Embracing Your Own Style in the World of Scrapbooking

One of the hardest parts of scrapbooking can be comparing yourself to others and comparing your layouts to what you see in scrapbook magazines or online galleries. Since I've been scrapbooking over 15 years, I've seen a lot of trends come and go, new products and techniques that become all the rage and then slowly died off. When I look through some of my own albums, I can't imagine the stores selling some of those types of supplies anymore - they just don't look anything like what is out there now.

But beyond that, everyone has their own style and sometimes it can be hard to realize and fully embrace one lingering observation you've seen time and time again: Your stuff just doesn't look like other people's stuff.

It just doesn't. And it's really okay. 

I've recently found myself posting some layouts to an online gallery at a scrapbooking site, and 95% of what I see out there is completely different from what I do. These layouts are beautiful and the creativity pours from them, but as I scroll through page after page of other people's layouts, it becomes more clear that I have a very different style from what is popular now and how most people scrapbook.

And your mind starts to wander with all of the questions: Maybe I'm stuck in my old way of doing things? Maybe I do it this way because it's easy and it's what I know and am comfortable with? Maybe I'm just not as creative as other people? Maybe what I do doesn't fit into this world of scrapbooking anymore?

And you wallow in it for a bit. And you wonder, and you doubt.

But then the truth strikes. My pages aren't this way by accident...it's intentional. I want them to look this way. Because this is how I like them, this is how I tell my story, and this is what I think looks good. I like clean designs and simple layouts and geometric patterns. I like earth tones and subtle patterns and letting the pictures stand out on the page. I like a lot of photos on the page - each photo is a memory...a moment you'll never get back. I don't want just one on each page, I want as many as I can squeeze onto each page. 

I want my pages overflowing with smiles and scenery and moments and memories. All those things we did together and all those moments we shared. For me, that is what it's all about and that if means that my pages don't look like everyone else's then I'm okay with that. I'm okay with being different, or plain, or simple. I'm okay with not fitting in and I'm okay with the fact that not everyone will like what I do. Because I'm not doing this for them, I'm doing this for me and my family. 

It's been almost 5 months since I have scrapbooked, and in those months I've questioned and wondered if this is something I should even do anymore. Does it really matter if I make these albums? Does anyone really care? But when I see my kids pull one of their albums off the shelf and look at it, or we grab a vacation album and look at the photos and talk about the things we saw and did together, I know it does matter. And I have to keep going.