful scrapbooking for some before they ventured to make it more than a personal hobby. The number of head nods I get when I mention that having fewer supplies sparked more creativity than having a scraproom full of them could possibly throw the planet off of it's orbital axis if we could all get together and synchronise our affirmations. On three everyone...one, two, three, NOD!
Here's a question...When did Scrapbooking start making you unhappy?
Here's another one...Why are you doing it if the very act throws your biorhythms out of wack and manifestst physical symptoms that are similar to those described in depression and anxiety medication commercials?
If you got into scrapbooking because it was a 'fun' hobby, why did you endure even though it no longer registered a reading on your 'fun meter'?
Opinions are like *insert clever/crass word here*... everybody has one. Here is mine:
There are no shoulds in scrapbooking...or any craft that depends heavily on personal preference and aestetic appreciation. Actually, there is one: You should get enjoyment out of anything that you choose to spend any part of the few precious minutes of daily you-time you steal for yourself.
It's a lot harder than it looks, sounds, and smells, folks. Many have recollected the ease of completing pages 'back in the day'. I remember retreating to my scrapping space nightly and trying to get my ideas on paper as fast as they were popping in my mind. I remember the free flowing creative process and I mourn its loss so much that if I weren't so convinced that it would be an affront to my faith, I'd erect a shrine to it in my bedroom. Getting back to those days of artistic bliss has proven to be pretty darned difficult, let me tell you. Yes, I can talk a good game about asking yourself if you like what you're producing, and only seeking to please yourself, but the truth of the matter is that once you let that little voice of doubt and peer validation into your head, it's hard to kill the whispers. I did go ahead and enter the Sb.com Lucky 7 Contest (after much love laced prodding from my scrap-sister), but I almost didn't because of those darned whispers. How did I get to this point? How did I sit there with eyes wide open, and allow the opinions of others to weigh so heavily on something that didn't even involve them?
To me, it means the ability to look soley within oneself for inspiration and unconsciously trusting what is found there to guide me through the creative process without the need to validate every step. To me it means scrapping with reckless abandon and allowing my heart to create my pages. It means, ultimately, scrapping for whatever reasons I choose to and allowing that to be enough even if the rest of the world says it isn't.
But...how do we regain the ability to trust ourselves?
After being told for so long that ultimate success only comes on the heels of mass validation, how do you rediscover the strength of personal validation?
How do you convince yourself that your family's appreciation for your tribute to them is not only founded on the fact that you prepare their meals and know where they sleep?
How do you retrain yourself to trust yourself to not only effectively master your personal creative process but to shamelessly love what you've created with your own hands despite what 'others' may think?
Having recently purged myself of much of the materialistic fodder that was clogging my creative process, I am now left with the task of killing that little voice in my head. If I devise some cleaver way of silencing the voice of external validation, I will certainly share it here.
TFR
I've read comment after comment about how beautiful scrapbooking for some before they ventured to make it more than a personal hobby. The number of head nods I get when I mention that having fewer supplies sparked more creativity than having a scraproom full of them could possibly throw the planet off of it's orbital axis if we could all get together and synchronise our affirmations. On three everyone...one, two, three, NOD!
Here's a question...When did Scrapbooking start making you unhappy?
Here's another one...Why are you doing it if the very act throws your biorhythms out of wack and manifestst physical symptoms that are similar to those described in depression and anxiety medication commercials?
If you got into scrapbooking because it was a 'fun' hobby, why did you endure even though it no longer registered a reading on your 'fun meter'?
Opinions are like *insert clever/crass word here*... everybody has one. Here is mine:
There are no shoulds in scrapbooking...or any craft that depends heavily on personal preference and aestetic appreciation. Actually, there is one: You should get enjoyment out of anything that you choose to spend any part of the few precious minutes of daily you-time you steal for yourself.
It's a lot harder than it looks, sounds, and smells, folks. Many have recollected the ease of completing pages 'back in the day'. I remember retreating to my scrapping space nightly and trying to get my ideas on paper as fast as they were popping in my mind. I remember the free flowing creative process and I mourn its loss so much that if I weren't so convinced that it would be an affront to my faith, I'd erect a shrine to it in my bedroom. Getting back to those days of artistic bliss has proven to be pretty darned difficult, let me tell you. Yes, I can talk a good game about asking yourself if you like what you're producing, and only seeking to please yourself, but the truth of the matter is that once you let that little voice of doubt and peer validation into your head, it's hard to kill the whispers. I did go ahead and enter the Sb.com Lucky 7 Contest (after much love laced prodding from my scrap-sister), but I almost didn't because of those darned whispers. How did I get to this point? How did I sit there with eyes wide open, and allow the opinions of others to weigh so heavily on something that didn't even involve them?
Zen = enlightenment through introspecion and intuition.
To me, it means the ability to look soley within oneself for inspiration and unconsciously trusting what is found there to guide me through the creative process without the need to validate every step. To me it means scrapping with reckless abandon and allowing my heart to create my pages. It means, ultimately, scrapping for whatever reasons I choose to and allowing that to be enough even if the rest of the world says it isn't.
But...how do we regain the ability to trust ourselves?
After being told for so long that ultimate success only comes on the heels of mass validation, how do you rediscover the strength of personal validation?
How do you convince yourself that your family's appreciation for your tribute to them is not only founded on the fact that you prepare their meals and know where they sleep?
How do you retrain yourself to trust yourself to not only effectively master your personal creative process but to shamelessly love what you've created with your own hands despite what 'others' may think?
Having recently purged myself of much of the materialistic fodder that was clogging my creative process, I am now left with the task of killing that little voice in my head. If I devise some cleaver way of silencing the voice of external validation, I will certainly share it here.
TFR
Friday, July 6, 2007
I'll take a loaf of bread, some Tylenol and a pack of eyelets, please...
Okay, admittedly not the most clever title...but that's what was running through the frozen tundra of my mind...and I went with it.
The title refers to my recent discovery of a scrapbooking section in my local convenience market. I know that discount store chains have been peddling lesser loved scrapping supplies for the longest time and department stores have even caught the bug. I was just a little taken aback by the presence of a teeny tiny section of scrapbooking supplies in a store that never seemed to have an interest in branching out into the crafting arena before. I guess it would be a little easier to absorb if they chose to delve into different areas of crafting and not just the perceived bread winner...perhaps not. I just can't see myself buying my paper where I buy my
veggies.
Of course, I can't really see myself buying paper anytime before the second coming of Christ...so my opinion is neither here nor there...
I was under the impression that, with the decline in the scrapbooking magazine offerings at this store, that scrapbooking was a cost loss for them. I could be wrong, but the store DID stop carrying Making Memories and Creative Keepsakes last year. I asked about them (back when my brain was numb) and I was told that they just don't sell like Scrapbook Etc. does and even that doesn't do very well. Now that I think of it, it was there that I purchased my last issue of Scrapbook Answers and even then there were tons of magazines on the shelves. Many of the magazines had at least one copy that looked 'well worn', so I have to assume that some savvy shopper decided to see if it was worth her money before she/he bought. Judging by the number of copies sitting on the shelf and the condition of the 'browse' mag...I would have to say that many found those magazines lacking...severely...I know I did.
So, why the sudden interest in scrapbooking? It doesn't even appear that they are seriously intent on making many sales because the pricing on the items is outrageous! $3.99 for a pack of generic brads? $16.99 for a cheap $9.00 Fiskars base model slide cutter? I think that at best, they are praying for a miracle that manifests itself in the form of an unaware novice. But is there really enough money to be made in the twisted scrapbooking arena to justify the new interest?
Like I said, I couldn't care less because I don't intend to spend my money on scrap supplies anymore.
In totally non-related news, I've decided to do some serious purging tonight. I'm talking entire lines of paper, boxes of pens, ink pads, and lots of stamps. I know that I won't use them. I've come to a point where I can accept that now. Now I have to get rid of them.
Why this sudden desire for absolute purgation?
Well, I was trying to scrapbook earlier this week and I got tired of going through boxes and organizers to find things that I'd like. No more! If I don't have it...heck...I must not need it!
Tools? Gone! Flowers? Gone! Ribbon? Mostly Gone! Stickers? Gone! I plan to defile every type of scrapbooking product I have in my stash...with the exception of my Bazzill Cardstock (that's an addiction that I am happy to admit is long standing and purge resistant).
My goal is to reduce my stash by 25-50% and I plan to ruthlessly decisive. I know there are a lot of doubtful things said about the best laid plans...but this is a matter of creative life or death.
I will no longer be a stifled slave to my over abundance! School, church or Ebay...one way or the other...it's going! I won't do the LSS Garage Sale thing though because the last thing I need is a credit to a scrappbooking store that's worth hundreds of dollars.
Wish me luck...I'll need it.
The title refers to my recent discovery of a scrapbooking section in my local convenience market. I know that discount store chains have been peddling lesser loved scrapping supplies for the longest time and department stores have even caught the bug. I was just a little taken aback by the presence of a teeny tiny section of scrapbooking supplies in a store that never seemed to have an interest in branching out into the crafting arena before. I guess it would be a little easier to absorb if they chose to delve into different areas of crafting and not just the perceived bread winner...perhaps not. I just can't see myself buying my paper where I buy my
veggies.
Of course, I can't really see myself buying paper anytime before the second coming of Christ...so my opinion is neither here nor there...
I was under the impression that, with the decline in the scrapbooking magazine offerings at this store, that scrapbooking was a cost loss for them. I could be wrong, but the store DID stop carrying Making Memories and Creative Keepsakes last year. I asked about them (back when my brain was numb) and I was told that they just don't sell like Scrapbook Etc. does and even that doesn't do very well. Now that I think of it, it was there that I purchased my last issue of Scrapbook Answers and even then there were tons of magazines on the shelves. Many of the magazines had at least one copy that looked 'well worn', so I have to assume that some savvy shopper decided to see if it was worth her money before she/he bought. Judging by the number of copies sitting on the shelf and the condition of the 'browse' mag...I would have to say that many found those magazines lacking...severely...I know I did.
