What's new

Ever feel like this....

dvhoward

dvhoward

Don't bother me before 10am!
Joined
Oct 17, 2012
Messages
7,651
Sometimes when I finish a layout I think, "Wow, Diane you really did a nice job on this one!" THEN I look through the gallery at all the beautiful layouts and I think "Man, you just don't measure up, girl." Sounds like I need to do some art journaling, huh? Just wondering, am I the only one who thinks like that?
 
I seriously used to think that...I remember my first page at DST...I felt like poo poo, then I remembered why I scrap, and it was all better, and the more I scrap, the better it gets!
 
Yeah I do, but like Anne I remember why and I also look at how I enjoyed doing it. And I see myself getting better too. Go back and look at some of your first ones. Don't compare yourself because we all have different tastes and skills.
 
I think I did much better before. My layouts sure don't look same in gallery as i see in photoshop. I never will be able to make layouts like others. But that ok...
 
In future years when you are sharing your layouts with your family remembering those awesome times, absolutely no one, even yourself will be comparing and saying, this page wasn't as good as everyone else's..... Really.

Context is everything. Remember why you create those beautiful pages. I look at others' pages as inspiration, not competition. There are lots of things I would like to learn from the amazing talented people scrapping here - that's my take away. Will my pages ever be as good as someone else's - they will likely never meet my own expectation of perfection, but my audience doesn't know that....
 
ALL THE TIME

Especially when it comes to my project life layouts which is probably the main reason why I don't share them all that often.
 
I used to feel like that when I first started out, but as time went on, as long as I loved the pages I created and they captured the memories I wanted to preserve, I didn't worry if they weren't as "good" or "like" anyone else's.


Everyone's style evolves and changes, you find your comfortable "look" or "style" and work it! Now and then you will branch out and try something new, maybe something that's inspired you from someone else's page, it doesn't mean it has to be a cookie cutter replica, it can still be "You"


Know that saying ..... Love the skin you're in???


Well ...... Love the Digi you do!! LOL xxxx
 
I do, all the time. On the same note when I look back at the first pages I created back in 2008 I see how far I have come. When I feel like I sm not worthy to share my pages I will also grab one of my photo books, that reminds me why I do it as I scan the pages and read the story behind them.
 
We all scrap for different reasons which means that we can't compare ourselves to anyone else. For instance,there is a big difference between scrapping a page for the sake of art and one that you scrap to preserve a memory. The only thing that matters is whether it says what you want to say.
 
I used to do that and occasionally still do... especially when I see gorgeous pages in a style different than mine. I love the clean simple minimalist style and I stare longingly at those pages in the gallery. The time I felt the worst about my pages was when I was trying to copy someone else's style... I really wanted that look and instead of making that look my own, I tried to force my page to look like someone else's. I'm glad I've let that go now. Since I still love that style, I try to incorporate bits and pieces here and there. Mainly I try to focus on the moments that I've captured and the stories I've gotten down on paper. Some of my messiest layouts, are the ones where I just had too many photos and too many stories... there was just no room to make things pretty. But those are some of my favorite pages!
 
Sometimes...but then I remember that I can't really compare my layouts to anyone else's. They may have been scrapping longer than I, have different training/education, spend more time than I do, etc...we're not all at the same points, so we can't realistically compare ourselves to others, if that makes sense.
 
I'm pretty sure we all have those thoughts. There is a piece of word art in the new MPM Grow that goes something like, "The flower doesn't worry about competing with the one next to it, it just blooms"! I thought that was pretty savvy advice!
 
NancyBeck said:
I'm pretty sure we all have those thoughts. There is a piece of word art in the new MPM Grow that goes something like, "The flower doesn't worry about competing with the one next to it, it just blooms"! I thought that was pretty savvy advice!
Click to expand...

Oh, i saw that too!!! :) It made me smile and so fitting for exactly this reason. I love that you brought that quote into this post Nancy! :beat

And what lindzee said ... when family looks at your pages they will not be staring at all the other layouts in the gallery ... just yours. So true ... good to remember when we feel this way!
 
