Album Progress + More Observations
Going through my entire collection of scrapbook layouts a couple weeks back (read here for details) was quite an experience. Now that things have settled a bit from the initial craziness of pulling all the pages out I have moved on to actually putting them in yearly order (with a couple theme-based albums mixed in for good measure).
As you can see from the photos above I have made some progress: those albums are 2002-2006.
Not sure about whether this location will be their permanent home (especially since there will be more), but I like the idea of having some sitting there with a small basket of minibooks. I could rotate the large albums in and out seasonally. Lots of options.
And as you can see in the second photo, I still have more to do.
One of the things I am being mindful of as I put the pages into the albums is this: what's missing from my work?
I am taking this opportunity to take stock in what I have created so far and where I want to go next.
Whether you scrapbook once a month, weekly, or daily (or whatever your creative endeavor entails), taking a step back to look at the entirety of your work is so worth the effort to refocus and figure out what you are missing.
Ever take a look at a layout and think (or literally know) that there is something is missing? I definitely had many of those thoughts come over me as I was looking through my piles. How about taking that one step farther and seeing what is missing from the overall "body" of your work? Maybe the words are absent. Maybe it is a particular person or topic (maybe it is you). Maybe all your photos are up close or maybe they are all far away. Maybe what is missing is real content rather than just a bunch of pretty embellishments. Maybe it is a sense of experimentation and fun and playfulness.
This is what I know: I want to continue to strive for balance. Balance between in-depth stories + fun embellishments. Balance between close-up + far away photos. Balance between stories about Chris, stories about Simon, and stories about me. Balance between creative experimentation + pages that are purely words and photos.
I believe, as you may know, that there is no right or wrong way to document your life or the lives of people in your family. We will all be missing something in our pages according to someone. Every one of us should have our own way of scrapbooking – for some that will be detailed and precise while for others it will be more organic. The key is to not be afraid of finding your own way and embracing it and taking some time to evaluate yourself as you go along.
In looking back on my own work I can see (and remember) periods of time where I was being influenced by other designers and/or concepts and/or products, or where other things were happening in my life that seemed to have a direct effect on my personal creativity. I have found that sometimes finding your own way means trying out lots of different options along the road.
I can also see when I was doing a layout more for the sake of showcasing a product or technique rather than telling a story (a potential occupational hazard when your job and your hobby become one and the same). This is my personal reality and something that is on my mind especially now after looking through all those pages. I want the photos and the story to always be first on the list. I want the products and the fun stuff to enhance and support my stories rather than take center-stage.
Will I go back and adjust any of those layouts where I feel something is missing? Probably not. My first thought is that they are what they are. They represent a time and a space and piece of my life not only in what they show on the page but also in what they say to me without speaking. In so many ways they are the perfect reminders of what I don’t want to be doing – and direction for what I want to see on my future pages. Here's my current thinking: if I feel like the design is horrible but the story is there then I will leave it; if the story is completely missing and is not told elsewhere in the albums (such as a "looking back" sort of page) than I will probably do a new layout at some point that more completely tells the story.
Today I invite you to reflect a bit on what is missing from your layouts, from your creative life, from your photography, from your everyday life? Are the words missing from your scrapbook pages? Are the everyday photos missing? Is a particular person missing? Are the pages themselves missing because there is always something else that needs to be done before you can get to your creative time? After reflecting a bit (or literally going through and looking at all your pages – which I completely recommend to everyone), write down your observations. These are invaluable as you move forward.
Hi,
This is a great post. Just got my newest Ck in the mail and have been devoring it. Have a question for you about your studio A article, I just love, love, the idea of those divided pocket page protectors. But, I can not seem to find them anywhere. I live in Utah,yeah,sigh,I am lucky, scrapbook capital of the world right? Alas, still no luck. I tried looking up the web-sites of the companies you had listed (ex Crop-in-Style, and C-Line products) with no luck. Where do you buy them? Help me please! Anyone? jscrapfreak@hotmail.com
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Thanks for your insight--it's saved me a lot of time already, when starting to think about my own scrapbooks.
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Hi Ali -
Great catching up at CHA! What albums are you using? Are they 3 ring? They look like the American Crafts or WeRmemory keepers. I soooooo need to do this!!!!
