How Do You Know the Difference...
 

between a creative funk and the end of your scrapping career?

I mean, think about how many scrappers aren't around anymore. I would guess that most of them didn't decide to quit scrapping; they probably just lost their mojo and moved on without making a conscious decision, right? They stepped down from their teams because they weren't "feeling it", but do you think that when someone scraps for the last time, they KNOW it's the last time?

I have had lots of periods where I didn't want to scrap, but I have always come back to it. Lately, though, I feel like maybe I just want to be done.

Because I have so many photos to catch up on from our seven months in the States last year, I decided to simplify and just print photos and put them in an album this year, no layouts. I can always come back and scrap this year if I want to.

But right now, I don't even want to scrap last year. My kids are older, and I hardly take any pictures anymore unless we're at an event. I've been teaching two classes at my kids school this year, and when I get home, scrapping just feels like work. Maybe I'll find my groove again, but what if I don't?

Sorry I can't help but i do definitely know what you're talking about. I can't scrap when I'm sad, I feel like I'm faking it so I've had long periods where i couldn't scrap. I really hope you get your mojo back, your pages are an inspiration!

I guess it's when you feel that scrapping is just a hassle/burden instead of a joy to do?

I took a 4.5 year hiatus from scrapping and I can tell you it was not intentional and when I scrapped that last page, it didn't really feel like it was my last. The biggest reason for the break was the site I was hanging at and CTing for closed down. I kept meaning to find another home, but kept putting it off then got busy with kids, life, etc. When I decided to get back into it, I told myself I would not pressure myself to be creative. I don't stress about all the family photos I haven't scrapped. I work on something that makes me happy. A lot of the pages I've made are things I know I will never print, but they were fun to make. I don't stress about printing albums, etc. I scrap just for the joy of being creative. No pressure. Sometimes it takes me days to finish a page and that's ok. I think scrapping is a lot more enjoyable for me now that I don't feel like I "have to" do anything.

You've been scrapping a long, long, long time, Kellie. I imagine it will be more of a break than a permanent stop because of that history but if it's not, that's okay, too.

We will love you either way, and all of the layouts you've done up until this point will still be beautiful & meaningful to you & your kids even if you never scrap again.

:wub::wub::wub:

I barely scrap (I've barely ever scrapped) If it wasn't for my job who knows if I'd still be around but the last week when I scrapped it made me SO happy to create pages again. I hadn't scrapped in a year and that previous year I only did one or two pages. The good news is - it's like riding a bike so when you do come back to scrapping you'll still know how <3

I struggle too with the kids getting older and big changes happening that aren't exactly scrappable moments. It's a strange thing when your kids reach those preteen-teen years and you don't always have the camera in their face. Lily would prefer I don't take pictures and I respect that because I'm the same way.

If you’re not enjoying it, I’d say take a break. You don’t have to decide now if that break is temporary or permanent. Maybe a year or two from now you will decide you miss it and come back to it. And if you don’t, I wouldn’t stress about it!!

I haven’t really scrapped in years. I’m hoping to get back to it. I still purchase a kit here and there.

One thing I would recommend is to print what you have scrapped if you can/ haven’t already. I do enjoy looking at my albums and am so thankful for the scrapbook pages I have completed and the memories I did get documented. Maybe looking at all you have done will either give you a feeling of peace or an encouragement to continue.

Or maybe you want to change the way you scrap. Maybe do small theme books. Does your daughter show an interest? Maybe it could become a mother - daughter hobby that you would again find enjoyable.

Wish I could be more help.

For most of my friends that have left digiscrapping, it had to do with our "home" closing. It's hard to find a new place to call home, a place you feel you fit in. I've struggled with this in the past too. If you don't conciously keep trying new places, participating in the challenges, you are going to fall away.

While I may have times where I'm not motivated to scrap, the memories of what I still need to scrap, keep me going. I enjoy finding that perfect kit for photos, and especially scrapping trips we have taken. I think those who have left, their life just kinda got in the way.

I think each of us are the only ones who can decide if we are just not motivated, if we are not enjoying this hobby anymore, or if we want to keep going for the joy that it brings us in finishing pages, scrapping memories and printing albums!

