[scrapbooking l journaling l my views]
warning: it's just the way I see it...
Style. Trends. What's in. What's out. It can drive a person crazy. Or not. Like my husband Don. He likes what he likes and that's that. Period. Doesn't matter if you say it's in or out, he likes it so that's all that matters.
Wow. I wish I could look at my sofa that's now *out* and say the same thing. But I can't...I'm too aware of style, trends, the *in* thing. And it drives me crazy. Plus, I'm an eclectic and I love a little bit of this and a little bit of that and love to mix it all up. Yes, new and trendy is good.
BUT. And yes, there is a but...let's talk about scrapbooking. And trends and style and what's in and what's out...as it applies to scrapbooking. But wait. Let's take a step further...let's talk about how it applies to those who want to get published or continue getting published in the magazines.
Remember...this is through my eyes. It's just the way I see it. It's based on my own experience and my own views and hey, I'm just trying to keep it real...
So here it goes...the day I won Hall of Fame from Creating Keepsakes, I was elated. I was beyond elated. I was on cloud nine. It was very surreal. It was as if I had been handed a pile of gold. And...I felt validated as a scrapbook designer. Not to mention that I could now talk about my *geeky* hobby (geeky through the eyes of non-scrapbookers, that is) in a new light, because hey, "I'm gonna be published, now, you know!".
Fame? Glory? Riches? Um...no. Well, I have signed a few autographs, and it does seem glorious to other scrapbookers, and I do get several *extra* checks a month for publications. But here's the thing. And remember, this is *just* through my eyes: 
Getting your pages published is really awesome...but it's not what scrapbooking is all about.
There. I said it. Remember, this is just the way I see it and it's the view through {my eyes}.
Don't get me wrong. I love being part of Creating Keepsake's Hall of Fame. I love and will continue to do assignments and submit my pages to the magazines and page calls that appeal to me and my style. I love seeing my pages in print. I love the whole process. I love the days I get emailed-assignments/requests for pages. I love the days I get the call that a page is being requested. I love it all.
But here's what I've learned this past year: it's very easy to get wrapped up in it all and lose sight of why we started doing this in the first place. It's easy to forget the real reason we do this. It's easy to get your priorities all messed up when you have deadlines looming and pressure to get the perfect page back to the magazine. It's easy to get obsessed with it all and it's easy to forget that it's really just about preserving precious memories in a very artistic, creative, beautiful way.
And this is where the issue of "style and trends" comes in to play. We'll never get away from the fact that styles and trends change. And they are, as history has shown, cyclical. The good news? What's NOT hot today will most likely be the HOT thing tomorrow. The bad news? If your style is NOT what's hot as far as what the magazines are needing for calls today, you will find it difficult to get your pages picked up.
So...if you LOVE shabby-chic, but the trend is for clean, graphic, simple pages, what do you do? Well, if you're eclectic like me, you'll probably do a "cleaner" shabby. But what if you aren't eclectic? What if you're just plain shabby-chic and you can't do simple for the life of you? Do you change your approach and try to fit in to what's hot right now?
Yes. and No. That's where your priorities need to be examined. You need to decide for yourself what matters most. IF *getting published* is more important to you, then you need to try to "fit the call" for the style at hand. You work it. You play with it. You adapt to what's hot right now. You use the latest and the hottest and the hippest products and papers and techniques (or, lack of techniques if that's the trend of the day) so that you have a better than average chance of getting your pages picked up.
And guess what? Assuming that you've adapted well and you've created an awesome page, you just might see your name in lights.
But does it feel good? Are you happy with your *new* style? Does it *feel* like you? Did you *enjoy* the process? If yes...great. That's how you should feel.
I've learned something that I'll just go ahead and throw out here.
If you change your comfort zone to fit in with today's style regarding page-calls, TOMORROW you are going to be out of style again! Then what????????????????????????
So here's the point of this entry. And there *is* a point.
I've learned that the reason I do this incredible thing that's called scrapbooking is because I love taking photos. I love the subjects of my photos. I love making beautiful *keepsakes* with my photos. And I have my own, individual style that will be *hot* one day but *not* the next. But who cares?