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You make a good point. Well, several good points! But mainly, in my scrapbooks, what's missing is ME. For one, I usually take all the photos. And then, I generally hate pictures of me... :P And THEN, I tend to revolve my scrapbooking around my daughter... I do have one book that's all about Europe trips my hubby and I took, but that was B.C. -- Before Child!!! :)
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"Are the pages themselves missing because there is always something else that needs to be done before you can get to your creative time?" To echo Beth, this comment really hit home! This is me exactly! Thanks for the push in the right (creative) direction, Ali. :)
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Holy Cow, Ali! This is awesome and something I had totally planned on doing once we move back. Right now, most of my pages/albums/photos are packed and in safe hands...but I would love to go thru them all just as you have! Don't be surprised if you get an email from me come this fall b/c I will need help remembering everything you said here.
hugs! Sonda T
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seriously*
you INSPIRE ME.
the way you write
the way you scrap
the way you are *real*
the posts about organizing your pages/albums have been amazing to read and see.
thanx so much for your amazing ways!
rock on.
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I Needed this........
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I have such a difficult time when I look back on old layouts. I feel like I want to rip the pictures off and do something new and fresh because I have learned so much more or want to add, like you said, that missing piece. It is hard for me to enjoy what they stand and try not to be so critical of my work.
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Thank you Ali, reading these words and your words in Life Artist has given me permission to make a start. I haven't touched my scrapbooking stuff since about November. Being busy with Christmassy things and then having sick children in and out of school in January...and coming to the end of a six week work related course online.I really miss it. When I have not done any for a while I get scared to start. I feel really behind and out of practice and that I have a list of things "I should do". Just this morning my husband said "when does your course finish - you'll be more available then won't you!" I told him I can't wait to get back to making things again! I feel energised now to go through all my supplies, photos and albums and really look at where I am right now and where I want to go from here - it feels like a new start and I can go in whatever direction I want - doing the pages I want not what I feel I need to do to keep up - I've decided I'm not even going to do a Christmas 07 page as I have no good or different photos - but I do have some great "in the snow" photos from January instead why should it matter if there is or isn't a particular page in the album. Thanks for reminding me that this hobby is about my spirit and my art and what I want to record to share with my family and friends.
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I'm in the process of moving layouts to new albums with a new theme org system (think BPS) for the albums. Just as I did when changing my photo org, I have taken "thought" notes. What I want to try, what I want to do again, etc. This process has ended up being more than a re-org/storage. Looking back at my layouts and photos has helped give me direction in where I want to go next with my creativity.
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I am so jealous...I so need to get organized. I am taking Stacy Julians Class for the second time...maybe I can see it all the way through this time and get completely organized. You inspire me to take every layout I have out and regroup. Thanks again for the inspiration.
peace
Kim
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well, a lot of them are missing. i love creating layouts (every part of it), but it really is the last priority on my list... eh, many lists. and that wouldn't change even if i decided to put it higher, because when everything else isn't finished/clean/organized/taken care of i simply can't relax enough to enjoy the really fun things. also, i never scrapbook while my kids are home unless they're sleeping. other than that i suppose that i'm missing from a photo point-of-view. i take all pictures and i simply cannot bring myself to take self-portraits. but does that really matter? i mean, all the words are mine. what i write on a layout are my words about what happened and it's my version of the events. when i write about my children, it's what i see in them. how i see them. my love for them. all that is me, right?
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Part of me is afraid that if I do this reorganization thing, I'm gonna want to ditch all the old layouts because A) They are dated! and B) all on hinged pages, often with no background. They would be hard if not impossible to move.
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Love what you have written! Just what I needed to hear. Thank You!
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The question I needed to hear was "what is missing". I have not been putting enough of the stories in my album - my journaling is too factual and not enough story, anecdote and the meat of who we are as a family. That changes immediately. Thank you!
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I bring out my kids albums at each of their birthdays... it is a good way to take stock of what is missing and the technical journey I have taken in the last few years... and I have whole years missing on some of them and it reminds me to fill them in!!
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Such true words! I sit staring at my photos at times and I just get overwhelmed. I try to be careful of what I buy to adorn my pages with, I don't want them to be filled with- just because I got caught up in that moment stuff. I SO long to have my pages neat and reflect the voice I want my children to hear on days they need to "search" the most. Ahhhhh balance it is inside of us all:+)
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Hi Ali!
