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Hello, 2012
- On January 1, 2012
- By Peppermint
- In Everyday, Scrapbooking
30
If you happened to listen to Episode 21 of The Digi Show you heard us talk about projects – from the past, from the present, and our plans for the future. I shared how I was feeling as though I’d gotten sidetracked with regards to what makes me happy when it comes to scrapbooking, and how I was feeling as though I should focus my attention on reconnecting with that rather than taking on projects in the hopes that they’ll somehow streamline or simplify the process for me.
Projects are great for drumming up stories, but I am not in (nor have I ever been in) a story drought.
I am in a scrapbooking drought.
When I was preparing materials for my guest spot at Debbie Hodge’s site, I made the following comment on Twitter:
I wanted to “get back to 2009,” which was a year where I really felt the most in touch with my inner memory keeper. I made sure that I took time to really think about my life and what was meaningful to me in the moment, and then I spent my time conveying that on my pages.
Over the past couple of years I’ve lost sight of that. Instead of carving time out to reconnect with those stories I’ve taken on “projects” instead. Projects that gave me a way to fill my time so that I had the appearance of documenting my memories, but really I was just creating things to document while purposefully avoiding documenting them in a way that fulfills my passion
My passion is digital scrapbooking. My passion is storytelling.
A good bit of my time in 2011 was spent trying new things each week, a project that I really enjoyed but that I didn’t necessarily care to include in my scrapbooks after I had already taken up quite a bit of time writing it out on my blog. I made a choice at the beginning of the year to blog them and NOT scrapbook them and that’s the format I stuck with for time management purposes. Having them preserved here on my site was enough for me, and when it becomes not enough for me I’ll pull off relevant ones and get them into our albums.
I amassed a large storage box full of Project Life supplies and I’ve tucked little bits and pieces of everyday life into the pockets, but I was quickly reminded of the fact that I don’t enjoy paper scrapbooking. Or hybrid scrapbooking. More than that: I don’t feel GOOD at it. I feel like it takes me too much time, that I think about it way too much, and that I wind up settling on getting the pages done rather than actually liking them.
Feeling as though I’m good at what I’m doing, whether anyone else agrees with me or not, is 99% of my happiness when it comes to creativity. I am not good at gluing things down or cutting things out. I am not happy when I’m walking back and forth from my desk to my printer to load photo paper into the tray. I do not like finding little bits of paper around my office. And more than that, I do not like having bins of paper supplies, bins of adhesives, a 12×12 album and things like paper cutters and hole punches in my office. My office used to be a place of zen solitude and it was starting to resemble a crop station at a craft store.
I spent some time in July trying A Week In The Life, thinking that would scratch my memory keeping itch. But as you may recall, the enthusiasm fizzled out for me. I consider myself an “everyday scrapbooker” but that was just way too much information about my everyday. I was on information overload because I could think of something meaningful to say about most of the photos that I took – but all packed into a one week span like that, my storytelling core shut down completely. Within those photos live some stories that I want to tell, but we needed some time apart.
The common thread with all three of the projects was that they kept me really busy – busy taking pictures, busy jotting down notes, busy buying supplies and organizing supplies. All of that busy work made me feel like I was documenting our lives. But they didn’t leave me feeling fulfilled. Instead I felt like I spent my time living up to arbitrary obligations that I’d set in my own head while ignoring what I truly love – which is sitting down at my computer and pouring my heart out onto a 3600 x 3600 px canvas in Photoshop. A photo from last week, a photo from last year, an experience from today or an emotion that happened to flutter through my heart.
That is where joy lives for me.
So my only scrapbooking project for the time-being will be to carve out time in my schedule to reconnect with the process that first won my heart. The organic, free-flowing stream of creativity that ends with my story on a 12×12 digital canvas – because that’s when I remember feeling my happiest as a memory keeper.
Which is not to say that you’re anything like me, or that you find your fulfillment in the same way that I do. It’s not even to say that I’ll feel the same way a year from now, or a month from now.
