I want scrapbooking to tell my story. When I look back, I want to be reminded of where I’ve been, who’s been on that journey with me, and what I’ve learned along the way.
This is the essence of why we scrapbook, yet finding the words to tell that story is often the most difficult part. I have the pictures, and they tell a lot about what’s going on. But what about the journaling? How does a scrapper work through writers’ block?
I’ve started looking around for inspiration to help me better tell the stories of my family in words. I found this cool site, The Creativity Portal, which has some Imagination Prompts.
The prompt I got when I stumbled onto this site was “What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to being 18?” Holy cow, memory lane! Most of my teenage shenanigans involved my Crazy Daisy partner in crime. The prompt made me think about just how far we’ve come in 17 years. And that got me writing down what was on my mind.
- Jennifer (left) and me, not too far from our 18th birthdays. Jen doesn’t know I’m posting this!
Also on the Creativity Portal are a variety of links to other prompts such as seasonal writing prompts (at a loss how to scrap your Christmas photos yet again?). I personally liked the Thanksgiving writing prompts. Who knew there were so many ways you could approach that wonderful day of gratitude? My Turkey Day layouts will never be the same.
I’ve also found that one of the best ways to be a better journal keeper is to actually start keeping a journal. How can you add relevant and meaningful journaling to your layouts if you aren’t recording the adorable things your children say each day? Often, you won’t remember them when it’s time to commit them to your pages, and that’s lost content out in the ether.
Finally, one of the best bits of advice my editor ever gave me was that if I was going to be a writer, I need to read. With each book finished, the easier it became to share my ideas. And if I’m going to share my ideas through scrapbooking then I need to be reading about scrapbooking. I make I part of my daily media diet to peruse the blogs of scrappers I admire to constantly fill my mind with crafty ideas. The words and inspiration will come. I promise you that.
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