So, why the sudden interest in scrapbooking? It doesn't even appear that they are seriously intent on making many sales because the pricing on the items is outrageous! $3.99 for a pack of generic brads? $16.99 for a cheap $9.00 Fiskars base model slide cutter? I think that at best, they are praying for a miracle that manifests itself in the form of an unaware novice. But is there really enough money to be made in the twisted scrapbooking arena to justify the new interest?
Like I said, I couldn't care less because I don't intend to spend my money on scrap supplies anymore.
In totally non-related news, I've decided to do some serious purging tonight. I'm talking entire lines of paper, boxes of pens, ink pads, and lots of stamps. I know that I won't use them. I've come to a point where I can accept that now. Now I have to get rid of them.
Why this sudden desire for absolute purgation?
Well, I was trying to scrapbook earlier this week and I got tired of going through boxes and organizers to find things that I'd like. No more! If I don't have it...heck...I must not need it!
Tools? Gone! Flowers? Gone! Ribbon? Mostly Gone! Stickers? Gone! I plan to defile every type of scrapbooking product I have in my stash...with the exception of my Bazzill Cardstock (that's an addiction that I am happy to admit is long standing and purge resistant).
My goal is to reduce my stash by 25-50% and I plan to ruthlessly decisive. I know there are a lot of doubtful things said about the best laid plans...but this is a matter of creative life or death.
I will no longer be a stifled slave to my over abundance! School, church or Ebay...one way or the other...it's going! I won't do the LSS Garage Sale thing though because the last thing I need is a credit to a scrappbooking store that's worth hundreds of dollars.
Wish me luck...I'll need it.
Monday, June 25, 2007
To Scrap...or Not To Scrap...
I have been thinking about why I don't scrapbook as much as I used to. I always think about why I don't scrapbook as much as I used to. I think about not scrapbooking more than I actually scrapbook! I pondered and pondered this much of the weekend and then...I made a list of the reasons for not scrapbooking...as much as I used to. Wanna hear it? Here it go...
TFR
- I'm too stinkin' tired to scrapbook. My kids have been working on my last nerve for about a year now and recently my husband (obviously sympathetic to their cause) decided to join them on their little crusade. By the time I get done cleaning up after people who should be able to clean up after themselves, I just want to vegitate. Sometimes I take out pictures and think about the good old days (when they couldn't walk or talk and when my hubby actually cared if his wife did a Linda Blair-Exorcist impersonation)...but it never fails that my reverie is broken by someone screaming about somebody else looking at them or breathing on them.
- I have too much stuff to scrapbook. I hate the idea of getting "caught up" when it comes to scrapbooking. It's a term that implies that somehow you will stop generating memories. I still hold that you only stop making memories when you die...so you can't actually be caught up. Still, I have so much to scrapbook in order to feel caught up to this years memories. I can hear the clock ticking on my ability to remember all of the special details of the photos that I've set aside for scrapbooking. Did you know that the imaginary sound of a ticking clock can creatively cripple you?
- I have too much darned scrapbooking stuff. Excess is a serious hinderance to creativity unless you have a mind like a library catalog and a photographic memory attached to it. The act of making decisions about my layouts can sometimes make me want to give up the goose and quit. Believe me...life was much easier when it was just pens, paper, and some stickers.
- I used to sip the koolaid. I emersed myself in that silly world of scrap acceptance and almost lost myself. I now stay away from it...but by the power of personal strength. No, I stay away out of fear of once again losing myself. The fact that I've chosen to stay away doesn't reverse the negative effects of my 2 years of immersion though. While the twitch I used to get whenever I'd put a layout online is gone, I still struggle with scrapping in a way that is true to myself. Oneday, I won't have to ask myself if I like my layout because oneday, I won't have the battle between my need for validation and my need to scrapbook for myself raging in my head. I struggle with the emotional baggage that resulted from years of trying to mold myself into what the industry told me that I should be...but then again, who doesn't?
- I'm a crafty mutt. Sewing, drawing, jewelry making and scrapbooking all compete for what little bit of attention (and sanity) that my family leaves me to play with. I am literally sitting at my computer looking at shelves and shelves of scrapbooking stuff to my left and shelves and shelves of pretty gemstone beads and Swarovski crystals on my right. It never fails that while I scrapbook, I think about making jewelry and while I'm making jewelry, I think about scrapbooking. How could I possibly be expected to choose? Oh, and the day that I sew a crystal on my scrapbooking page or use my scrappy charms on a piece of jewelry will be the day that I give them both up...I just couldn't take it if my supplies went all 'multipurpose' on me.
TFR
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Do Design Principles Really Matter?
Design Principles...
Color Theory...
Spatial Relationships...
What do they mean to the everyday scrapper? Do you really need to have a grasp on those concepts in order to be accepted into the guild of the published scrapper?
Unless said scrapper is also a graphic designer (or some other qualified designer), those terms could mean very little to the majority. Yes, there are some of us who have a vested interest in those areas of design and who often employ our knowledge into their pages without doing any harm to anyone elses scrapping ego. Then there are those who share that interest, but feel that anyone who choses to disregard the golden rules of design aren't worth their weight in rubons. Those enlightened beings often choose to look down on or wholeheartedly ignore scrappers that they feel are "uninformed". To be honest, I don't think that it's all that important to most scrappers. It takes all sorts of scrapper to make the scrap-universe go round and nobody's approach to the craft is better or worse than anyone else's. There are no constants in the fickle scrapbooking world.
AND
I've seen very published scrappers who are published everywhere despite the fact that their pages flip the bird at conventional design principles.Are either layout offerings better than the other? Uh, no. Well, in my personal court of opinion, I have my favorites, but on an existential level, no. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, is it not? What matters the most is that we record our memories in a way that pleases us and that we remain true to ourselves while we do it.
So why is there such an emphasis on design priniciples? It seems that everyone and their brother's brother has an opinion on how to pull off an aesthetically sound layout. We've had that pointy visual triangle shoved down our throats and the color wheel is now a staple in most scrapbooking shops and on many a scrappers hind end. It's not bad to have this arsenal of information, don't get me wrong. What is bad is that there are some who find it necessary to pick apart every layout that comes across their path in search of design flaws. It's bad when scrapbookers fall in love with a page but are reluctant to share it because it fails to play nicely with those design principles. It's bad when people are subjected to criticism or disregard because they are perceived (by those who chose to cast judgment) as flawed on some ridiculously superficial design level. I cringe every time I hear someone complain about a gallery being full of crappy layouts because of the sheer audacity and the foundation of unacceptance that comments like that are founded upon.If absorbing design principles and color theory is of interest to you and will allow you to take your scrapping to what ever level you want to achieve, fine. If it cause your brain to numb just thinking about it, then perhaps it isn't all that important to you. We are a society that likes to feel good...that should carry over into our hobbies as well. If you like the way that your cobalt blue and bubblegum pink layout looks...get your sunglasses out and do your thing! Don't let some silly color wheel stop you!
The use of designing principles should be a personal choice amongst scrapbookers, not the cost of admission into some exclusive community clique. It's one thing to want to use those tools to please yourself, it's another thing to expect anyone who is "serious' about scrapbooking to choke on them in order to fit in some preordained mold.
Just another brick in the wall that keeps the meat and potatoes of the industry (that's us) divided...
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
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
Monday, June 18, 2007
Why do I scrapbook?
I truely feel, in every rickety bone in my rapidly aging body, that I lost sight of this question (and it's answer) some time ago.
Why do I scrapbook?
Yes, I want to preserve memories...cliche' as all heck but truth none the less.
Yes, I need the creative outlet.
But why scrapbooking? Why not photography?
I'm still trying to figure it out folks and it appears that the answer is still buried under my mountain of past mistakes. The cost of losing site of my goal has been great indeed. The place that has been hit the hardest is my wallet with my self esteem taking the next harshest blow.
In an attempt to follow the trends, I accumulated whatever the industry told me that I needed to have...and I still have it. While on my search for peer validation, I allowed myself to forget to count my own personal validation amongst the most important. I take full ownership; I did this to myself and I am the only person that will be able to heal all of the wounds that I've allowed to be inflicted.
I feel as if while chasing my dream for 15 seconds of fame, glory and validation, I lost myself to this hobby...but not in a good way. I've been so far gone that even now, 9 months after my discovery of what my ambitions were doing to me, I still can't quite get it together. I know that I love to scrapbook, but I feel as if something is holding me back.
I spoke to Dorkfish yesterday and she urged me to consider throwing in a few layouts for the Lucky 7 contest at SB.com. To be honest, I'm afraid that I will back slide into the same tar pit I just crawled out of. The upside to entering is that there is no product requirement, the down side is that I'm not sure I'm quite ready to make a move that would require emotional detachment from my entries. The downside is that even if I did enter, and did pick up an honorable mention (I dare not dream too big), it would only result in my acquiring yet another Scrapbooking GC that I don't really have a use for. Who would've ever thought I would have a hard time picking up scrapbooking stuffs?
So, why do I scrapbook? Obviously, I scrapbook for myself. I have a medical condition that may make scrapbooking difficult one day, so I hope to preserve as many memories as I can, while I can. Is it selfish to admit that I don't scrapbook for the subjects of my scrapbook pages? Maybe, but oh well, I've been called worse. I know that there is much more to "why" than I've stated, but, for the life of me, I can't figure it out. Yes, I would like some cheese with my whine, preferably Pepper Jack.
Remember when you first started scrapping? Remember how much purpose you felt? Remember how driven you were? Where'd that all go? Surely, accumulating ridiculous amounts of stash can't be the sole cause of that loss of drive...even if it's accompanied by a steady lack of validation from the public. You know, the reason for the loss isn't nearly as important as what needs to be done to get it back. One of the posters here commented that she had discovered the joy of scrapping once again...I want that...I'm working my way back to that.
In the interim, I will continue to poor my bleedin' heart out here and commune with those who see similarities between my plight and their own. One day, I'll be able to scrapbook again without hearing that nagging little voice that always asks me why I'm doing it. One day.
Why do I scrapbook?
Yes, I want to preserve memories...cliche' as all heck but truth none the less.
Yes, I need the creative outlet.
But why scrapbooking? Why not photography?
