Single-tasking rather than switching between a multitude of tasks and focusing on none of them. Slowing down is a conscious choice and is sometimes really hard in a world that moves so fast. While researching for this blog, I learned that at art galleries where some of the most beautiful masterpieces are displayed, that visitors only spend around 15-30 seconds looking at a piece of art. The ability to concentrate and stop the rush of life and take in the art.
I am a prolific scrapper, I can sit down one afternoon and crank out 5-10 pages. I enjoy the time creating. I love the way my brain feels when the page is complete! There is something satisfying when those pages are complete. That happens when I don’t have other things happening, (laundry, cooking, answering questions, phone messages or deadlines looming in brain). Last week, my husband took my boys out of town for hours on a school day! My focus that day, was just to scrap and enjoy the time.
During the Month of Challenges (January here at the Lily Pad), getting behind can be disastrous to finishing. But, creating a page that makes you remember why you scrap; be it, catch the memories of your family, life and moments or pouring out emotions of life, pain and the like on a digital canvas. Sometimes the vision or inspiration of a page just flows out like a raging river of dynamic ideas! I say, jump on a boat and flow with the current of creativeness!
There is something so satisfying to take an hour. JUST one hour, and put away the things of the day, life and such to just create. Slow it down a bit, pick one task or challenge. Read the instructions one more time, ruminate on it. Go thru your photos or search alphas, and look at each one with a new outlook. Take a moment to just be inspired, thru the gallery or Pinterest. Go for a walk and snap new photos of the world around you.
Slowing down, can cause you to be mindful of your digital stash. Appreciate the colors, textures and elements that you liked so much, you bought them! (woot to digi and reusability) Make creating a peaceful time to contemplate and re-enjoy the moment you are memorializing. That focus will shine thru on your page.
Let me be encouraging, you can have a productive pace that gives you quality pages. You want to have pages you love. You don’t have to be perfect and be cutting edge creative. You are in control of the pace and the process to efficiently get the results you desire. The more you scrap/create digitally and do challenges the more your skills improve to your likings. Challenges are taking a skill and isolating it, to cause you to master them, as you devote time and devoted energy into it, your pages also change.
So, in this crazy month of challenges, if you find yourself speeding up and stressing out, pause, and take a breath. Maybe a few more breaths! Remember, this is fun, and should be a challenge of joy and creativity.
~never lose your joy
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