Also Kellie, I wonder if taking away the responsibility of your teams would help. That way, if you don't feel like scrapping, you don't have to. I used to be more "involved" but now I literally only scrap once a week for Cindy. And honestly, that's perfect for me! It's pretty rare that I sit down and scrap other than that. As you said, my kids are getting older so I have less pics and doing a layout or two per week leaves me feeling fairly caught up. And when I'm actually sitting down and scrapping, I do still love it.

And if you don't find your groove again, there's nothing wrong with that!! Everything you've already created is there for you and your family, and that's awesome. You shouldn't feel obligated to continue if you're not feeling it anymore...

I lost my scrapping mojo last year, I was busy at work (I work part time 5-6 hours a day but it was so busy last year, they asked us to do full time every day for few months) and I work early shift (start at 6am)
so after work, pick up kids, prepped dinner and everything, I was so dead tired... :blink: :(

But few of designers that I CT'd for also retired or took a break from designing so it's kind of break time for me and that works well.
I'm back to scrap again this year but not close to where I was before (page counts wise) because I think I'm not completely back but I'm quite happy with that.

I agree with everyone that taking a break will help especially when you're busy and my opinion - this hobby or any hobby, it should be an enjoyable outlet for us, not a burden.

Everyone has a different reason that they scrap, and sometimes many reasons.

It's a great creative outlet, but if you're not feeling it, there's nothing wrong with stepping away and taking a break. Sometimes real life just makes that the only option. Sometimes, when life calms down, you have more interest in being creative again. Just keep a journal or something like that, because, take it from me... those amazing stories that you thought you'd never forget, do get forgotten.

I have a good friend who left scrapping and started crocheting. That's now her creative outlet and she has no desire to go back to scrapping. Maybe someday she'll get tired of crocheting and come back to it, but if not, she's happy with her choice.

It's a little more challenging as your kids get older and you don't have as many "cute, adorable" photos of them to scrap. Mine are older (youngest going to college in the fall). I find that I get fewer photos, and have to be creative in getting some of the photos (like screenshots, LOL!). Sometimes, scrapping is therapeutic for me because I can do a LO that expresses my feelings about things that are happening. It has made me more creative in getting photos to scrap our lives.

I know you'll make the right decision for you. Don't stress yourself out... it will all work out! :wub:

I took a long break when I was paper scrapping because life was too chaotic, and I just didn't have the energy to scrap.

I just wanted to send hugs and echo what everyone else has said.:hugs::hugs:

Exact same here. I don't think I'll ever print albums with my pages. I scrap for the fun of it.

This is such an interesting topic. Everyone has different reasons for scrapping, varying levels of commitments and different schedules and lifestyles. I know for me I can’t leave scrapping because it is my creative outlet along with memory preserving. But if I ever lost the joy in scrapping then what would be the point? It should never be a chore. Any choice you make is the right one, take a short break, try something different or if needed, step away altogether.

To address the idea of not having littles anymore to scrap, there are still so many fun topics to explore....nature, food, all about me, everyday around the home, landscape, botany, wildlife....you get the idea. But if your focus is preserving your kids as they grow,I can see how you might start losing ideas on what to scrap. I say go with your gut and do what feels right. I’m all about “finding your joy”.

I did a lot more scrapbooking before I had kids (vacations, days out, holidays, family members, etc.)...I think it just came down to having more free time! I'm finally getting a rhythm going for more consistent scrapbooking, but I imagine it will still ebb & flow in different seasons of life. Last year, I made 3 scrapbook pages (besides PL).... this year, have done 72 so far!

I say just do what you want, when you want. I think if you were talking paper scrapbooking, it would be more like "a decision must be made" because the supplies are taking up a cabinet or a room or whatever. But you can always just stick your EHD in a drawer and plug it in when inspiration strikes!

I loose my funk from time to time, but then suddenly it comes back. This time it was my guest CT for KCB and coincidentaly INSD weekend and I'm back to scrapping. My PL albums keeps me scrapping a little all year, but lately I've been falling behind on that too and traditional layouts have gone completely. Until now!

I'm sure you'll find you way back. I think as long as I do my PL (or you do your regular photo album) there is a certain manual to go back and scrap when you find the time or inspiration.

I'm there more weeks than not. My boys are all older and hate the camera. If it wasnt for Callie I probably wouldn't do much traditional type scrapping. I much prefer the artsy pages I make. They are therapy for me. But I think if it wasn't for Callie Girl I would probably walk away.

Good luck with your decision, Kellie.

