Have you ever gotten into a scrapping rut? Do you feel like you’ve lost your creative mojo or that your pages all look the same design-wise? If you scrap long enough, you will undoubtedly face this dilemma (probably) multiple times. I am here today to share one of my favorite ways to get myself out of a creative rut: use elements in unexpected ways.
Sometimes, our pages start looking the same because we use the elements in very similar ways on each of them. It helps me to start thinking about things more creatively when I challenge myself to use an element, or a template, or a piece of word art in an unexpected way.
Take this page for example. I used the Stacked Houses Templates (by Etc. by Danyale) to create a roof for the journaling card (left side of the page) and used the word art strips as “shelves” for the Mason Jar elements. These design decisions made for a quirkier art journal style page (with a more traditional template by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs).
On this next page, I placed the word art “life is a flower” element on top of the face and used it to guide the viewer across the page. It also adds a quirky, creative feel to the page that would not have been present if I placed the word art in a traditional horizontal position.
Word art strips were also the focus of this page. I used them in an unexpected way to illustrate the emotions that pour out of us on any given day.
Finally, I used journal cards and frames to make a thought bubble on this page – something outside the realm of their usual digi-scrapping roles.
Mixing things up by putting elements to unexpected uses can jumpstart your mojo because it makes you think more creatively about what you are doing. When we fall into a design rut, it is usually because we are relying on comfortable practices and not making ourselves think about or try new things. Essentially we put ourselves on creative auto-pilot. I’m not suggesting that you have to forget about everything you’ve ever learned, just do something that pushes you outside of your creative comfort zone.
The next time you find yourself in a digi-scrapping rut, I challenge you to try something new and unexpected on your page. AND definitely let us know how it worked by linking us up to your creation in the comments below. ;)
Until next time ~
Judie (HeyJude)
RJMJ says
Ooh!…These Are All Very Good Ideas!..I Did A Layout Based On Your Very Layout With Words Leaping Out Of Her Mind As Opposed To Her Mouth Per Sea But Mine Is More Vintage Looking…Thank You For The Inspiration!…But I Love The Idea Of Creating A Roof For The Journaling Card & Strips To Make Shelves!…Very Creative!…Maybe I Might Try Something Like This In One Of My Layouts!…Thanks For The Great Ideas!…