I think we all do, but like Lindzee says: context is everything-

I was actually going to post something about the way I feel about my style and pages lately in general which is kinda a spin of from this...will try to get it my head properly to post, but

what I try to bring back to my memory is:
1. why I scrap- I scrap for Sarita, myself, my family-
2. "the book of tastes is blank " or "hasn't been written" like we say in South America....

think about, for example, Jackson Pollock- People pay $400000 for a paint of his which I consider a joke and like much more Sarita's painting from second grade, she did an Egyptian snake (it is written in the page "Ishipshon snake" LOL) that I have in my wall to this day, many of you have seen it- Is a work of art in pointillism.

or classical music
or jazz
or Lady Gaga
(I was gonna type Beatles but I don't anyone does NOT like Beatles?)
Country music
and so on-
some people love one, others love another, doesn't mean isn't good.

my thing is that the pages I spent hours on, the ones I pour my life, heart and soul in them...hardly ever get noticed...then some I made in 15 minutes or max half hour and I did without thinking that much, those go to the Froggy Favs or the GSOs.....
I'm sure "my" designers know about this, I remember posting a CT page for Lynne Marie last year and saying I may make another one as I really don't like this page... and the page going into the GSOs... and Lynne Marie saying: and to think that you didn't like it.....

it is ALL very subjective.

I am one of the GSO bloggers- (Gallery Stand Outs in case some of you don't know- I call it the Oscar of the scrapbooking)
We have certain rules to pick and compose a post, but it is inevitable, each and everyone of us has their particular taste- I try to follow the rules as much as I can, but you will see my posts have 3 of the pages coming out of here (The Lilypad Gallery), and the other 3 (sometimes less, she confesses in shame) are from other galleries.
I do try as much as I can to pick one Art Journal, one full page, one blank space..... but it is ALL down to the person writing.....

There is nothing like the sensation of being recognized, picked by the GSo or the Froggy Favs, or by Karen & Jen for the blog, or the Pride of the pad......let alone being invited into a Creative Team.....
I came to the Pad following Mirjam, Pink Reptile Designs as I had been a client and in love with her stuff since 2010 I think.... I made a comment to someone as a joke, saying if she needs more CTms am game..... I almost fainted when I saw the message inviting me to be part of the team... still, I keep pestering her to be honest with me and tell me if she doesnt like the pages, because I never think I measure up to the rest......
I know in 2013 I had my best time health wise when I applied to guest CTs here, and each and everyone of these ladies asked me to stay on....
I was so unwell last week and then someone emailed me to say all my Disney pages were in Sahlin's Studios newsletter...I honestly, no kidding,cried in joy- for some reason I thought she didn't like my pages..... I think that is something, like Julie says, it happens to all of us....inevitable-

I do know the recognition can be amazing, even healing-
But I keep hammering in my head that any of that does NOT matter, if Sarita doesn't like the pages.....
She has been picking at me as she says I m making pages with very little photos...and that she doesn't like it-
but that is for another post, which I need to think about how to write because I myself do not have that clear in my brain LOL

if anything, I have to say this place has the most amazing scrappers, like Aaron said some maybe scrapping for such a long time and some maybe getting on their way, but I have seen, along the past 2 years, people making the kits shine, and the gallery making me so so happy and being an inspiration- everyone here has a LOT to be proud of :)
 
This is one of the reasons I think it's so important to get LOs printed. When you're holding a book or album in your hands and flipping through your pages, it's so much better than seeing them any other way. And one part of that is that you aren't getting distracted by other people's LOs. I printed a book of old LOs that I didn't even like anymore and I wasn't even sure why I still had them around but eh, coupon for a free book so why not. Even that book, I just LOVE it. Love. It. It's just not the same on screen.
 
Really good point Lorry, and lots of deep thoughts from Cynthia.

I think the best (only) thing to do is to look at your own stuff and know if you are happy with it.

If three or five or however many designers have you on their creative teams - you have to "own" that you have reached a certain level of ability that others admire, and be happy with that.

Then create the pages you want to create for yourself and those you are creating to share with.
 
I think we've all had moments of feeling like this. I think you just need to focus on your original thoughts on your layout because you are a fabulous scrapper. If you look at the gallery and like what you see, use it to inspire you in the future, but ignore any feelings that your work isn't good enough, because that's just hooey! :)
 
Every layout.

BUT... like Lorry said, printing helped me. When I printed a book, or even get our Christmas cards printed, I can see my husband and my kids faces light up. They are proud of me, and the work that I put into it! The boys try to PET the books. :giggle We also like to find any (all) of my spelling mistakes!

I still have confidence issues, but I try to remember this has a deeper meaning - recording memories for my family to see/feel/remember. It's hard not to compare, so I try to make it a good comparison, or look at it as to something I can try out, learn from or replicate for one of my own layouts.
 
Back
Top