I am just very curious, which albums did you buy? Those are 3 ring? Where did you get those? Wich color? Can we have the website for those? So many questions because I am willing to do the same with mine!
I am a huuuuuuuuge fan of yours! I have all your books!!!!!
Thanks, you inspire me a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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just thought i'd let you know what i've been doing with old albums and pages i'm not happy with. when i fist started scrapbooking in 1997 my first album was 10 years of photos (my life life in Boston) cut around with a decorative scissor and glued onto white pages with a few stickers and maybe a title. fast forward to now. Since discovering you Ali, my life has changed, i am all about telling my story! so i have decided to create albums with the goal of telling about my life during those ten years. i am about half way through now and it has been a wonderful journey. with the help of my mom who has a lot of the photos i cut up, old letters she had saved from me during those years i am telling my wonderful story through a lot of good times and bad.
as for newer albums that i have done but are still b.a. (before Ali!) i am not redoing the pages but adding my story either to the pages or creating another page telling whats missing. Ali you have done 2 great and wonderful things for me:
1)given me a direction & goal in my life: to tell my story!
2) given me the freedom to tell it with or without photos, in my own style, and not to worry about how bad a photo is or if my page is not perfect.
thanks you Ali! God bless you!
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I look back at my early "work" and really am disappointed with them. Sort of the slap and stick with no stories. I have grown so much as a scrapper and like you love the everyday stories that my pages tell with my 4 year old son and husband. What's missing?? my parents, my childhood, my siblings--thanks for reminding me that there are other stories in my life. Also really really curious if you totalled up your pages. Would love to know the final count. Do you have that to share????
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You writing this today is so ... well, odd. I posted the other day about my feelings toward scrapping and one conclusion I have come to is this: You can't create a 'real' page if you start with the goal of a 'beautiful piece of artwork'. Not to say a 'real' page can't BE gorgeous, but heading into it with the thought of if being for other people, you aren't going to do your family justice. Your words won't be your words - if you actually include journaling. Or this is true for me anyway. When I am showcasing a designer's kit, I am scrappiing the kit not the photo. When I scrap the photo, it might not be the 'best' art work - hey, I am no Ali Edwards! I can't be real AND beautiful!!! LOL.
Also, I started out paper scrapping over 3 years ago (then digi, now hybrid/mixed media). Whenever my son gets out his album, I am amazed that I LOVE what I did - and I didn't even 'know' what I 'should' be doing. For me, THAT is a work of art!
Thanks, Ali for sharing your thoughts... you are one creative lady who is also so very 'real'.
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Ali, I love your insights and urging us to do more and to think about what we do. Thank you!!!
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I keep my albums organized in chronological order. My 2 little ones make up most of the layouts focuses. Pictures of DH are thrown in with pics of the kids. I can count on one hand the layouts that contain a picture of myself. However, almost all of the journaling is mine, so in that way I am represented in the books. But I'd love to have more friends and extended family in our books as well (maybe when I get more time).
To Emily who posted above "(mine {layouts} is usually 2 page) but, I do do 1 page layouts sometimes - it just throws the page order out - I find myself having to "find" something to scrapbook that transition between the single page layout and the double page-Any suggestions?? Anyone?" I find I get this dilema as well. Since I keep chronological but do not scrap chronological. If I have one page layouts from the same month or a close timeframe, I will group those together. If there is some amazing photo(s) that are inbetween the gap, I will check to see if it will be one page or two page layout to fit in. I've also been known to turn a 2 page layout into a 3 page layout to fill in a gap (but it has to be worthy of the attention - lol).
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Thanks, Ali, for some awesome inspiration! I keep asking myself lately, "What do I want scrapbooking to be to me?" I think that is part of what we must figure out before we can really embrace a system or design one that is unique to keep track of all the stories and photos. I love the Library of Memories idea, and yet for me, it feels better to have my photos (not scrapbooked) in chronological order. I am trying to make some sort of hybrid plan that works for me and my family. What do I want scrapbooking to be to me? So far, I know I want to capture more stories, memories and photos in some kind of simple, easy-to-maintain system. I want my kids to have photos that are accessible, not just mountains of boxes. What's missing in my "body of work"? Actual pages, because like others posting before, my time to creatively engage is something I allow to get bumped. I am determining to change that in 2008. It matters to me. It matters! Thanks for the encouragement to keep on with the process.
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