I’m not always good at examining whether I’m happy with the way I choose to spend my memory keeping time WHILE I’m spending it. I haven’t been asking myself “Is this how I really want to be spending this period of time?” This free hour that I have on a Sunday afternoon – what would I like to completely lose myself in for this hour? Because I have a finite amount of time, and I want to get back to enjoying how I spend that time.
More than that I want to get back in touch with what makes me love this craft; with what inspires me rather than what’s new or flashy. I need to clear out all of the other stuff and get back to the fundamentals for a while.
After all, I have all these untold stories from 2011 that have piled up while I’ve been occupied with other distractions. It’s high time they get their time in the sun.
So my question to you is this – when are you most happy as a memory keeper?
Anna Aspnes
Great post Peppermint.
Peppermint
Thank you, Anna! Happy New Year!
Tiffany Tillman
You’ve said what’s been on my heart for a long, long time. Awesome!
Christine
Loved this. It’s good to examine what we really love about our craft/hobbies in order to get to the fundamentals of what gives us joy in what we do. For me it’s documenting my experiences, whether it’s on my blog or in Project Life, or journaling digitally or in my old school journal. For you it’s different. For others it’s different. It’s all okay.
Kat
Thanks for the wonderful post!
Kayla
Amen to this!
Right now I am happiest when I just create a layout when inspired. The long term projects overwhelm me – even though I love seeing everyone else doing them.
I am also happiest when my photos are organized with the stories in the metadata because then I’m not stressed about “catching up” I can just create from my heart.
You said it so well – LOVE this post!!
Peppermint
I love when I’m organized, too. I just tagged all my previews in Lightroom last week! I was inspired by Steph’s rave reviews. I was so behind in ACDSee that catching up was too daunting.
It’s all part of the evolution of my Photo Flow.
Cindy
I’m pinning your “Sometimes I have to remind myself…” graphic – that’s brilliant. I need to say that to myself at least once a day.
Peppermint
I need the reminder,too. The image originally came from Pinterest but their embed code messes up my blog – if you click on it in the post above it goes to my pin there.
Sara
YES. And Amen. And YES. I do love the “projects” but I’ve fallen away from what I love most and it’s made me feel uncreative. This post..your heart shared here..is the embodiment of so much of what I’ve been feeling for months. Thank you for this.
Peppermint
Uncreative isn’t even in the ballpark of words I think of when I think of you, Ms. Gleason, but I understand you completely.
sue.falstaff
Looks like you’ve stirred up a lot of emotions here Peppermint … who knew there were so many scrappers out there were feeling like they were “just going through the motions”? Does this mean you’ll be taking a step back from designing? I sincerely hope not, but I’d understand if you were. It seems like 2012 is going to be a year of streamlining, simplifying and reconnecting for a lot of friends. As for me? I’m happiest when I don’t feel any pressure to have to create, kwim? So creating just for me, because I want to, not because I have to. Definitely a thought provoking post.
Peppermint
I won’t be taking a break from designing, no. I’m always happy when I’m working on products – its a great creative outlet for me and I love being a part of other people’s memories. I like knowing that people trust me to be a part of that.
mrshobbes
I feel like every time I read your post it’s like you speak what’s in my heart as well. Bravo, fabulous woman!
i’m making 2012 all mine: doing what brings me joy and gives my life meaning. My streamlining has started, and I’m hoping and hopeful I’ll keep it up this year. Thank goodness for ladies like you who bring the awesome inspiration 
Peppermint
Thanks, Lex! ♥
Leonie -Australia
Yep I feel the same, I take on way to many projects, end up with a heap of “stuff” whirling around in my creative brain, then rushing through them to get them done, & not enjoying the process. Time to look at what I really want to get better at,what I enjoy doing, & what gives me satisfaction at the end of it, instead of running around like a headless chook!!LOL
Angie Hinksman
Words to live by!
Carol
Bells have just gone off, I swear! Reading this I’m nodding away because I made a post earlier on my blog essentially similar. No big year long projects for me either this year, and I tellyou when I made the decupision it warlike a weight was lifted from my shoulders, and I thought, hey, it’s not meant to be like this! This is meant to be fun, scratch my creative itch, etc. I had made it into a chore during 2011 trying to keep up.
Great post, so glad others are feeling and deciding the same.
