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I need some digi-encouragement ....

purlz76

purlz76

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May 10, 2012
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I have been working on an album ... which I hate the most. But with all the digi-materials I hv bot from TLP (esp the Scrap Pack) I just cannot stop myself.

Altho I am using Paisley Press templates, it is still hard work to put together an LO - what colors to match, what elements to use, etc, etc ... And it is so taxing on my brain cells. It's a good thing that things are slow at work o'wise I doubt I have anymore brain cells to work on the album.

PS: Maybe I shud post a page or two to boost me up eh ...
 
What aspect is it you're struggling with....doing a layout in general? Or is it with putting together a whole album? Just want to make sure I understand before I respond. :)
 
Kim, I'm struggling with everything as I move along.

To name a few examples ..
-> one template calls for minimal element to focus on the photos. But I dun like the end result. So it is left aside for another day. And another day ... another day ... another .. day ...
-> one LO calls for more elements but I just cannot find the "suitable" ones *roll eyes*
-> I am unable to resize my photos to fit into the template
-> last but not least .... my brain cells have gone on a strike !!! LOL!!!!

So I just need some moral support & encouragement to keep me working on this album until it's finished. O'wise it'll be left aside to join the White Elephant troops :giggle
 
I need some digi-encouragement .... (1 page)

Ok, this is one of the pages. I will post the other pages in the gallery which are allowed. You can view the rest in this online temporary album.

B-Jetty-2.jpg
 
Aww sweetie, that's a lot of things to be struggling with. Honestly, I think you should consider putting your album on hold for a bit. I'm by no means saying give up on it, but you're not enjoying it and it's stressing you out. One of the things I learned when I was majoring in Graphic Design was, if you start to struggle with a project, walk away from it for a while. It gives your head a chance to clear and you come back with a fresh perspective. So what if you took a little break and concentrated on doing some individual layouts? A single layout may feel more manageable than creating a whole album. Heck, I've been scrapping for years and I still haven't tackled an album. :p
 
Well, I just flipped though your album and I think it looks amazing! I think what you've done already is great.

It stinks when it's a struggle to get there though and I totally get that. I tend to resist "albums" because I get bored using the same colors/styles on repeat to do a whole cohesive album. So instead I just do each page with whatever kit/papers/elements I feel like and I find that I have a much easier time on each page. I also can bounce around and work on whatever page I want to even if it's not in chronological order. Eventually I'll finish all the pages and just put them in the correct order. I don't worry too much about facing pages matching either because it zaps my creativity too much. :) I hope that you can find a scrapping method that helps you enjoy the process a littel more!
 
Kim & Karen, thanks for sharing ur thots on this. And I totally agree with you.

I do want to take a break from it but I'm afraid if I put aside for just a tiny bit too long, the drive-to-finish will die. And that will become a white elephant. Altho I am pushing myself, I'm glad to say so far so good, I'm still motivated to complete this album.

My "longest put aside" is just going thru the templates and photos, waiting for something creative to hit me. If nothing, then no scrapping for me until the next time I looked at it again.

The reason why I wanna use a template is becos whenever I came across albums using templates, they look so neat & uniform. And since I am dragging my feet to do albums, using templates is the most logical way to start & keep me on track. So when I saw Paislee Press' templates for single & multiple photos, I am so hooked onto it. That is why I started this album with so much drive tat I am drying out fast too. :giggle

Last but not least, I will take up on Kim's suggestion to take a break from it and do an single LO in between. This will definitely prevent me from drying out too fast too soon.
 
purlz76 said:
The reason why I wanna use a template is becos whenever I came across albums using templates, they look so neat & uniform.
Click to expand...

It hit me when I read this that maybe the album templates you have just aren't your style and that's why your struggling. (I haven't had a chance to browse your gallery yet, so that's why I say maybe.) But if that's the case, don't feel like your album has to look all neat and uniform just because that's what you're seeing online. There's no rule that says albums have to be that way. You could make every page in, say, an art journaling style because the album is yours to create in whatever way inspires you and makes you happy. :)
 
Kim Gehring said:
It hit me when I read this that maybe the album templates you have just aren't your style and that's why your struggling. (I haven't had a chance to browse your gallery yet, so that's why I say maybe.) But if that's the case, don't feel like your album has to look all neat and uniform just because that's what you're seeing online. There's no rule that says albums have to be that way. You could make every page in, say, an art journaling style because the album is yours to create in whatever way inspires you and makes you happy. :)
Click to expand...

I think what Kim said has some truth in it.. I had a few designers who creates lots of templates.. and templates just ain't my thing.. I spend hours looking at it and I am just not inspired to do anything with it!! I have never done albums.. I don't know how it should look like.. but my minds will goes nuts , if someone told me that an album should look a particular way...

So I guess do what you want.. and that will have you excited in completing it!! HAVE FUN!!
 
yep, here's what i' think too, after reading through your post about the things you were struggling with.

1. the templates may not be your style. lizz (paislee press) has an AMAZING style!! BUT not everyone is comfortable with such a minimalist approach. i've been scrapping for 12 years and still struggle with the minimal style.

2. remember that a template is merely a suggestion or guideline. if it has more elements than you want to use, then simply hide or delete those layers. if you've done everything the template 'suggests' and you don't feel done, then you have the freedom to add to it. a suggestion... TLP has a monthly template challenge - a free template is given and you can use the template however you want. that might be a way to get used to being flexible with templates.

3. as for resizing the photos... is it a matter of not knowing how? or is it just not working out when you try because it crops certain aspects of the photo? if you're having technical troubles, what program are you scrapping with? i'm sure there are lots of people here at TLP that can give you pointers, no matter what program.
 
Yup, using template is not my style at all. But something is just nagging at me to use them for this album. Like it's the best thing to do. So I just dived into it with all I've got. And since that was the case, I will try to stick to it. Esp since I still hv that it's-the-best-thing-to-do feel abt it.

As for cropping / re-sizing the photos, Yes, either the template or photo is not meant to be. :giggle So I move on to the next one.
 
I'm working on an album that I'm trying to finish up for Christmas - so I know how you feel! I have to keep reminding myself that I can do whatever I want! I do use a lot of templates, but a lot of them end up looking differently. Do what you think looks cool! :)
 
I love templates but I tend to use them backwards lol. When I have a minimal template I end up using WAY more elements/papers etc than it originally had and when it has a spot for tons of stuff I use very little. Your gallery was really beautiful and maybe use the templates as a starting point and just "throw" things on there and move them around until your happy? I hardly ever use a template as it lol. Or you could try rotating pieces/the whole thing around too. Taking a breather is always a great tip and sometimes I have to do that with quite a few layouts ha!
 
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