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I refuse to believe you are ready to call it quits, as the people who have come and gone during my scrapping life. I think life just happens and their hobby(ies) fall the side. Maybe they have tried to come back, were too overwhelmed by the amount of photos, didn't know where to start, the store they frequented closed, etc. It's hard to make a comeback and it's easy to find something else that isn't as hard to come back too-even if it means/meant preserving your family memories for years to come.

You...if you are struggling to scrap last year, with you all back in the states, start small--current? Or maybe when one of your children was a baby, or your wedding

I'm sorry you are feeling this way. Generally if I were feeling this way, I'd take some time off from scrapping. But with you being away, it sounds like you did take some time off. Some of the styles here, in the past year, have changed--some are going completely minimal without any shadows or elements. Maybe try going that way until the creativity sparks joy again?

I'd hate to see you go--if you do, please friend me on FB. If you do decide to step away, know that we will miss you very much!!

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I'm being nosy--which store?

I don't scrap with any project or goal. Its when and if i feel like it. I actually dont scrap for traditional memory keeping. I don't have photos and since my life isn't that great at the moment i don't want to be reminded later.

Scrapping to me was more of a creative outlet and distraction. I enjoy just making pretty layouts just like i liked reading to escape. Except i have a finished product to make me smile and a pretty cool community to go along with it.

Ive fallen in a funk this year but completing a recent layout really made me miss it especially after the feedback i got. It really is more of a therapy tool for me i guess

Digital Scrapbook Place. It closed in 2014.

I go through LONG spurts of not scrapping at all. It started when I went back to work 8 years ago. Sometimes I'm incredibly busy with work, sometimes I just have no mojo. Then when we moved to this house and my computer ended up in the basement, I stopped for a while again. I bought a laptop and scrapped some with it but then the harddrive died and I lost my layouts. So bummed about that! I'ts always something. Right now I am off work for the summer (YAY!) but I am also starting summer classes in a week so I don't know how much time I'll have...

I can’t scrap when I’m sad either! Or design, apparently.

We have a lot of ‘stuff’ going on in our family right now and it made creativity completely dry up for me. I can enjoy so many other things still... for example, I’m finally reading books again! But as soon as I sit tmdown to create I don’t feel it. It’s not an escape for me in my current mindset, if that makes any sense.

I totally agree with you, Kellie, about how hard it is to look at virtual buckets and buckets of photos and try to get yourself hyped to scrap them. As the kids get older it’s just not as easy to sit and scrap anymore either. They go to bed later... and I’m actually more tired than I was when they were little!

I can't scrap when I'm sad either. I just can't concentrate when I'm sad and I end up hating all the pages I make.

I've spent too much money on this hobby to walk away. LOL I was on a creative team for a long time that started to feel like work. I stepped away for a while, relaxed, and started poking around elsewhere in digiland. I noticed that my style had changed, so that is why it felt like a chore to me. I embraced my new style, and it got me happy about scrapping again.
I hope you are happy with whatever decision you make. If you do walk away, you still have all those amazing pages to look at. And if you decide to come back to it, it'll be there for you.

I've been finding that the way I scrap has changed. I'm doing the pocket pages monthly, to help get those random photos and I'm about 2 years behind, but I scrap when I feel like it. I always keep everything organized, so at least when I do want to sit down to scrap, everything is ready to go. I think that's half the battle. I'm scrapping less pages of an event, like I'd do 6-8 pages of a birthday, now that's like 4. And I'm sure that will eventually just be a two page spread. I think when you've been doing it at long as some of us have, coming up with new ideas, even with templates gets to be a challenge.

Our last Disney trip really inspired me. I did scrapping I hadn't done in years. I mean, I think I did less than 20 pages all of 2017. But the Disney trip really help me feel creative and excited.

I only scrap when I want to now which isn't often. Maybe like 1-2 a month. I don't think I will ever quit totally, just go slow like this.

There are some familiar faces and names and some that I made friends with that I don't see around anymore and I feel sad. Of course I have to understand that they also have a life outside scrapping, but still, it feels sad to not see people anymore. There was one time that I ct for a designer with only 5 in the team, so even though I was not feeling okay for weeks, I still make pages for her because I feel like I will be failing her. Soon after three years she stopped designing and I took a pause from scrapbooking , but I still buy kits here from time to time, hehe.

I didn't know that that will be my last layout before my hiatus either.