Should I change my style to fit the *flavor of the day* so I can get more pages published? I've tried that. I actually succeeded. But it didn't feel good. (I have a page in circulation right now that...just doesn't feel like *me*...I can't even stand to look at the page. Won't tell you which one...but you're welcome to post your guess here!) BECAUSE I'M NOT A SIMPLE, GRAPHIC SCRAPPER! I forced myself to do what I felt needed to be done. And I hated the process. I hated the feeling. I hate the page. Is that what scrapbooking is all about? No. Not to me.
I LOVE looking at the clean, graphic pages. They are so classic. I love reading them. Some of my best inspiration comes from the likes of the *best-of-the-best-of-the-best* simple scrappers out there (do I even need to name names? You know who I'm talking about...they're fabulous)! But when *I* sit down to create a simple, clean, graphic page, something *else* comes out. That's just my style. I would suggest that we all need to just...love our own style and embrace it.
Seems to me that too many scrapbookers are trying to fit the trends of today instead of preserving their memories and doing it the way they *see* it.
Seems to me that too many scrapbookers are letting the styles and trends of today dictate to them the way they *have* to design their pages to be validated and feel like they've created a *good* page.
Seems to me that too many scrapbookers are allowing themselves to feel down and bad about their work, just because they didn't get "the call".
Seems to me that too many scrapbookers are forgetting that it's all about our families/pets/important events, and if it's today's style than *cool*! Submit away! But submit away anyway, regardless of your style!
Seems to me that we all get too hung up on *winning* a major contest to feel like our work is validated.
And, might I just add here, if you WANT to head down the fun, wonderful, fabulous road of getting your work published (and it's been a blast...I do love this side of scrapbooking), learn to develop a tough-skin. Because not ALL of your pages will get picked up. You'll go in spurts of getting some, not getting others. It's just the name of the game. Remember that...but whatever you do, don't let it get you down to where you think you aren't *good-enough*. That will lead to disillusionment and possibly a distaste for the *hobby* all together. And that would be a sad loss.
The day that Don said to me "Teri, you just don't seem like you're enjoying this anymore. It seems like work to you" was the day I realized that I had lost my sense of priorities. Not intentionally. Not consciously. I realized that I had started scrapping to meet deadlines and to get published. I had lost the *joy* of it all and was not doing it for the love of creativity.
After being in various issues of various magazines for the past 11 months running, I've come to realize this: the joy and love comes from creating a page with photos that I just adore...getting published doesn't validate my work...it's just a separate *hobby* that I've adopted! It doesn't *change* anything...it just *adds* to the fun!
I guess my case-in-point is this: if you want to do this to get published, YAY! Do it! Have fun! Create away! It's an awesome experience!
But the day you lose the joy and start getting down on yourself because you aren't getting as many calls as you had hoped for is the day you need to re-evaluate why you want to "be in the movies" in the first place, so to speak! At that point, create a page *just* for you, *just* for your family, *just* for your album. Create it just because you love the photos. Find your favorite photos and create a beautiful keepsake, without the intention of submitting it! Find the joy again! Reconnect with *why* you started this creative craft in the first place!
I can't say that I'll never change my style because I *am* eclectic...I love lots of things! But I can say that I refuse to fret that I'm eclectic and shabby and kinda-clean-but-not-really in a VERY clean *season*.
Because, this is, after all, a *season*. Seasons change. And something tells me that there just might be another shift in the winds in the near future. It's called...history. Remember? It's cyclical.
Embrace your style. Love it. Accept it. Have fun with it!
And that's just the view...through my eyes.
All I was after were walls that were tan against the contrast of white baseboards & trim. Seemed easy enough to me. After all, I'm a designer, right? I create pages with color-application rules all the time, right? And sheesh, tan is tan, right? 
Seemed simple enough and I was eager to put it all together. 
Heidi and I were able to get to almost all of the tables. I LOVED this day...It was a highlight for me. I'm great under pressure and the pressure was on this day to fit in as many projects as we possibly could. Take a carry-bag to put your projects in...you'll be receiving a lot of things on this day! Everything is supplied for you; but it's still a good idea to carry your small supply bag with sissors and adhesive. Don't forget to wear your CK identity badge to all events/classes. You won't get in without it. It's your name tag and your "ticket" for everything.
