Not Thrilled with Project Life?

[blinks14]

I hemmed and hawed about doing Project Life this year. I love everyone's LO's and the look of them. I didn't even start the beginning of the year. I started it the day before I turned 30. I thought it might be a cool way to document my 30th year. I've been consistently working on it. I keep myself caught up. I take lots of pictures. But then I do my LO's I'm not completely happy. Sometimes I am. Sometimes I'm not. I feel like I don't spend enough time on them because I drop my photos on. I use my standard journaling card. I use my standard week card. I tend to use different kits each week. I just feel like because I don't have to work to hard that the LO's are not very good. I don't know. Anyone else go through this?

 

[heathergw]

I think there is a transition we all go through until we get in the groove that works for each of us... many times I say I'm done but then weeks later go back and add more to them... I don't view my PL as a portfolio for my art, which is why I do art journaling and still do layouts outside of PL... I view PL as as way to just record our week for the kids and family to remember years down the road and they aren't going to be concerned with how it looks, just that they have the stories and pictures to remember

 

[Heather Prins]

I definitely felt like that my first few months too, but i kept going and when I look back at them as a whole I love them and glad i did it. I really looked at them and tried to figure out what it is that i didn't like and this year i changed a few things. i added more text to my photos and pretty word art, I added more embellishments and i kept the background simple. It really helped me to look closely at others pages and write down what attracted me to their pages. HTH

 

[RebeccaH]

honestly, last year every week i felt like this about my weeks... everyone else's looked so incredible, and i felt like mine were just printed out photos and blah stuff... nothing fancy. BUT... I found that as time passed, and I went back and looked through the previous weeks, I liked them more and more. Truly, I think what I liked best about them is simply that they were done and I could glance back at the pics and memories. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true anyway. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Done is the goal.

 

[nun69]

I did it in 2010 and 2011 and kept up with it religiously ...last year I am completely behind even though I streamlined it to using the same background and only a few different templates, I got burnt out.....this year I am not stressing about taking the pics, but I notice I am using my new phone to take lots of pics and I am using these templates and these templates only I do alternate kits and such, but am not stressing as much this year.....

 

[mlewis]

I find that I'm happiest with my PL pages when I'm *not* looking for too much inspiration. When I spend too much time looking for ideas, I end up just feeling inadequate. PL is about documenting your own memories in the best way for you.

 

[joelsgirl]

I felt this way last year when I started; I was just putting my pictures in the album with a few words. But about week 6, I made it a little more scrappy, and it took me a couple of weeks, but I found my groove and now I'd never go back. I think if you keep it up, you'll find a way to make it work for you. I find myself thinking that I may go back and redo those first weeks, but even if I never do, I've still got the pictures printed and the memories captured.

 

[Lynnette]

I find that I'm happiest with my PL pages when I'm *not* looking for too much inspiration. When I spend too much time looking for ideas, I end up just feeling inadequate. PL is about documenting your own memories in the best way for you.

This is me. I find myself comparing my pages to others and it ends up being a total downer! I did PL in 2012 (I want to do it again but got kind of burned out and haven't done anything in 2013 yet - and that's OK!) and I pretty much felt like this all year. BUT - as I look back on the album I love it for what it is! For the memories, photos and words that are all there together. Design wise, I have some spreads I love, some that are just "meh" and some I hate... but memory keeping wise I LOVE every single spread. Taking this time off from it has been good in a way because I've really had a chance to reevaluate what I do and don't like about it, and maybe what I need to change (seriously thinking about going a hybrid route when I start again.) Keep plugging along and hopefully you'll find what makes you happy!