Can you believe we are almost to the end of January already? That’s right, only seven more MOC 6 challenges (including today). I hope everyone has been enjoying the festivities going on at the Pad this month and, of course, all of the inspiration that comes with the 31 days of challenges.
If you are like me, at least some of the challenges are pushing you outside of your creative comfort zone – and that is a GOOD thing! Embrace the challenges that don’t come easy to you because they make you grow as a memory keeper, photographer and artist. I fully admit that I dislike journaling (with a passion). I prefer to tell my stories through symbolism, design and photos in place of words. However, the journaling challenges this month have really made me appreciate that form of memory keeping and have actually resulted in some of my favorite creations. For example, I wasn’t overly excited about the Day 17 Username Challenge, but Courtney’s journaling prompt got me really thinking about my creative muse and encouraged me to create one of my favorite pages (maybe ever):
The journaling prompted me to make design choices that I might not have made otherwise. For example, I wanted to find a background photo that would help illustrate the musical theme of my journaling, something I might not have thought about otherwise. It also prompted me to look for theme specific elements that would not have made as much sense without the story told in the journaling. What did I take from the challenge? I learned that journaling can inspire design and element choices and result in a more cohesive presentation overall. Does it mean that I will have extensive journaling on every page from now on? No. But it did push me in a new creative direction that will lead to more voluntary journaling in the future.
Is every new (or new to you) technique going to result in major changes to your scrapping strategy? Probably not. But the practice of trying new techniques and creative challenges will help you grow your creative skills and make you a better digital memory artist. I hope you are able to take the time to enjoy the process of MOC 6 and the amazing collection of pages you will have to show for it at the end of the month. I hope to see you all at the finish line!
Until next time ~
Judie (HeyJude)
LoriB says
Very true, I’m playing with some things in PSE to learn, and I’m an Artisan scrapper typically – so pushing my boundaries – but I WANT and NEED that at this stage!! I’m only a few of the challenges behind – major scrapping needed this weekend! And I don’t absolutely love every layout, but I do love most a ton – and every layout gets more of my photos scrapped, the memories secured.