I'm still trying to figure it out folks and it appears that the answer is still buried under my mountain of past mistakes. The cost of losing site of my goal has been great indeed. The place that has been hit the hardest is my wallet with my self esteem taking the next harshest blow.
In an attempt to follow the trends, I accumulated whatever the industry told me that I needed to have...and I still have it. While on my search for peer validation, I allowed myself to forget to count my own personal validation amongst the most important. I take full ownership; I did this to myself and I am the only person that will be able to heal all of the wounds that I've allowed to be inflicted.
I feel as if while chasing my dream for 15 seconds of fame, glory and validation, I lost myself to this hobby...but not in a good way. I've been so far gone that even now, 9 months after my discovery of what my ambitions were doing to me, I still can't quite get it together. I know that I love to scrapbook, but I feel as if something is holding me back.
I spoke to Dorkfish yesterday and she urged me to consider throwing in a few layouts for the Lucky 7 contest at SB.com. To be honest, I'm afraid that I will back slide into the same tar pit I just crawled out of. The upside to entering is that there is no product requirement, the down side is that I'm not sure I'm quite ready to make a move that would require emotional detachment from my entries. The downside is that even if I did enter, and did pick up an honorable mention (I dare not dream too big), it would only result in my acquiring yet another Scrapbooking GC that I don't really have a use for. Who would've ever thought I would have a hard time picking up scrapbooking stuffs?
So, why do I scrapbook? Obviously, I scrapbook for myself. I have a medical condition that may make scrapbooking difficult one day, so I hope to preserve as many memories as I can, while I can. Is it selfish to admit that I don't scrapbook for the subjects of my scrapbook pages? Maybe, but oh well, I've been called worse. I know that there is much more to "why" than I've stated, but, for the life of me, I can't figure it out. Yes, I would like some cheese with my whine, preferably Pepper Jack.
Remember when you first started scrapping? Remember how much purpose you felt? Remember how driven you were? Where'd that all go? Surely, accumulating ridiculous amounts of stash can't be the sole cause of that loss of drive...even if it's accompanied by a steady lack of validation from the public. You know, the reason for the loss isn't nearly as important as what needs to be done to get it back. One of the posters here commented that she had discovered the joy of scrapping once again...I want that...I'm working my way back to that.
In the interim, I will continue to poor my bleedin' heart out here and commune with those who see similarities between my plight and their own. One day, I'll be able to scrapbook again without hearing that nagging little voice that always asks me why I'm doing it. One day.
Friday, June 15, 2007
If you had to do it all over again...
What would you change?
I'm talking scrapbooking related, but heck, everyone has different things that earn priority seating in their lives.
There are a lot of things that I would've done differently:
1. I would've avoided the online communities when I went searching for scrapbooking inspiration. I didn't start to doubt myself until I logged onto the .net for inspiration (I was a lone scrapper, so I had nobody to scrap with and no place to go to advance my skill set). CONSEQUENCE: I wouldn't have met my 2 best-est friends, Dorkfish and Chick'n Louver and that would've been really bad because they have been a stabilizing force in my scrappy life...mind you, neither of them are any more stable than I am...but it's nice to have company every once and while.
2. I would've forced myself to engage in scrapbooking at the many scrapping stores in my city.
I'm not a big people person (my cynical nature, for some, is hard to swallow), but I think that forcing myself to acclimate to the 'real scrapper' environment would've served as a much better support force than the faceless online communities. Yes, I would've had to bring ear plugs and aspirin, but eventually I would've grown numb and been able to overlook the hen house chatter.
3. I would've remembered that my creative spirit needs no justification other than my own. I loved my pages when I started scrapping. Every stinkin' last one. It wasn't until I started perusing the online arena that I began to view my creations with a critical eye. I judged myself because of a criteria for design set by people who don't know enough about me to dictate how I "should" scrap.
4. I would've left the online community (had I still been stupid enough to join it) as soon as I experienced my first creative block. That block lasted 3-4 months long. I was afraid that I wasn't good "enough", but never asked myself what I was trying to be good "enough" FOR! I spent 4 months of my life in turmoil over not being who GOD didn't intend for me to be. How could I have thought that anything good could come out of a venue that views praise as a validation for your continued existence within it's walls?
5. I would've stuck to the basics as far as tool purchases. I would've definitely gotten a Silent Setter, simply because most of my scrapping was done after my kids went to bed, but the majority of the rest of my tools...they would've never made it to my door unless I knew without a doubt that there was true value in possessing them. I would've definitely had my testosterone levels checked frequently in order to head off any tool buying frenzy.
6. I would've stayed away from Design Teams Calls, Contests, and anything else that inspired competition instead of unity. Seeing the favoritism and unethical practices did little more than further solidify my insecurity about my artistic ability. Why anyone thought that bringing interpersonal competition into the memory preservation crafting arena was sadistic and/or money hungry. Scrapbooking is about individual celebration of life...who, other than you-know-who, has any business passing judgement on that?
7. I would've only bought what I needed for a certain project. The fruits of my bulk buying has only proven to be an albatross...3 years later. I would've been more in touch with myself and hopefully picked up on how the need for validation fed into my desire to have everything that my 'peers' said I should. All I had to do was take a peek at my hundreds of yards of fabric and thousands of pony beads to come to grips with the fact that I am a pack rat hoarder...maybe that type of in-your-face intervention would've saved me thousands of dollars and tons of space.
8. I would've beat myself with my own frying pan if the thought of following trends had entered my mind. Trends are another person/persons interpretation of what is "in". Scrapbooking is about memory preservation...it doesn't really need to follow any trend scale because...well, your memories aren't trend based. I prided myself on being an independent, free thinker and yet I knowingly drank the Kool-aid...and asked for seconds. If I could do it all over again, I would've found a doctor that was willing to perform a voluntary frontal lobe lobotomy before I allowed myself to run off the cliff like many lemmings before me.
9. I would never have purchased a strap hinge album. I can think of a lot of things that I could do that would be far more entertaining than trying to remember how to reassemble my scrapbooking album. Taking an alcohol bath in a shallow tub full of scissors and cleaning my ears with Drano top my list of 'better things to do".
10. I would've remained true to myself. I would've learned to ask myself if "I liked my layout" instead of focusing on how it would be received. I almost lost my desire to tell the story because of my misguided focus on the layout design...I will never allow that to happen. Trust me, my family would quickly get tired of "getting" that I "cherished" my kids, husband, pets, garden vegetables and camera.
11. I wouldn't have bought photo editing software. I didn't need it for the first 8 months of scrapping. In fact, I didn't need it until it was suggested to me that I get it in order to broaden the possibilities of layout design. I have painfully neat hand writing, I'm not tooting my own horn, but I didn't need a computer to journal and I would've ordered reprints instead of fooling around with the color management on my computer.
12. I would've never bought a large format printer. Yes, I HAD to get it in order to give myself the ability to print directly on my card stock...but I've done that all of 3 times...so why did I blow that $300? Oh yeah, I didn't have any frying pans handy and lobotomies are considered illegal where I live.
13. I would've made scrapbooking a hobby to share with my kids. Instead of spending so much time scrapping alone and desiring moments of lone scrapping, I would've taken advantage of the memory making opportunity that sharing one's love of scrapping can afford. There is nothing that curves your spending that watching your hard earned dollars go up in flames when your kids get ahold of it.
14. I would've never even introduced the use of acrylic paints into my scrapping sphere. I have over 60 bottles of paints...70% of them have never seen action...and never will. The good thing is that I've dabbled in painting, so I may eventually use them. The bad thing is, that I'm now lying to myself... again...and most of my paints will probably wind up on Ebay before the weeks complete.
15. I would've searched out objective product reviews before buying. I don't mean the reviews/advertisements that inundate CK, MM and the other popular magazines. I mean real reviews. The reviews that would've told m that Heidi Swapps rubons were schizophrenic, that the die and notch tools were optimistic wastes of money that would've been better allocated for payment for the aforementioned frontal lobe lobotomy, and that the odds of getting your money's worth out of those huge boxes of zig markers were slightly less than the odds of my getting smacked in the forehead by an airborne leprechaun who'd been catapulted from the land of Liliputia (that's Gulliver's favorite island if you don't know what I'm talking about). I would've been more aware of people trying to blow sunshine up my poop chute and taken evasive action accordingly.
**********
I find it funny that many of my biggest regrets stem from allowing myself to get involved int eh faceless machine that online scrapbooking has become. I can honestly say that wouldn't want to give up the online arena, again, because of my 2 sister/friends, but I would definitely keep my eyes open and my backside guarded. I am sure that there are a lot of things that I would strive to do over, but these are the ones that strike me as most important...at the moment.
I'm talking scrapbooking related, but heck, everyone has different things that earn priority seating in their lives.
There are a lot of things that I would've done differently:
1. I would've avoided the online communities when I went searching for scrapbooking inspiration. I didn't start to doubt myself until I logged onto the .net for inspiration (I was a lone scrapper, so I had nobody to scrap with and no place to go to advance my skill set). CONSEQUENCE: I wouldn't have met my 2 best-est friends, Dorkfish and Chick'n Louver and that would've been really bad because they have been a stabilizing force in my scrappy life...mind you, neither of them are any more stable than I am...but it's nice to have company every once and while.
2. I would've forced myself to engage in scrapbooking at the many scrapping stores in my city.
I'm not a big people person (my cynical nature, for some, is hard to swallow), but I think that forcing myself to acclimate to the 'real scrapper' environment would've served as a much better support force than the faceless online communities. Yes, I would've had to bring ear plugs and aspirin, but eventually I would've grown numb and been able to overlook the hen house chatter.
3. I would've remembered that my creative spirit needs no justification other than my own. I loved my pages when I started scrapping. Every stinkin' last one. It wasn't until I started perusing the online arena that I began to view my creations with a critical eye. I judged myself because of a criteria for design set by people who don't know enough about me to dictate how I "should" scrap.
4. I would've left the online community (had I still been stupid enough to join it) as soon as I experienced my first creative block. That block lasted 3-4 months long. I was afraid that I wasn't good "enough", but never asked myself what I was trying to be good "enough" FOR! I spent 4 months of my life in turmoil over not being who GOD didn't intend for me to be. How could I have thought that anything good could come out of a venue that views praise as a validation for your continued existence within it's walls?