Carol
Ahhh flipping pre emptive text… I made the decision, it WAS LIKE a weight was lifted… LOL
kristy
This is so well put. I am always glad when a new year starts and I can rethink how I want to document this year’s memories. Thanks for your insight! Looking forward to seeing what products you come up with this year!!!
Claire
I love seeing you scrap. It’s very inspiring. I’m all for seeing more of it. And good for you for examining and getting back to what you love.
blurooferika
I bet this blog entry resonates with a lot of your readers, Peppermint. I know it did me. I applaud your ability to step back from the clutter and the projects ticked off your list to ponder deeply, “Did this make me happy?”
I’ve been eyeing the Project Life stuff as well; I love the organizational, customizable aspect of it, but at the end of the day, I thought, “Do I want to spend a lot of my (limited) time doing a project that involves a lot of busy work and that will feel like a huge commitment and a failure if I don’t do it regularly?” It was an epiphany moment.
I’m glad you had your’s, too. For 2012, I wish everyone their own epiphany about how they most want to spend their leisure time. Cheers!
Lynnette
Gosh, I can so relate to this post, especially the part about feeling like you hit your scrapbooking peak in 2009. I’ve been feeling this way too lately, kind of like I’ve been on autopilot for the past year and half or more when it comes to my layouts and storytelling because my focus has been pulled in so many different directions.
I actually loved AWITL – the photo book I created in July was my favorite project I’ve done in a long, long time. But my attempt at Project Life fizzled out pretty quickly as I realized that while I loved the concept and the one spread I created, I didn’t really care to spend that amount of time every week keeping up with it.
And I think that’s the key to projects – realizing what works for you and not being afraid to say no when something doesn’t work out, especially if keeping up with it comes at the expense of telling the stories you really love.
Maribeth
Thank you for sharing your heart. Your words set my own feelings free.
Maribeth
Thank you for sharing your heart. Your words set my own feelings free. Happy 2012.
Lindsan
Oh I feel like I could have written this post! Well, probably not because I am so far from as eloquent as you as can be, but oh yes to all that you said!
Projects … while the structure and organisation really speaks to me, they are far too overwhelming and stressful to a person who feels like everything she does needs to be done perfectly. Doing things from inspiration is often much more gratifying than doing something just because it has to be done or the project is messed up.
I also had to laugh at not loving paper, or even hybrid. I wrote this on my fb page just before Christmas as I was trying to make a hybrid gift for someone: “I am constantly reminded that I like digi crafts so much better than the IRL kind – many swear words later, and with glue everywhere, here I am trying to work out how to glue that flipping thing down.”
So yeah, thank you for speaking my mind!
mizbee
Peppermint, you voice the “issue” that seems to plague most designers. When the work gets in the way of the fun and joy of creating. I’m most happy when I begin a project without a clear goal. I love having great pages done, and giving them to family is always a plus. But my greatest joy is the process of creating. Finding what works with what, solving creative decisions and always always, stretching myself as an artist. That’s what gives me the most personal joy and what fills up my engines so I can attend to my creative “day job”.
Best of luck is your creative journey, I have faith in you!
Ginger
Thanks for this Peppermint. I read your post, then read a post from Jenny Lawson (the Bloggess) bravely discussing her battle with depression and I realized that 2012 has the awesome potential to be the year of authenticity. A wonderful, courageous commitment to getting at the truth of who we really are. And then speaking that truth. You’ve started us all in the right direction girl.
Nicole
Ha ha! This is wonderful to read. This is exactly why I started “Tell Your Story Every Day” this year.
I’m tackling PL and I couldn’t be happier doing it in paper. That’s because my heart has ALWAYS been with paper scrapbooking. But I’m finding that I love the tiny 3 x 4 and 4 x 6 size. 12 x 12 can be so intimating, I think.
But for the last 4 years, while I tried to love my digital layouts, I was so sad and I was NOT recording the stories of our lives. I am so happy that I have found a practical way to do this now.
Everyone is different. We all have to find what we love and enjoy it! I’m happy you found your way through the wilderness. Because you are an amazing scrapper.
Nicole
^intimidating. Gaah! I cannot ever seem to spell that word. o_O