The Direction of Scrapbooking

When did scrapbooking become such a commercial endeavor? When did it become more important to get published than it was to preserve memories. What has happened to scrapbooking in the past few years.

Lately, I have seen these questions being asked on various boards. I have to say, I am with them. I can remember, just a few years ago, refusing to "jump on the bandwagon" with every trend and hot embellishment. I refused to fussy up the look of my pages and detract from the memory. I couldn't see any reason to pay more for newer elements than I was already paying for paper.

But, about a year after I switched to digital, I got caught up in the frenzy. Hurry hurry, make more elaborate pages, jump on the latest trend, get on a design team, submit or die....you get the picture. And something happened. I lost my mojo.

Repeatedly.

And what for really?? When my kids look at scrapbook pages, they barely even notice the design. They look at the pictures of themselves, read the journaling, and relive the event that might otherwise have been lost and forgotten. That is why I began scrapbooking to begin with. My kids could care less whether there is doodling on the page commemorating their birthdays, or if I got published, or even if my style is simple or elaborate.

I have been scrapping for all the wrong reasons. I have become a feedback whore. I would do a page and hope that everyone liked it, instead of doing a page to preserve a wonderful memory or message to my children. I was always trying to outdo my best work. And don't get me wrong, this medium as a creative outlet is still fantastic. But why did it have to become work? Why did I feel this obsessive need to try new things, for the sake of newness. And not because it looked fun.

I put my family on hold doing this. I was so busy scrapping, designing, commenting, that I put everything else second. Did you know, that a year ago, I would spend 2 hours a day minimum in the galleries commenting? WTH!!!

Is it any wonder that I got burned out?

And so, it is time to reevaluate my priorities. I am still going to scrap. But I am doing it for me and my kids. I am not going to post much. And I am going to avoid galleries and boards. I will promote Maya's work and enjoy Janna's template challenge. But that is all. I need to get back to the roots of scrapping. And I do plan to scrap.

I will maintain my blog, and be better about commenting on other blogs. I will post my layouts here for the family members that look here but never comment. And to share them with some of my good online friends. But I can do this because it's about sharing rather than feedback whoring :)

This has really been cathartic for me. I wonder if anyone else understands....But for me, it's time to jump off the treadmill and just enjoy a leisurely walk through the forest.