5. I would've stuck to the basics as far as tool purchases. I would've definitely gotten a Silent Setter, simply because most of my scrapping was done after my kids went to bed, but the majority of the rest of my tools...they would've never made it to my door unless I knew without a doubt that there was true value in possessing them. I would've definitely had my testosterone levels checked frequently in order to head off any tool buying frenzy.
6. I would've stayed away from Design Teams Calls, Contests, and anything else that inspired competition instead of unity. Seeing the favoritism and unethical practices did little more than further solidify my insecurity about my artistic ability. Why anyone thought that bringing interpersonal competition into the memory preservation crafting arena was sadistic and/or money hungry. Scrapbooking is about individual celebration of life...who, other than you-know-who, has any business passing judgement on that?
7. I would've only bought what I needed for a certain project. The fruits of my bulk buying has only proven to be an albatross...3 years later. I would've been more in touch with myself and hopefully picked up on how the need for validation fed into my desire to have everything that my 'peers' said I should. All I had to do was take a peek at my hundreds of yards of fabric and thousands of pony beads to come to grips with the fact that I am a pack rat hoarder...maybe that type of in-your-face intervention would've saved me thousands of dollars and tons of space.
8. I would've beat myself with my own frying pan if the thought of following trends had entered my mind. Trends are another person/persons interpretation of what is "in". Scrapbooking is about memory preservation...it doesn't really need to follow any trend scale because...well, your memories aren't trend based. I prided myself on being an independent, free thinker and yet I knowingly drank the Kool-aid...and asked for seconds. If I could do it all over again, I would've found a doctor that was willing to perform a voluntary frontal lobe lobotomy before I allowed myself to run off the cliff like many lemmings before me.
9. I would never have purchased a strap hinge album. I can think of a lot of things that I could do that would be far more entertaining than trying to remember how to reassemble my scrapbooking album. Taking an alcohol bath in a shallow tub full of scissors and cleaning my ears with Drano top my list of 'better things to do".
10. I would've remained true to myself. I would've learned to ask myself if "I liked my layout" instead of focusing on how it would be received. I almost lost my desire to tell the story because of my misguided focus on the layout design...I will never allow that to happen. Trust me, my family would quickly get tired of "getting" that I "cherished" my kids, husband, pets, garden vegetables and camera.
11. I wouldn't have bought photo editing software. I didn't need it for the first 8 months of scrapping. In fact, I didn't need it until it was suggested to me that I get it in order to broaden the possibilities of layout design. I have painfully neat hand writing, I'm not tooting my own horn, but I didn't need a computer to journal and I would've ordered reprints instead of fooling around with the color management on my computer.
12. I would've never bought a large format printer. Yes, I HAD to get it in order to give myself the ability to print directly on my card stock...but I've done that all of 3 times...so why did I blow that $300? Oh yeah, I didn't have any frying pans handy and lobotomies are considered illegal where I live.
13. I would've made scrapbooking a hobby to share with my kids. Instead of spending so much time scrapping alone and desiring moments of lone scrapping, I would've taken advantage of the memory making opportunity that sharing one's love of scrapping can afford. There is nothing that curves your spending that watching your hard earned dollars go up in flames when your kids get ahold of it.
14. I would've never even introduced the use of acrylic paints into my scrapping sphere. I have over 60 bottles of paints...70% of them have never seen action...and never will. The good thing is that I've dabbled in painting, so I may eventually use them. The bad thing is, that I'm now lying to myself... again...and most of my paints will probably wind up on Ebay before the weeks complete.
15. I would've searched out objective product reviews before buying. I don't mean the reviews/advertisements that inundate CK, MM and the other popular magazines. I mean real reviews. The reviews that would've told m that Heidi Swapps rubons were schizophrenic, that the die and notch tools were optimistic wastes of money that would've been better allocated for payment for the aforementioned frontal lobe lobotomy, and that the odds of getting your money's worth out of those huge boxes of zig markers were slightly less than the odds of my getting smacked in the forehead by an airborne leprechaun who'd been catapulted from the land of Liliputia (that's Gulliver's favorite island if you don't know what I'm talking about). I would've been more aware of people trying to blow sunshine up my poop chute and taken evasive action accordingly.
**********
I find it funny that many of my biggest regrets stem from allowing myself to get involved int eh faceless machine that online scrapbooking has become. I can honestly say that wouldn't want to give up the online arena, again, because of my 2 sister/friends, but I would definitely keep my eyes open and my backside guarded. I am sure that there are a lot of things that I would strive to do over, but these are the ones that strike me as most important...at the moment.
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Tools That Took Over Scrapbooking...
No, I'm not making suggestions for a sequel to the new Transformers movie set to hit theaters next month. I'm pondering the absurdity of the tool market in scrapbooking and why it exists on such a large scale.
Remember when all that was needed was primarily a pair of scissors (deco if you feel the need)?
Then remember when all that you needed was an eyelet setter, a hammer, scissors and a paper cutter?
Oh!Then remember when you needed a silent/quick eyelet setter, scissors , paper cutter, some punches, a cutting board and creative cutting templates (coupled with an xacto knife)?
Some where down the line, all you needed was a top of the line 12" paper cutter, eyelet setter(the quieter/quicker the better), precision blade scissors, acrylic stamp mounting blocks, embossing heat gun, die cutting machine, color wheel, corner rounding punches, a digital camera w/ killer zoom capacity and adhesive machine.
I pretty much gave up the fight when I discovered that I needed a precision, 12" rotary paper cutter, silent eyelet setter, precision titanium blade scissors, magnetic stamps, acrylic stamp mounting blocks, a die cutting machine (preferably electronic), an artist quality color wheel, adhesive applicator machine, a brayer, a wheeled paper press (for making your own corrugated paper), embossing plates, special rubon applicator sticks,paint brushes, notch and die cutters, centering ruler, sewing machine, spring loaded metal die press, layout templates, edging rulers, a digital SLR camera, wide format printer and an Ott light.
Nowadays, the savvy scrapper adds the elusive tag curler, pink irons, mini conclave type ovens (for those shrink works), paper distressing razors, an eyelet setter than can punch a hole through 1/8" of galvanized steel, 12" electronic die cutting machines, glass cutting board(s), professional grade, multi-purpose, 12+" paper cutter system, light box, Digital SLR camera (with enough bells, whistles, and lights to create a studio with), layering tools, doodle stencils, and the list, unfortunately goes on and on and on.
*******************
What the heck is the industry playing at? Or better yet, why are we playing at it with them?
Has anyone else noticed that as the industry reveals new, funky ways for us to snazz up our layouts, they inevitably, without fail, introduce a process that would require a specialty tool to execute? Perfect case in point: The new Making Memories Tag Curler. I'm sure that when the brain storming event at MM netted the lovely cured metal tag, there was somebody pulling up the rear with the formidable Tag Curler in response to the "how the heck do you get the tag to curl like that?" question.
The question is, do we really need it?
Maybe you do. Personally, I don't. Is the idea cute? Yeah, of course it is! Is it something that I would use in my paper crafting? Yeah!...maybe 3 times before I realised that it is much easier, less costly, and probably safer to simply take my galvanized steel punching eyelet setter and make a hole through which I could quickly route a piece of ribbon that would serve to securely attach said tag to said paper project.
Clover has been making mini irons for quilters for quite some time now. Unfortunately, the mini hot plate received little fan fare until someone ingeniously added pink to it's color scheme and slapped a scrapbooking label on it. The beloved travel iron was slated to a mundane existence that only seemed worthwhile during the infrequent occurrence of that thing called uh...travel. That is until someone thought it would be groovy to make it pink and, once again, slap a scrapbooking designation on it's chassis.
Here's another question. While the new tools that come out for men (and their testosterone laden hobbies) are marketed with the idea of getting your money's worth of use out of them in mind, the tools that are slated for the fidgety scrapbooker rarely take that efficiency route. Why is this? Don't believe me? I have 4 words for you: Basic Grey Notch Tool.
Need more proof? Making Memories Tag Maker
In essence, what is happening is that all of the manufacturers are running out of places to stick the money that they are making hand over fist and we are rapidly running out of scrap space real estate in which to store this stuff!
I thought we'd learned our lesson from whole rubber/acrylic stamp thing. I guess I was wrong. Though I don't blame myself for that. I don't buy rubber stamps anymore. I bought 6 of them once and it quickly dawned on me that I would probably use each of them 3 or 4 times before they became annoyingly repetitive. I once aspired to have a wall of stamps like you see in the mags. My mil has one of those...and most of them are covered with a fine layer of dust. Seriously, how many times are you going to use that Bee Happy stamp? I don't care how cute the darned bee with the hat is, I'm not going to use him enough to get my money back!
I know my comment about the portable rubon sealer got a few chuckles, but mark my words, if HS doesn't come up one to combat her less-than-stellar-quality rubons, somebody will!
The question is...how many people are going to fall for it, hook, line, sinker and pole?
I get that the industry marketing industry is working hard at keeping things "new" and "fresh" for the scrapbooking spirit. I get that lots of progress can be found in change and innovation. I guess the question is, does scrapbooking really need the type of change and innovation that results in wasted dollars and space?
Remember when all that was needed was primarily a pair of scissors (deco if you feel the need)?
Then remember when all that you needed was an eyelet setter, a hammer, scissors and a paper cutter?
Oh!Then remember when you needed a silent/quick eyelet setter, scissors , paper cutter, some punches, a cutting board and creative cutting templates (coupled with an xacto knife)?
Some where down the line, all you needed was a top of the line 12" paper cutter, eyelet setter(the quieter/quicker the better), precision blade scissors, acrylic stamp mounting blocks, embossing heat gun, die cutting machine, color wheel, corner rounding punches, a digital camera w/ killer zoom capacity and adhesive machine.
