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Note from Heidi: This article by Ro really speaks to my heart. I so firmly believe that each of us has an ability to create layouts, capture moments with our cameras, write meaningful journaling – all of those things that make wonderful legacies in our scrapbooks. I would never wish for those gifts and abilities to be stifled for fear of embarrassment or insecure feelings about talent. We are each worthy of having a story worth telling, and we are each immensely capable of telling that story in whatever way we choose. Read on!
The Digital Scrapbooker's Survival Kit
Starting to scrapbook digitally can feel slightly intimidating. It is wonderful to think that you can preserve your family heritage in a way that allows for speed, creativity, no mess, and the ability to share the results with as many people as you wish with a click of your mouse. And yet it may feel slightly overwhelming to think of everything you need to learn to create the same type of layouts as the ones you admire.
This internal conflict often comes because we have unrealistic expectations of ourselves. If our initial results aren't what we imagined them to be, we become self-critical and even think we may not have enough talent to do it.
I say, "Don't be so mean to yourself!"
Do you remember when you were little and you drew your first house? Wasn't that a great feeling? But really, how masterful a work was it? I'm willing to bet that you could draw an improved version today.
Learning to digitally scrapbook is just like acquiring any other skill. You have to take it step by step.
So let's talk about some of the survival tools you will need during your journey.
Desire
Desire to learn is the basis of all knowledge acquisition processes. The strength of your desire affects how determined you will be and how well you will take the setbacks that are part of any learning process. If your desire is relatively weak, then any bump in the road will send you packing.
I used to see this all of the time when I was teaching music. If I had to choose what was the most important factor in a student's success - talent or desire, I would undoubtedly pick desire. Frankly, it used to distress me how often I saw students with great talent, which I consider to be a gift from God, choose to discard their talent because they would rather watch TV.
What a shame.
On the other hand, I saw less gifted kids win scholarships by sheer will. They were busy kids because people with desire motivate themselves to accomplish things. But they were fully engaged in life. They had desire.
If you want to learn how to digitally scrapbook, you will be able to do it. There are resources to help you learn. We have some great ones here at Scrap Girls. And you'll ask questions and experiment and practice. In the end, your desire will carry you there - even if you have a very full life.
Kill the Critic
Suspend in mid-air your little self that tells you your efforts aren't good enough. Make the little beast stand on the sidewalk outside where you can't hear her nagging voice tell you to quit. Understand that every layout won't be a masterpiece. You'll be happier when you do have one of those creative flashes that are so enjoyable.
One at a Time
If you think that you are going to start and finish your entire life's history in an afternoon, you will quickly get discouraged. You may even quit, saying that you "don't have time" to scrap. The disconnect is in the expectation, not the actual time spent scrapping. Every layout finished gets you one layout further along your memory path. Every story told is one more that your family wouldn't have if you hadn't created that layout. Just keep going and fit it in when you can. Stop pressuring yourself and the joy will return.
If you take these approaches with every aspect of the art, from learning new tricks in your software to trying out new product types, you will find that you are not only surviving the experience of learning to digitally scrapbook, you are thriving.
So, scrappers, start your engines... let's go!
- Ro
Note from Heidi: These are my first digital scrapbooking layouts. "Clementine" was done in April 2006 using only my photo, a font, and a basic background fill! From my background in paper scrapbooking, web design, and photography, I knew that scrapbooking digitally could be done. I just didn't know how to get the looks I wanted yet, but I was still so proud of what I had done.
Layout by Heidi Dillon
larger view
...Continued: This is the first page I created with Scrap Girls materials. The "fun stuff" made it so much more enjoyable to scrapbook these photos. I had a blast playing around and felt so proud of this finished page.
Layout by Heidi Dillon
larger view
...Continued: However, you can see that in both these layouts, there is no fancy drop shadow technique, no expressive journaling, and I wasn't too worried about matching colors or themes exactly. I just took some time and played and learned as I went. And honestly, this computer scrapbook page of my two sisters is one of their favorites, even though I've done many more "fancy" and "advanced" layouts of both of them since then. They love the memory of how they were goofing off together.
We say it over and over on our Message Board: Everybody starts at the beginning! Don't be afraid or ashamed or intimidated by anything. Just pull out the old (or new!) graphics program, take a few minutes for yourself, and enjoy your time! Create, learn, express - for those in your life, certainly, but especially for you. Have fun and be proud of your accomplishments.
P.S. Ready to play and learn something new? Try these!
Brush up on your basics:
Moving past the basics:
Some fun stuff:
Scrap Girls, Etc. is a weekly column pulling bits and pieces from all over Scrap Girls. Stay tuned each week as Scrap Girls' Jane-of-All-Trades Heidi Dillon brings you tutorials, musings, recipes, interviews, design/software tips and tricks, layout walk-throughs, and who knows what else!
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