SCRAPPY QUESTION #6 ( Mojo MIA?)

[Jill]

Have you ever experienced a scrapper's slump? Do you ever feel your creativity has gone missing? Do you ever feel a lack of enthusiasm for the craft? How do you deal with all that to get yourself back on track? What is it that motivates you to get started again? (That's more than ONE Scrappy Question...oops )

Tell me YOUR story

It happens to me from time to time. I have found a few things that often help me regain enthusiasm. Of course the challenges here are a big help to get me going again especially if there are topics that really float my boat, always excited to see what ideas each new batch of challenges prompt. Cruising the online galleries looking at LOs and being inspired by others is probably my biggest motivator. Having a family event, adventure, something special or different will inspire me to take and scrap those photos. Pinterest, not just scrapbooking but other things might spark an interest/idea. A new kit instore or a new designer's products that really speak to me will sometimes get me going again. Our art gallery often provides me with enthusiasm, just this week I visited an exhibition of Aboriginal Art...the stunning dot paintings were mind blowing...cannot wait to scrap those photos. Of course my own state of mind will put me in a slump sometimes, especially if there has been some major emotional happening in my life and that is certainly a challenge to pick up from!
PS...oh yes...having just been there, the Gallery Stand Out blog is always a source of inspiration for me....(and such a buzz if one of my pages is selected )

 

[kelley]

Oh, definitely! I've been digiscrapping since 2010, so I've definitely experienced my share of missing mojo times. One of the best ways for me to get my mojo back is to commit to a crazy challenge, whether it's some sort of scrapping event or just challenging myself to complete a large amount of challenges in a month. Other times, I just need a little break and a look at my digiscrapping goals Google doc to remind myself of all the different types of pages I want to make. I tend to go in spurts where I'll do a bunch of project life for a while, then a bunch of artsy/journaling pages, then a bunch of pages from a vacation or something. Switching up the type I'm working on helps a lot. If I'm really not feeling it, I will do either a template challenge (takes away the pressure of composition) or a recipe challenge - those are super low pressure and quick to complete, so they usually get me going.

 

[Grace.]

This is a good question dear Jill, although digital scrapbooking has been my passion since I discovered it in 2012, I've gone through periods of creative drought, especially after sad events like the loss of my brother and father, but what motivated me to continue were the challenges and our gallery, seeing so many pretty pages somehow helped me emerge from that slump. The Gallery Stand Out is also a source of inspiration for me, and I'm always thankful when one of my pages is nominated because it motivates me to continue with a hobby that has become my passion.

 

[breoni]

Great question! I agree with all of the other responses so far. I tend to scrapbook in cycles, but a lot of that is dictated by how much time I have in my schedule to actually sit down and craft. There are weeks and months of the year that are so jam packed with work and family commitments that I hardly have time to put together a single page. So when my schedule relaxes and I have a quiet Saturday at home, I will take advantage of that time and work on my books.

 

[Kristi Martin]

I started paper scrapbooking sometime in 2000 and went crazy for it, cranking out pages on a regular basis. We homeschooled then, so while my boys did school I sat near them and worked on my own stuff and was close when they needed me. I went to scrapbook shows, worked scrapbook shows for a small company and even had a few of my pages published in scrapbook magazines!
Then there was a time where life as we knew it went a little sideways and I could no longer find the time to drag out all of those paper scrapping supplies and just didn't really feel like messing with it.
Then I got the scrapbook itch again and started exploring digital scrapbooking. I came across the Project Life app and that reignited my passion for creating and preserving memories... and right on my phone without any of the mess of paper scrapping! After a couple of years I grew weary of the restrictions of the PL app. I didn't want just pocket pages, I needed a more advanced app/software to help my creativity grow again.
After trying a few other things and still not feeling satisfied because I was tired of trying to find work arounds or using multiple apps to do what I wanted to do with my pages I finally discovered Affinity! It was a learning curve to say the least, but I was off and running again and loving that now I could do anything I wanted with my pages, even if it took a bit more learning how to do it. I also found this site and the challenges here. I am very goal oriented, so doing at least 10 monthly challenges keep me going as well as sharing and encouraging others on the small scrapbook Facebook group I have run for several years.