I pretty much gave up the fight when I discovered that I needed a precision, 12" rotary paper cutter, silent eyelet setter, precision titanium blade scissors, magnetic stamps, acrylic stamp mounting blocks, a die cutting machine (preferably electronic), an artist quality color wheel, adhesive applicator machine, a brayer, a wheeled paper press (for making your own corrugated paper), embossing plates, special rubon applicator sticks,paint brushes, notch and die cutters, centering ruler, sewing machine, spring loaded metal die press, layout templates, edging rulers, a digital SLR camera, wide format printer and an Ott light.
Nowadays, the savvy scrapper adds the elusive tag curler, pink irons, mini conclave type ovens (for those shrink works), paper distressing razors, an eyelet setter than can punch a hole through 1/8" of galvanized steel, 12" electronic die cutting machines, glass cutting board(s), professional grade, multi-purpose, 12+" paper cutter system, light box, Digital SLR camera (with enough bells, whistles, and lights to create a studio with), layering tools, doodle stencils, and the list, unfortunately goes on and on and on.
*******************
What the heck is the industry playing at? Or better yet, why are we playing at it with them?
Has anyone else noticed that as the industry reveals new, funky ways for us to snazz up our layouts, they inevitably, without fail, introduce a process that would require a specialty tool to execute? Perfect case in point: The new Making Memories Tag Curler. I'm sure that when the brain storming event at MM netted the lovely cured metal tag, there was somebody pulling up the rear with the formidable Tag Curler in response to the "how the heck do you get the tag to curl like that?" question.
The question is, do we really need it?
Maybe you do. Personally, I don't. Is the idea cute? Yeah, of course it is! Is it something that I would use in my paper crafting? Yeah!...maybe 3 times before I realised that it is much easier, less costly, and probably safer to simply take my galvanized steel punching eyelet setter and make a hole through which I could quickly route a piece of ribbon that would serve to securely attach said tag to said paper project.
Clover has been making mini irons for quilters for quite some time now. Unfortunately, the mini hot plate received little fan fare until someone ingeniously added pink to it's color scheme and slapped a scrapbooking label on it. The beloved travel iron was slated to a mundane existence that only seemed worthwhile during the infrequent occurrence of that thing called uh...travel. That is until someone thought it would be groovy to make it pink and, once again, slap a scrapbooking designation on it's chassis.
Here's another question. While the new tools that come out for men (and their testosterone laden hobbies) are marketed with the idea of getting your money's worth of use out of them in mind, the tools that are slated for the fidgety scrapbooker rarely take that efficiency route. Why is this? Don't believe me? I have 4 words for you: Basic Grey Notch Tool.
Need more proof? Making Memories Tag Maker
In essence, what is happening is that all of the manufacturers are running out of places to stick the money that they are making hand over fist and we are rapidly running out of scrap space real estate in which to store this stuff!
I thought we'd learned our lesson from whole rubber/acrylic stamp thing. I guess I was wrong. Though I don't blame myself for that. I don't buy rubber stamps anymore. I bought 6 of them once and it quickly dawned on me that I would probably use each of them 3 or 4 times before they became annoyingly repetitive. I once aspired to have a wall of stamps like you see in the mags. My mil has one of those...and most of them are covered with a fine layer of dust. Seriously, how many times are you going to use that Bee Happy stamp? I don't care how cute the darned bee with the hat is, I'm not going to use him enough to get my money back!
I know my comment about the portable rubon sealer got a few chuckles, but mark my words, if HS doesn't come up one to combat her less-than-stellar-quality rubons, somebody will!
The question is...how many people are going to fall for it, hook, line, sinker and pole?
I get that the industry marketing industry is working hard at keeping things "new" and "fresh" for the scrapbooking spirit. I get that lots of progress can be found in change and innovation. I guess the question is, does scrapbooking really need the type of change and innovation that results in wasted dollars and space?
What goes around...well, it comes around...sorta
Can anyone think back to the scrap industry 2-3 years ago? I can. I remember it because it was all so new to me. I was thirsty for knowledge and hungry for growth. I absorbed magazines as fast as my modest budget could afford me the opportunity to purchase them. I was so hungry that I'd even buy huge lots of older mags just to find out what I'd missed. Those were the good old days. Well, sort of.
Today, I'd be more inclined to take my magazine money and purchase a book on decoding the feline horoscope than to waste it on a CK, MM, SS, or ST. I'm sorry, the thirst has been quenched sufficiently enough to allow me to be the master of my own growth. Where as I used to avoid the magazine racks because of my inability to walk away from a scrapbooking mag, now I waltz past them with a devil-may-care attitude and dare the scrappy offerings to try to pique my interest...they've thus far failed miserably.
I had the 'opportunity', I'm using that word VERY loosely, to pop into my local Scrapping store last week. I got a doctor's appointment time mixed up and showed up an hour early, so I figured I'd pop across the parking lot to see if anyone stole my idea for a rubon sealer/dryer...no such luck. Shucks Darn. Anyway, I popped over to the store and after perusing the aisle after aisle of product that did little more than hurt my eyes and head, I headed over to the magazine rack.
Dun dun dun! I was surprised to see that the owner didn't have many copies of CK, MM, SI or ST. I figured that since the new issues had come out a little bit ago, that her sparse inventory was a result of the popularity of the magazines. Until I went over to her clearance bin. There I found many copies of several popular magazines greatly reduced by 50%...but alas still sitting there. One of the girls working there informed me that they were actually 75% off but that she hadn't gotten around to making the change on the stickers yet. Now, I'm not talking about last Christmas' issues, I'm talking about April and May issues. I'm not talking about 2 or 3 copies, I thumbed through at least 6-10 of each. This, in my opinion, was something worthy of investigation.
So, I gathered a couple of magazines (people will talk if they think that they have your money in their pockets, incidentally) and I searched out the helpful little sprite. I asked, with as much wide eyed naivete' that I could conjure up without getting nauseous, why there are so many magazines on clearance and provided the pretense that I only wanted the latest and greatest inspiration. She assured me that I was certainly getting just that and that the only reason that they'd made it to the clearance bin was that they weren't selling that well. The store sales of the scrapbooking mags had lagged so much that the owner was decreasing her order quantities and even considering only doing idea books. Information in hand, I put those wastes of tress back where I put them and scurried off to my doctor's appointment.
A person might be inclined to believe that the decrease in magazines in a store could be easily translated into an increase of money saving subscriptions. BUT, the rumors of declining subscription sales has been going around the mill for months now. One might even be inclined to believe that the popularity of online galleries has contributed to the lessened interest in scrapbooking magazines. I would be more inclined towards the later than the former.
I gave this some serious thought while I sat in the doctor's office fiddling my thumbs. It's all about economics now isn't it? Supply, demand, cost, all of that. The only problem is, that where as in the textbook economic model, demand for an item and the amount of supply of that item would effect the cost of that item, the industry tried to milk us for more than we were willing to pay, supplied more than we had a demand for and many times, ignored to cries of the consumer, instead opting to provide products that catered to a demographic that is in the minority. The result, in my opinion, has been the further decline in scrapbooker interest. I am not the least bit surprised that things are happening the way that they are, and I don't see how anyone is going to be able to fix it at this juncture.
This phenomenon is being repeated in the product sales area as well as magazine sales. Look at it:
I think it's a tug of war and I think that it's one that the industry will eventually lose. Why? Because we (people) have been scrapping for a lot longer that there have been magazines to tell us how to or an industry to dictate trends to us. Why? Because the magazines are afraid to stray away from the money earning potential of the tried and true 'artists'. Because the manufacturers only focus on the new and different while giving little credence to the tried and true. You'd think that if these two entities would switch business models, they'd somehow survive the impending implosion. If the manufacturers would focus on maintaining the interests of the tried and true while periodically presenting new techniques/styles as 'something new to try' instead of a "must- do trend", they might just see a return of their customer base...once we use up all of the rest of the stuff that they've crammed down our throats. If the magazines would embrace the true meaning of 'variety' and 'fresh face' then perhaps there would be some regenerated excitement about each publication. Instead of people shying away because of the confusing or uninspiring offerings, people would flock to them in order to garner a drop of inspiration from their true peers. If the magazines would publish all levels of scrapper, there might just be an increase in consumer interest based solely on the fact that there is a little bit of something for everyone.
Will all of this happen? I'd rather not hold my breath...people have died doing that. Do I want the industry to implode on itself? No, of course not, I plan on running out of stash some day. I do want the marketing execs to wake up and smell the desertion. All of this should be a wake up call for someone...but it's probably not going to be because there is no money in that. No, the money is in the hornswaggled masses who gladly gobble up all that the industry shoves down their throats. I'm sorry, I'm just not that hungry anymore.
Today, I'd be more inclined to take my magazine money and purchase a book on decoding the feline horoscope than to waste it on a CK, MM, SS, or ST. I'm sorry, the thirst has been quenched sufficiently enough to allow me to be the master of my own growth. Where as I used to avoid the magazine racks because of my inability to walk away from a scrapbooking mag, now I waltz past them with a devil-may-care attitude and dare the scrappy offerings to try to pique my interest...they've thus far failed miserably.
I had the 'opportunity', I'm using that word VERY loosely, to pop into my local Scrapping store last week. I got a doctor's appointment time mixed up and showed up an hour early, so I figured I'd pop across the parking lot to see if anyone stole my idea for a rubon sealer/dryer...no such luck. Shucks Darn. Anyway, I popped over to the store and after perusing the aisle after aisle of product that did little more than hurt my eyes and head, I headed over to the magazine rack.
Dun dun dun! I was surprised to see that the owner didn't have many copies of CK, MM, SI or ST. I figured that since the new issues had come out a little bit ago, that her sparse inventory was a result of the popularity of the magazines. Until I went over to her clearance bin. There I found many copies of several popular magazines greatly reduced by 50%...but alas still sitting there. One of the girls working there informed me that they were actually 75% off but that she hadn't gotten around to making the change on the stickers yet. Now, I'm not talking about last Christmas' issues, I'm talking about April and May issues. I'm not talking about 2 or 3 copies, I thumbed through at least 6-10 of each. This, in my opinion, was something worthy of investigation.
