scrapbook philosophy

For whom do you scrapbook?

December 1, 2010 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

For whom do you scrapbook? Of course, any answer you give here is the appropriate one. We all scrap for our own reasons:

For my kids: So they will be reminded of the details of their childhood and never question that they were loved.
For myself: So that I won’t forget what’s important in my life.
For myself: So that when I’m older I’ll remember the details of my own life.
For my descendants: So that future generations will know about how we lived our lives.
For myself: To give expression to my inner world.
For myself: Because I love to create.
For my family: To celebrate the high points/milestones of my family’s life.
For myself: To express my spirituality and give thanks to God.
For my mental health: To journal about life’s struggles.
For myself: To get to play with pretty paper and embellishments.
For myself: It’s a way of being with my friends, who all scrap together.
For myself: It’s me time.
For myself: I love hobbies. Period.
For myself: I love being part of the online community of scrapbookers.
For myself: So that I can exercise my competitive side and enter challenges.
For my family: My mom/sister/aunt/babysitter got me into it, and I’ve just always done it.
For myself: I love to tell family stories. Or any stories.
For myself: It completes me.

And of course, the list could go on and on. It’s all quite individual.

As you can see from the list I generated above, I think most of it boils down to the fact that we do it for ourselves. It fuels our creative souls. It gives us a reason to get together with friends who share the hobby. It makes us feel good about the stories we can pass along to our children. It gives us a reason to shop without having to try on clothes that make us feel bad about ourselves ;-).

A few years ago I was home visiting my family in North Carolina, and I badgered my mother until she caved in and let me take down the heritage family photos hanging on her wall to scan for scrapping. I love scrapping old photos of the family. But it took some real wheedling, cajoling and outright harping on my mother to convince her that disturbing her carefully crafted arrangement of framed photos was worthwhile. During our “conversation” about why I wanted to do this and why it was important to preserve these photos digitally and then tell their stories, my mom asked me the big question. “Why do you even scrapbook since you don’t have children to pass them down to?” (Between you and me, I think she’s a tad bothered that she doesn’t have grandchildren yet, and she loves a chance to get in a little reminder.)

Oh no she dinnit!

But good came from her question that at first had shocked me. I love how our brains work in these situations because I had never put into words why I loved to scrapbook, but I was able to immediately form a response for Mom that went something a little like this. “People without children have just as much reason to scrap as parents. They have histories and presents that have meaning for them and are worth preserving…if only for them. But I also get immense satisfaction out of the creative process involved. And someday, if I have children, they’ll have my scrapbooks to help them learn about their great grandparents’, grandparents’ and parents’ lives before they existed.”

So there! Not really, but it did feel good to have the answer for her question. It had been in my subconscious all along, I guess, just waiting for the challenge. The bottom line is that I scrapbook for myself.

Well, I honestly don’t know if my response convinced Mom or if she just capitulated to shut me up. But I answered a question that was important to me and got to scan those heritage photos on her wall. Score!

I’m curious, how many of you have one big reason for scrapping? Have you articulated it for yourself? Have you ever had to defend your reasons to a “scuggle” (non-scrapbook folk) (that’s for my fellow Harry Potter fans)? For me, having to justify it to someone else made me see why I do it and how much it adds to my life. Thanks Mom.

Note: This post of mine came about because I just read a great post at Scrapbook Obsession about the very topic, and it got me thinking about my perspective on it. I realize that the date on this post is one day off; I’m working with my provider to figure out what’s going on with the server.

Stash strategy

November 5, 2010 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

I have realized that most of the time when I buy new scrapbook supplies I hold on to them for a long while until it feels like the “right time” to use them. I bring them home from the store and stare at them for a while, absorbing their colors and design and envisioning using them to create a glorious layout … someday. Someday, not today. And usually not next week or next month, either.

After I let them sit out in my craft room for a time and inspire me to dream of future artistic achievements, I dutifully file them away in their proper place in my organization system. Then I turn to my stash and pull out some older (and often less expensive) paper to use on my next layout.

What am I doing? It’s as if these pieces of paper need to mature like a bottle of young wine! Why can’t I just enjoy using these brand new supplies while they’re still brand new?

I’ve been thinking about the psychology of this for a little while, and what I’ve decided is that for me it’s about perceived value. I place a higher value on new supplies because they’ve just come out so they are “on trend” and being oohed and ahhed in online discussions. So, because they seem more valuable to me when they’re new, I feel more intimidated by using them.

Now, there are two situations in which I will pull out my newer, cooler supplies to use earlier than my usual strategy dictates. 1. When I want to enter an online contest. 2. When I plan to scrap a photo that is more special than the everyday snapshot (vintage photos, for instance). I guess the value of those scenarios is in balance with my perceived value of the supplies. Kind of crazy, right?

Or are you just like me in this regard? Do you hold on to the cool stuff, thinking that your everyday photos don’t deserve them? Do you wait for the paper you purchased in 2009 to “mature” a bit so that when you pull it out in 2010 it doesn’t feel so special and intimidating any more? I happen to think that most scrapbookers hoard product in one way or another. When do you use your supplies—right away or down the road? I would love to have you leave a comment about your stash strategy!

This is a layout I did recently where I tried to buck my own strategy. I bought these Basic Grey papers and used them on a layout right out of the Archiver’s bag. And it felt really good. So I’m raising my glass to a little less maturity in my scrap stash!

So thankful

Scrapbook advice written on the back of a business card

November 2, 2010 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

I recently heard about a book concept that struck me as applicable to scrapbooking (Though really, what isn’t? Am I right?). The book is Advice Written on the Back of a Business Card: Leaders share their most valued words of guidance by Roger Dean Smith.

Mr. Smith’s idea was to ask hundreds of successful business people in various industries this question:

Imagine that you are about to give your business card to a young person entering your profession. But first, you turn that card over and write a short piece of advice to help them get started in their career. What would you write on the back of your own business card to help them?

Do you see where I’m going with this? I think we as a scrapbooking community are full of lessons learned—about photography, telling stories, buying products, combining colors well, etc.—and the advice that comes from learning those lessons.

And we’re certainly a generous bunch. I mean how many hobbies do you know that like to give as much as us? After all, I don’t hear anything about the American Hunters and Shooters Association pulling their resources to help sick children feel loved by sending them fresh venison (à la Jennifer McGuire’s Cards for Kids drive). Or about members of the Dumpster Divers’ Association who donate the antiques and CDs they find to the homeless (like all the scrappy groups that collect and donate supplies to homes for the elderly or women’s shelters). But then, maybe they do and I missed hearing about it. Nonetheless, people in our hobby love to share not only what they have or what they make with their supplies…but also what they know.

So, I would like to urge you to take out your virtual business card, flip it over and jot down a short but vital piece of advice to the new scrapbooker. In other words:

Imagine that you are about to give your business card to a person just starting to scrapbook. But first, you turn that card over and write a short piece of advice to help them get started in their hobby. What would you write on the back of your own business card to help them?

And by business card I mean the comments at the end of this blog post. Please take a moment to participate. I would love to compile all your hard-won wisdom and make it available to those just getting started (or who feel stuck and uncreative, for that matter). Thanks so much for sharing.

Here’s my business card’s worth:
Just start putting pictures, stories and paper together, and don’t feel that you have to know a lot about design concepts before you begin. Seek to learn the theories behind good design as you go. And don’t feel at all guilty about scraplifting; it’s a great way to learn and to explore different styles.

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