Scrapbookers, Imagine This: You just received your print order, several envelopes of your latest and greatest pictures, and you now have a new and exciting stack of awesome photos just waiting to be scrapbooked! There's the birthday party photos, photos from your last vacation, and some really adorable photos of your 8 year old. You are all excited to scrapbook them! You rearrange some things on your to do list and you somehow find 3 hours of uninteruppted scrapbooking time. You put your photos in your photo organization system. You get out your adhesives, scalloped edged scissors and that new pack of embellishments shown at the last CHA. Ready! Set! And Nothing. Instead of "Go!" you are at at dead end STOP! You stare at the dreaded blank page and then it hits you: The Dreaded Scrapbooker's Block.
Have you ever been hit with scrapbooker's block? If you are a kid, chances are you haven't and you can stop reading and go play now! But if you are a scrapbooker who is over the age of 18, then you might know what I'm talking about. If you haven't experienced scrapbooker's block or perhaps you just need a definition for this frustrating condition, here's how wikipedia defines this common scrapbooker's ailment {please note I took some liberties with the "writer's block" definition and adapted it for our concern "scrapbooker's block"}:
"Scrapbooker's Block is a condition, primarily associated with scrapbooking as a hobby in which the creative goddess loses the ability to produce new layouts. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in choosing how many photos should go onto a particular layout or which embellishments to use for a visual triangle on the page to tie it all together. At the other extreme, some "blocked" scrapbookers have been unable to work for years on end, and have been known to continue to buy supplies despite the complete stop of production of scrapbooking layouts or mini books. It can manifest as the affected scrapbooker viewing her work as inferior or unsuitable, when in fact it could be the opposite. Scrapbooker's block is a common affliction that most memory keepers will experience at one time or another, it is "an inability to begin or continue scrapbooking for reasons other than lack of basic skill or commitment".
Who's been there? I know I have, more than once. Can I get an "Amen" scrapbooking sisters?
Scrapbooker's block can be caused by these five common problems:
1. Lack of Inspriation: Oh sure there are dozens of inspiring projects on Pinterest and over at Two Peas, but nothing really "speaks" to you and your creativity just isn't sparked by anything - not even a glittery fire lit with hot-off-the-CHA-floor-patterned-paper by scrapbooking LOAD Coach Lain Ehmann herself.;
2. Over Awareness of the Audience: Whether your audience is your own family or your online scrapbooking friends, you cant' seem to make anything because you keep thinking about what so-and-so will think of your completed scrapbook project so you just don't start or complete anything.;
3. External Circumstances like stress or health issues of the scrapbooker. This will happen to all of us at one time or another.;
4. Sophmore Syndrome: Intimidation from a previous success. Maybe you had a layout published in a magazine or recognized on an online scrapbooking gallery and now you are afraid to make another layout because you don't think it will be as awesome as the last layout.; or
5. Perhaps the most dreaded of all "Trying to be Perfect": You can't seem to do anything at all for fear that it might not be perfect and you'll ruin your photos, your supplies, or your own ego.
Let's check in with wikipedia again and see what they say about the brain on scrapbooker's block {again I'll take some liberties and re-phrase to make it crafty}:
"Scrapbooker's Block is more than just a mentality. Under stress, a human brain will "shift control from the cerebral cortex to the limbic system". The limbic system is associated with the instinctual processes, such as "fight or flight" response. Because the person is primarily thinking in instinctual (learned) behaviors, creative processes are hindered. The person is often unaware of the change, which may lead them to believe they are creatively "blocked"."
So enough of the problem, chances are you are just as familiar as I am with the causes or stresses of scrapbooker's block; what you really want to know is just how do you cure scrapbooker's block?
1. Take a Scrapbooking Class or Listen in on a Scrapbooking Group Discussion.
A few years ago I took Lain Ehmann's LayOut A Day (LOAD) Challenge and the exercise of making a scrapbook layout everyday for a month helped me get to a place where I could scrapbook no matter what; I think the key factor in this system is the short deadline.
While I have been scrapbooking for well over a decade, I still take an occasional scrapbooking class to keep things fresh. My favorite place to take online scrapbooking classes is Big Picture Classes. I'm currently taking Stacy Julian's Twelve Class and Elizabeth Dillow's Twelve Challenges Class.
My favorite "Scrapbooking Discussion Group" otherwise known as a "podcast" is The Paperclipping Roundtable Podcast. The Paperclipping Roundtable "airs" on itunes every week and is about an hour, topics include scrapbook organization, the process of scrapbooking, and scrapbooking tools and tricks. Listening in always gets me in the mood to do some scrapbooking.
2. Keep a Scrapbooking Ideas Journal.
Whether you keep your ideas in a plain notebook, a fancy and embellished journal, or on your iphone; writing things down helps. Even if you never go back to the list, the act of having written down an idea helps to keep it and grow it in your mind. Depending on your personality, you may love or hate lists; but either way, try writing down ideas for a month and see if your ability to overcome scrapbooker's block improves. My bet is that it will.
Pinterest is also a great place to keep ideas. Major warning: Pinterest is also a major time waster and can result in feelings of insecurity and inferiority since there are amazing ideas and photos there; so use Pinterest with caution.
3. Do some Free-Scrapbooking.
My husband often tells the story about how he was a bad student until he learned the trick of "getting ready" to do homework. He'd tell himself that he was just "getting ready" to do some homework, he'd get his books and pencils, a snack, and sit at the desk; he didn't pressure himself to actually do anything, but, he says, once he was all set up and sitting there he'd do the homework. Try that with your scrapbooking, get some photos out; get out some paper; don't pressure yourself to make anything but if you get even an inkling of inspiration, jump on it and go with whatever gave you that spark.
Another idea is to make a card, or a page in an ongoing mini book with a standard structure, or just to start doodling or punching or free hand cutting some patterened paper. Just start moving and your brain will follow.
4. Just Do It. Make a Page even if it is Not Perfect, especially if it is not perfect! In fact, make an Imperfect Page!
Take your worst, blurriest photo and the ugliest piece of paper you can find. Make a page. Just do it. Once that's out of your system, you'll at least have done something. The fact that its not awesome will give you the confidence to make the next one a bit better because it couldn't be any worse. Just try it.
In the alternative, set your kitchen timer for 15 mintues, and don't spend any time thinking, just do this: 1. Open your photo file and pick one without looking (1 minute). 2. Then pick a neutral colored cardstock, don't spend more than (30 seconds) picking. 3. Pick some letters, give yourself a minute. 4. Paste all that together (2 minutes). 5. Write something on the page - draw four or five lines and just start writing. (5 minutes tops) . 6. You are 8.5 minutes in and you can call it done if you like, but if you wish, pick a few embellishments and stick them down in a visual triangle (5 minutes tops).
5. Find a Positive Place to Share Your Scrapbooking Work.
If you've been scrapbooking for any length of time, chances are your family has lost the level of excitement for your scrapbooking layouts that maybe they had in the beginning. You need scrapbooking friends for this job my friend.
Feedback can be awesome, find a place where you can find some friendly scrapbookers who are at a similar scrapbooking skill level and share your work. You can set up a flickr group or join in a variety of many, many scrapbooking communities online. Or pick a few friends to be your viewing buddies.
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Want to hear me read this essay? Check this out:
I hope that this article has been helpful or at least a bit entertaining. Please leave a comment to share your most common cause of scrapbookers' block and your favorite solution.
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