So, I gathered a couple of magazines (people will talk if they think that they have your money in their pockets, incidentally) and I searched out the helpful little sprite. I asked, with as much wide eyed naivete' that I could conjure up without getting nauseous, why there are so many magazines on clearance and provided the pretense that I only wanted the latest and greatest inspiration. She assured me that I was certainly getting just that and that the only reason that they'd made it to the clearance bin was that they weren't selling that well. The store sales of the scrapbooking mags had lagged so much that the owner was decreasing her order quantities and even considering only doing idea books. Information in hand, I put those wastes of tress back where I put them and scurried off to my doctor's appointment.
A person might be inclined to believe that the decrease in magazines in a store could be easily translated into an increase of money saving subscriptions. BUT, the rumors of declining subscription sales has been going around the mill for months now. One might even be inclined to believe that the popularity of online galleries has contributed to the lessened interest in scrapbooking magazines. I would be more inclined towards the later than the former.
I gave this some serious thought while I sat in the doctor's office fiddling my thumbs. It's all about economics now isn't it? Supply, demand, cost, all of that. The only problem is, that where as in the textbook economic model, demand for an item and the amount of supply of that item would effect the cost of that item, the industry tried to milk us for more than we were willing to pay, supplied more than we had a demand for and many times, ignored to cries of the consumer, instead opting to provide products that catered to a demographic that is in the minority. The result, in my opinion, has been the further decline in scrapbooker interest. I am not the least bit surprised that things are happening the way that they are, and I don't see how anyone is going to be able to fix it at this juncture.
This phenomenon is being repeated in the product sales area as well as magazine sales. Look at it:
- 1. Magazines dictate a trend and begin to feature more and more of the same 'artists' month after month/Manufacturers, pick up on that trend and speed up the production of new product releases so that there is virtually a flooding of the market with the latest and greatest.
- 2.Consumers complain about the trend and the fact that the same 'artists' are being over exposed in the publishing arena/ Consumers complain about the frequency of the new releases, and the fact that so many of them cater to a trend that doesn't reflect the creative preferences of the majority.
- 3. Magazines ignore the consumer cries and continues to request fresh layouts (but publish the known scrappers pages to the greater extent) and to bombard the consumer with manufacturer advertisements geared at convincing us that we "need" to have the latest and greatest. The manufacturers ignore the consumer cries and continues to cater to the dictated trend.
- 4. Consumers get fed up with the magazines and cancel subscriptions/ Consumers get fed up with the over saturated product market and resolve to just use what they have on hand instead of cramming more 'must have' product into their cupboards.
- 5. The magazines, when faced with a lessened subscriber base, decide to try to find fresh faces to reinforce the current trend or to start a new one. The demographic target for their marketing shrinks to such a degree that even those who decided to preview and purchase the magazines from the newsstands month to month, give up the hope for a useful publication./The manufacturers, now facing low sales, latch on to that same minority demographic that the magazines are focused on.
- 6. The work of the chosen demographic (eventually) becomes the meat and potatoes to the mag industry, though, the meat is no longer a London broil, but rather a lean, 99.9% fat free pork chop. The manufacturer seek to boost sales by getting the scrapping 'personalities' to endorse their product or create kits. The kits are gobbled up by much of the fandom while the ignored demographic scratches their heads in confusion.
I think it's a tug of war and I think that it's one that the industry will eventually lose. Why? Because we (people) have been scrapping for a lot longer that there have been magazines to tell us how to or an industry to dictate trends to us. Why? Because the magazines are afraid to stray away from the money earning potential of the tried and true 'artists'. Because the manufacturers only focus on the new and different while giving little credence to the tried and true. You'd think that if these two entities would switch business models, they'd somehow survive the impending implosion. If the manufacturers would focus on maintaining the interests of the tried and true while periodically presenting new techniques/styles as 'something new to try' instead of a "must- do trend", they might just see a return of their customer base...once we use up all of the rest of the stuff that they've crammed down our throats. If the magazines would embrace the true meaning of 'variety' and 'fresh face' then perhaps there would be some regenerated excitement about each publication. Instead of people shying away because of the confusing or uninspiring offerings, people would flock to them in order to garner a drop of inspiration from their true peers. If the magazines would publish all levels of scrapper, there might just be an increase in consumer interest based solely on the fact that there is a little bit of something for everyone.
Will all of this happen? I'd rather not hold my breath...people have died doing that. Do I want the industry to implode on itself? No, of course not, I plan on running out of stash some day. I do want the marketing execs to wake up and smell the desertion. All of this should be a wake up call for someone...but it's probably not going to be because there is no money in that. No, the money is in the hornswaggled masses who gladly gobble up all that the industry shoves down their throats. I'm sorry, I'm just not that hungry anymore.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
The Problem with Patterned Paper
Before I unabashedly tear down the foundation of creative usefulness that patterned paper is resting on, I would like to pay homage to the decorative, tree born entity.
My discovery of patterned paper signaled a shift in my scrapbooking (a mental break, if you will). Patterned paper, by it's very virtue, allows the scrapbooker to bestow his/her pages with a virtually weightless, 2 dimensional decorative accent that can be used to tie other elements of the page together as well as reiterate the theme of the photographs, if they so choose.
With so many different weights, colors and patterns available, it is very plausible to believe that one there is a perfect paper for every layout...if you have the time to search it out. Patterned paper is definitely one of scrapbookings' "good things"...
Unless you have too much of it...
In my minds eye, there are different types of patterned paper collectors:
My discovery of patterned paper signaled a shift in my scrapbooking (a mental break, if you will). Patterned paper, by it's very virtue, allows the scrapbooker to bestow his/her pages with a virtually weightless, 2 dimensional decorative accent that can be used to tie other elements of the page together as well as reiterate the theme of the photographs, if they so choose.
With so many different weights, colors and patterns available, it is very plausible to believe that one there is a perfect paper for every layout...if you have the time to search it out. Patterned paper is definitely one of scrapbookings' "good things"...
Unless you have too much of it...
In my minds eye, there are different types of patterned paper collectors:
- The efficient collector who buys for each project. She is a picture of control as she restrains her greedy inner child enough to enable getting out of the store with only what is needed in their shopping bag.
- The opportunistic collector who buys for life's many opportunities. You never know when you will be called to captain a ship across the Atlantic only to have it pirated...so the opportunistic collector buys papers for what could be a special moment in their lives. Ever bought Disney papers knowing that you'd probably never step foot in the magic kingdom because of your child's unrelenting fear of 6 foot rats? How about those papers that depict lovely snowy ski theme for people who know good and darned well that they have no intention of taking a trip to the mountains in the winter, let alone throwing themselves off a perfectly good hill with popsicle sticks on their feet and toothpicks in their hands?
- The paper hoarding collector. Destined to make it on the Most Wanted list in every fire department within a 50 mile radius, this collector buys what is pretty. Sometimes she does go into a store looking for a particular theme of paper, but rarely walks out without taking some intentioned 'extras' with her (sometimes she even manages to get the paper she came in the store for as well!)
- The doomsday collector. She buys only what she needs...but she has a slightly pessimistic view of what those needs are. Every opportunity to buy a particular paper is viewed as possible the last opportunity so she tends to buy in multiples...just in case. 3 or 4 of everything makes for a very secure scrapping experience for this collector who can sometimes be found huddled in a corner clutching the last sheet of a particular pattern in her white knuckled fists. Approach with care.
I'm not going to admit which kind of paper collector I am...but I will say that I have a lot of it. I'm not bragging...believe me, I'm not proud of the position that I've over-obsessed my way into! If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times, the presence of overwhelming possibility is an open door for indecision and stagnant progress. I'm stagnating.
When I start my layouts, I tend to start with the pictures and my color wheel for back up support. I then choose my patterned paper. Let me reiterate, I then start looking for my patterned paper. I have 7 CH paper files full of paper and a drawer of 'special' papers. I have to go through every stinkin' last one of them to find the paper that I feel will do justice to my pictures. I've tried every organizational trick known to scrappers but it doesn't seem to matter how I organize my papers, every search is going to result in sweat and paper cuts!
My problem? I don't really know what I have and I can't come up with an organizational system that will allow me to search what I have without constantly getting up, sitting down, and getting up again! I currently have my papers sorted by manufacturer for the most part (left over from my contest/dt days when that stuff mattered). I'm thinking about filing only sets by manufacturer and individual papers by color/pattern.
It never fails that I start a layout and wind up spending 30 minutes (and much of creative motivation) looking for the perfect paper. Mind you, when I start with the paper and work backwards (searching for a photo to scrap that matches the paper) I have a deal more success, but I have a hard time picking the picture because a part of me knows that I have "better" paper that will better suit certain photos somewhere. This is pretty much where my kit idea failed me. I have about 8 kits but no pictures that I want to use with them.
I remember the good old days when I only had a couple hundred sheets. I only had a limited amount of options so my decisions were made pretty quickly. Those days have gone the way of the dinosaur unfortunately. How could something so pretty do so much damage?
You want to know a secret? Patterned paper is very fertile too! I've given away/sold over 1200 sheets of paper but my stash always looks the same. Paper is like lays potato chips to me, you can't have just one, well you can...but where's the fun in that?
I am really interested in knowing how others go about organizing their papers and how they make that initial decision concerning which paper to use. I'm getting my butt kicked by my paper and it's no longer what I considered a 'good thing'.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Outdated Scrap Stash... Project Rejuvenation
I scrapped this weekend!
I created 2 layouts and I love them to pieces!
I'm almost certain that, were I to put them online, someone would balk at my use of older Chatterbox/Foofala/3Bugs papers, metal hinges, eyelets and die cut swirls.
I really don't give a hairy rats behind either!
There is nothing more laughable to me than to hear people criticize layouts for utilizing older product. When scrapbooking got it's start, the idea of trends and such nonsense were non existent. Why? Because scrapbooking was a personal thing, a soul searching record of memories and events. Today it's become just another main stream trend that offers potential financial growth for anyone who dares to exploit it.
Buy this! You have to have this! This is the latest craze! Take your craft to the next level with this! Ride this wave! Jump on that roller coaster! Buy! Buy!
Well, with all of this buying and trend watching... who has time to scrap with that kind of product influx! When we (the scrapper) finally come to are senses and stop stock shopping, we are faced with product that became outdated a week after we bought it! Somebody has to use it!
Is there really such a thing as outdated product in scrapbooking? When you think about the history of scrapbooking and the basis on which this craft/hobby was founded, one would be hard pressed to see the concept of outdated product as more than a marketing ploy to convince the overladen scrapper that she needed to keep buying! It's all about the dollar isn't it? If use of vintage (i.e. any paper greater than a month old) product were sanctioned by the industry it would be equated to chopping off a limb, so I'm not going to hold my breath for any sensible revelation out of that particular peanut gallery. Mags often provide articles about using your old stash...nestled neatly amidst 100 pages of trend watch articles and advertisements for the latest and greatest. Which message do you think is going to get the consumer vote?
The really sad thing is that the industry's pimping of products has changed the mindset of the scrapbooker in a not so good way. Take a look at insults that are slung at scrappers who dare to be different; Suzy has been told to go back to her room and play with her decorative scissors and stickers...Pages that fail to showcase the latest trends/product offerings are labeled 'boring', 'beginner', and 'CM style'. Just last week there was discussion on a critic/critique blog about the Pea Garden being inundated with boring "Suzy" layouts that didn't carry much aesthetic worth with 'seasoned' scrappers! Yes, a lot of people jumped in and defended the right of all skill levels of scrappers to post their layouts in the gallery...but amidst those voices of reasoned protest rang a shouts of elitist agreement. Comments were made about how they (Suzy and her posse) need to stop putting those ugly, outdated layouts in the gallery! Some scrapbookers were called praise whores for daring to post the layouts and expect praise, and what praise was given was devalidated and discarded. It seemed that the argument that everyone has a right to scrap the way that they want to scrap, was lost on those who were campaigning for a Stepford gallery.
Alas...I digress...
Just as you are only as old as you feel, your product is only as outdated as you allow yourself to think it is. I have some 1500 sheets of patterned paper and almost as much card stock, I can't afford for it to be outdated! I completed those 2 pages while consciously forcing myself to ignore the little voice that was telling me when I bought each element I tacked on the page. Tonight, I am going to go through some of my older magazine's and look for layouts to breath stale life into with my older stash. I plan to keep on scrapping this way until I've diminished my stash significantly. I'm not going to buy anything new until I do. I haven't purchased scrapping supplies (outside of basic tools) since November and I don't feel the urge to now that I've found a way to squeeze scrapping back into my life. Hopefully, but the time I get around to shopping for paper again the industry will, hopefully, have gotten over itself and started to present products that every scrapper can make use of... not just those that reside out of their boxes or on some artistic island fringe. I'm not going to lie, my moratorium is made that much easier by the industry's current offerings and the pretentiousness that is running rampant. I'm making my scrapping all about me and what I like...outdated or not.
I created 2 layouts and I love them to pieces!
I'm almost certain that, were I to put them online, someone would balk at my use of older Chatterbox/Foofala/3Bugs papers, metal hinges, eyelets and die cut swirls.
I really don't give a hairy rats behind either!
There is nothing more laughable to me than to hear people criticize layouts for utilizing older product. When scrapbooking got it's start, the idea of trends and such nonsense were non existent. Why? Because scrapbooking was a personal thing, a soul searching record of memories and events. Today it's become just another main stream trend that offers potential financial growth for anyone who dares to exploit it.
Buy this! You have to have this! This is the latest craze! Take your craft to the next level with this! Ride this wave! Jump on that roller coaster! Buy! Buy!
Well, with all of this buying and trend watching... who has time to scrap with that kind of product influx! When we (the scrapper) finally come to are senses and stop stock shopping, we are faced with product that became outdated a week after we bought it! Somebody has to use it!
Is there really such a thing as outdated product in scrapbooking? When you think about the history of scrapbooking and the basis on which this craft/hobby was founded, one would be hard pressed to see the concept of outdated product as more than a marketing ploy to convince the overladen scrapper that she needed to keep buying! It's all about the dollar isn't it? If use of vintage (i.e. any paper greater than a month old) product were sanctioned by the industry it would be equated to chopping off a limb, so I'm not going to hold my breath for any sensible revelation out of that particular peanut gallery. Mags often provide articles about using your old stash...nestled neatly amidst 100 pages of trend watch articles and advertisements for the latest and greatest. Which message do you think is going to get the consumer vote?
The really sad thing is that the industry's pimping of products has changed the mindset of the scrapbooker in a not so good way. Take a look at insults that are slung at scrappers who dare to be different; Suzy has been told to go back to her room and play with her decorative scissors and stickers...Pages that fail to showcase the latest trends/product offerings are labeled 'boring', 'beginner', and 'CM style'. Just last week there was discussion on a critic/critique blog about the Pea Garden being inundated with boring "Suzy" layouts that didn't carry much aesthetic worth with 'seasoned' scrappers! Yes, a lot of people jumped in and defended the right of all skill levels of scrappers to post their layouts in the gallery...but amidst those voices of reasoned protest rang a shouts of elitist agreement. Comments were made about how they (Suzy and her posse) need to stop putting those ugly, outdated layouts in the gallery! Some scrapbookers were called praise whores for daring to post the layouts and expect praise, and what praise was given was devalidated and discarded. It seemed that the argument that everyone has a right to scrap the way that they want to scrap, was lost on those who were campaigning for a Stepford gallery.
Alas...I digress...
Just as you are only as old as you feel, your product is only as outdated as you allow yourself to think it is. I have some 1500 sheets of patterned paper and almost as much card stock, I can't afford for it to be outdated! I completed those 2 pages while consciously forcing myself to ignore the little voice that was telling me when I bought each element I tacked on the page. Tonight, I am going to go through some of my older magazine's and look for layouts to breath stale life into with my older stash. I plan to keep on scrapping this way until I've diminished my stash significantly. I'm not going to buy anything new until I do. I haven't purchased scrapping supplies (outside of basic tools) since November and I don't feel the urge to now that I've found a way to squeeze scrapping back into my life. Hopefully, but the time I get around to shopping for paper again the industry will, hopefully, have gotten over itself and started to present products that every scrapper can make use of... not just those that reside out of their boxes or on some artistic island fringe. I'm not going to lie, my moratorium is made that much easier by the industry's current offerings and the pretentiousness that is running rampant. I'm making my scrapping all about me and what I like...outdated or not.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Have Design Teams Outgrown Their Worth?
The scrapbooking Design Team. A bunch of talented scrapbookers hand chosen to represent a store, magazine or manufacturer with their creative works. The creative showcase offered by these chosen few is often used to move product off of dusty store shelves, to generate hype over the latest and greatest products available and/or to spread the 'good news' while bringing in a flock of fresh blood to a particular store. Payment for all of these leases on individual creativity varies from place to place.
Some would hold that DT's allow scrappers to get a little taste of the outer edges of the limelight while they make their way up the scrapping ladder of success. Others would contend that they allow for validation of one's creative talents as well as provide a fertile foundation from which to 'grow' in their mastery of this craft. Still others argue that DT's are nothing more than a tasteless way for mags, manufacturers and stores to acquire designers without paying designer wages.
I think that DT's are all of the above. What it ultimately becomes (to you) depends greatly on what you expect from it and what you put into it. Or at least, that's how it used to work. It seems that lately a lot of the DT owners have been playing the blood from a turnip game by expect everything BUT your pinkie toe in return for a spot on their team. Some of the more popular 'contractual requirements' to date:
Exclusivity (DT members are limited as to how many other teams they can man)
Mandatory 'per day' message board posts
Participation in online crops/events
Required number of particularly types of projects (Many with tutorials attached)
Required site advertising on other message boards
Articles and Newsletter entries
Written Product Reviews
Board Moderation Tasks
Coordinating board challenges
Requirements for submitting work for publishing
Teaching Classes
Attending "virtual" meetings
Acting as a mentor on the message boards
...and the list goes on..and on...
Payment for all of this grunt work is either in monetary form(typically magazines & manufacturers) or via compensatory scrapping products. Many stores also give it's DT members a percentage discounted off of their purchases from the site. Some would argue that being paid for a 'gig' is the best way to go...as long as the check does arrive in the mail...and it has zero rubber content. Then there are those who love the prospect of building up a sizable stash and therefore love receiving compensatory product...providing that product isn't outdated or sparse. It's all about the trade-off and some get a better shake than others...tell me something else I've already heard.
This entry isn't going to be about the technical nuances of the illustrious design. I'd rather focus on the burgeoning question of the feasibility of design teams at this juncture. First of all, I have to say that I feel that the whole DT thing has been over-played. The number of DT calls has blown my mind. When I first got started in scrapbooking, there were a few calls here and there. Now, everyone needs a creative team and trust me, this is one instance where "more" is definitely not more.
The DT call inspired "spirit" of competition has helped to divide and mutilated the sense of community that this industry was supposedly founded upon. What has resulted is an embarrassing cacophony of rejection,bitterness , entitlement, elitism and favoritism (that is the shortest description I could come up with) which only serves to further illuminate our differences. Everything, from the way that word of a DT call is spread to the way that DT members are perceived, has been touched by this ugliness:
for DT work or publishing. That doesn't necessarily mean that I hate the idea of design teams.
No, rather, I dislike the way that the DT concept has morphed into something ugly and distasteful. I have been inspired by many of DT members, but I don't worship them in any way, shape or form. It took a long time for me to accept that some people like taking on 7...8...9..12 DT jobs and that it's the store owners who made the choice to further employ them.
The fact that some of those uber-dters fail miserably in supporting the sites that they represent is not my problem (do I really need to work with someone with dollar signs instead of pupils?).
I think that being on a DT can offer a tremendous amount of validation if the landing of one isn't deemed the end all be all of scrapbooking. I don't see how someone could be somehow less-than or lacking simply because their need for a DT gig varies from my own, to do so is beyond arrogant. I may be a lot of things, but arrogant isn't one of them. Is it considered arrogant to declare yourself anything but arrogant? Oh whatever!
Do I think that DTs are needed? For manufacturers and magazines, yes. For brick and mortar scrapbooking stores, yes. For online communities? It depends. If the DT is actually being assembled to offer inspiration for a site that has masses that need the inspiration, yes. If the DT is being assembled as a means to which to bring more people to a site even if they don't stick around after the call, no. Why would anybody want to have a bunch of people swear up and down that they love your site only to have them leave as soon as they aren't chosen? For online stores, I'd rather the owners do the legwork and hand select a short-termed design team from the members that have posted works in their galleries or, if they really need to, select their team from scrappers elsewhere on the web that appeal to them. The discontinuance of the public DT call (for online stores) would not only work to keep the community focus of the site, it would send a message of possibility and potential to many who feel that the DT gig is an unattainable dream (particularly when the DT is hand selected from the proven loyal members of the site).
I can't say that my views are right. I can't say that they are even foolproof. I'm sure that even in my scenario there will be instances of entitlement attitudes (amongst those who don't receive a random invitation ). I can't say that there won't be hostility derived from bringing in 'outsiders' to inspire creativity. I can say that it would be worth a try, though. Honestly, I think that any attempt to change the negative path that the industry is on would be better than continuing to do what hasn't been working.
Some would hold that DT's allow scrappers to get a little taste of the outer edges of the limelight while they make their way up the scrapping ladder of success. Others would contend that they allow for validation of one's creative talents as well as provide a fertile foundation from which to 'grow' in their mastery of this craft. Still others argue that DT's are nothing more than a tasteless way for mags, manufacturers and stores to acquire designers without paying designer wages.
I think that DT's are all of the above. What it ultimately becomes (to you) depends greatly on what you expect from it and what you put into it. Or at least, that's how it used to work. It seems that lately a lot of the DT owners have been playing the blood from a turnip game by expect everything BUT your pinkie toe in return for a spot on their team. Some of the more popular 'contractual requirements' to date:
Exclusivity (DT members are limited as to how many other teams they can man)
Mandatory 'per day' message board posts
Participation in online crops/events
Required number of particularly types of projects (Many with tutorials attached)
Required site advertising on other message boards
Articles and Newsletter entries
Written Product Reviews
Board Moderation Tasks
Coordinating board challenges
Requirements for submitting work for publishing
Teaching Classes
Attending "virtual" meetings
Acting as a mentor on the message boards
...and the list goes on..and on...
Payment for all of this grunt work is either in monetary form(typically magazines & manufacturers) or via compensatory scrapping products. Many stores also give it's DT members a percentage discounted off of their purchases from the site. Some would argue that being paid for a 'gig' is the best way to go...as long as the check does arrive in the mail...and it has zero rubber content. Then there are those who love the prospect of building up a sizable stash and therefore love receiving compensatory product...providing that product isn't outdated or sparse. It's all about the trade-off and some get a better shake than others...tell me something else I've already heard.
This entry isn't going to be about the technical nuances of the illustrious design. I'd rather focus on the burgeoning question of the feasibility of design teams at this juncture. First of all, I have to say that I feel that the whole DT thing has been over-played. The number of DT calls has blown my mind. When I first got started in scrapbooking, there were a few calls here and there. Now, everyone needs a creative team and trust me, this is one instance where "more" is definitely not more.
The DT call inspired "spirit" of competition has helped to divide and mutilated the sense of community that this industry was supposedly founded upon. What has resulted is an embarrassing cacophony of rejection,bitterness , entitlement, elitism and favoritism (that is the shortest description I could come up with) which only serves to further illuminate our differences. Everything, from the way that word of a DT call is spread to the way that DT members are perceived, has been touched by this ugliness:
- The Store owners who announce a DT search and encourage participants but fail to separate themselves from the contestants which allows for favorite 'personalities' to be preselected. Further insult is added when the biased owners fail to mask their blatant favor of certain 'contestants'.
- The manufacturers who encourage scrapbookers of all skill levels to enter their DT search but in the end select only the uber published/DT-ed scrappers (and thus far continuing the tradition of disregarding the true scrapping majority). The DT call results in an increase in product sales as well as disgruntled contestants.
- The contestants who, despite having several active DT gigs under their belts, pursue more and more DT commitments (regardless of the size of the site that is hosting the call) simply because "it's like taking candy from a baby". In many instances, equally talented, long time members of a site are overlooked simply because of the lure of the 'more experienced' scrapbookers interest in the call.
- The manufacturers who are being bombarded with DT sponsorship requests from retail stores.
- The elitist attitudes amongst members of certain design teams. They project a clear 'us against them' agenda as it pertains to interaction with 'lesser talented' scrappers on the boards. Often a few favorites are chosen and those lucky ones' are nurtured, groomed and supported by the DT (who effectively create another 'shoe-in' for the next call).
- The nasty back biting and mean spirited tactics aimed at disparaging the character of contestants viewed as a 'threat'.
for DT work or publishing. That doesn't necessarily mean that I hate the idea of design teams.
No, rather, I dislike the way that the DT concept has morphed into something ugly and distasteful. I have been inspired by many of DT members, but I don't worship them in any way, shape or form. It took a long time for me to accept that some people like taking on 7...8...9..12 DT jobs and that it's the store owners who made the choice to further employ them.
The fact that some of those uber-dters fail miserably in supporting the sites that they represent is not my problem (do I really need to work with someone with dollar signs instead of pupils?).
I think that being on a DT can offer a tremendous amount of validation if the landing of one isn't deemed the end all be all of scrapbooking. I don't see how someone could be somehow less-than or lacking simply because their need for a DT gig varies from my own, to do so is beyond arrogant. I may be a lot of things, but arrogant isn't one of them. Is it considered arrogant to declare yourself anything but arrogant? Oh whatever!
Do I think that DTs are needed? For manufacturers and magazines, yes. For brick and mortar scrapbooking stores, yes. For online communities? It depends. If the DT is actually being assembled to offer inspiration for a site that has masses that need the inspiration, yes. If the DT is being assembled as a means to which to bring more people to a site even if they don't stick around after the call, no. Why would anybody want to have a bunch of people swear up and down that they love your site only to have them leave as soon as they aren't chosen? For online stores, I'd rather the owners do the legwork and hand select a short-termed design team from the members that have posted works in their galleries or, if they really need to, select their team from scrappers elsewhere on the web that appeal to them. The discontinuance of the public DT call (for online stores) would not only work to keep the community focus of the site, it would send a message of possibility and potential to many who feel that the DT gig is an unattainable dream (particularly when the DT is hand selected from the proven loyal members of the site).
I can't say that my views are right. I can't say that they are even foolproof. I'm sure that even in my scenario there will be instances of entitlement attitudes (amongst those who don't receive a random invitation ). I can't say that there won't be hostility derived from bringing in 'outsiders' to inspire creativity. I can say that it would be worth a try, though. Honestly, I think that any attempt to change the negative path that the industry is on would be better than continuing to do what hasn't been working.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Change # 20,401...
Okay, my plans for making kits didn't work out last night. I had a few jewelry orders to get started on and then there was the AI finale to watch. I'm so glad that Jordin won, I have my reasons, but I won't waste my time expounding on them.
I'm really starting to worry about my scrapbooking. It used to be that I would move planets and stars to clear up time for scrapping. Now, if I run out of time, I just don't scrap. That little priority bug is screwing things up for me big time!
I don't think that I have a block because I have ideas flowing freely from my mind. I think I am having issues with keeping my scrapping thoughts in the positive light (gee..I wonder how THAT could've happened!). I need something to kick start my interest level again.
I wonder how people juggle numerous crafting skills without neglecting any particular one? I would love to be able to effectively sew, scrapbook and make jewelry without leaving either hobby in the dust. Oh well...
I'm seriously considering taking a week off of any hobbying so that I can get my house in order. School is out in a couple of weeks and that means that my son will be home...all day...most likely eating and creating chaos. I have this silly notion that if I go through and do another spring cleaning he will feel the urge to pick up after himself to preserve that state of cleanliness. I have that notion every summer, but I won't give up hope... yet.
On a good note, I made $81 yesterday! A lady at work wanted to see my jewelry creations and promptly pounced on an earring, bracelet, and necklace set that I made. She then called her friends to look at the other bracelets that I'd made and I sold a few of them as well! Now I'm being commissioned to make 12 different bracelets and to dismantle an antique necklace to create 3 bracelets for a lady I work with and her daughters. I am so happy that my creative ability is being validated, but I can't help but wonder if I am following the right path. It's not like I love jewelry or anything...I don't wear the stuff hardly. Is there a name for someone who can be proficient in a craft without truly developing an appreciation for the output? Lame, perhaps. At the end of the day, I guess all that matters is whether or not I am happy. The answer is yes...and I guess I'll leave it at that.
TFR
I'm really starting to worry about my scrapbooking. It used to be that I would move planets and stars to clear up time for scrapping. Now, if I run out of time, I just don't scrap. That little priority bug is screwing things up for me big time!
I don't think that I have a block because I have ideas flowing freely from my mind. I think I am having issues with keeping my scrapping thoughts in the positive light (gee..I wonder how THAT could've happened!). I need something to kick start my interest level again.
I wonder how people juggle numerous crafting skills without neglecting any particular one? I would love to be able to effectively sew, scrapbook and make jewelry without leaving either hobby in the dust. Oh well...
I'm seriously considering taking a week off of any hobbying so that I can get my house in order. School is out in a couple of weeks and that means that my son will be home...all day...most likely eating and creating chaos. I have this silly notion that if I go through and do another spring cleaning he will feel the urge to pick up after himself to preserve that state of cleanliness. I have that notion every summer, but I won't give up hope... yet.
On a good note, I made $81 yesterday! A lady at work wanted to see my jewelry creations and promptly pounced on an earring, bracelet, and necklace set that I made. She then called her friends to look at the other bracelets that I'd made and I sold a few of them as well! Now I'm being commissioned to make 12 different bracelets and to dismantle an antique necklace to create 3 bracelets for a lady I work with and her daughters. I am so happy that my creative ability is being validated, but I can't help but wonder if I am following the right path. It's not like I love jewelry or anything...I don't wear the stuff hardly. Is there a name for someone who can be proficient in a craft without truly developing an appreciation for the output? Lame, perhaps. At the end of the day, I guess all that matters is whether or not I am happy. The answer is yes...and I guess I'll leave it at that.
TFR
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