Are Today’s Scrapbook Layouts as Meaningful as those of the Past?
I read an interesting article on Scrapping by Design last week.
June discussed the proposition of whether today’s scrapbook layouts are as meaningful as the scrapbook layouts created by our grandmothers, given all the commercial elements that we use to make them.
“Early scrapbookers had no modern day supplies. Instead, they made do with what they had, producing layouts that today’s scrapbookers would sniff at, but nevertheless, layouts that were meaningful and significant…” Read the full article here…
It’s a good article and worth the read. And I agree with the points that June made.
And it got me thinking. So I thought I’d put my five cents into the pot too.
Two Types of Scrapbookers
I think that scrapbookers fall into two broad categories.
Scrapbooker Category 1
There are those who are only interested in the final result.
The end product of their photo, presented on an attractive and interesting looking background. These scrapbookers are more likely to be attracted to the Quick Page style of scrapbooking.
Nothing wrong with that. Life is hectic and we all use short-cuts from time to time. But I wouldn’t think they can consider to have a great deal of their personality in the layout.
Scrapbooker Category 2
In the second category are those who scrapbook for the fun of the journey as well as the thrill of the destination.
It is the enjoyment we get from creating that layout that is unique to ourselves because no one else has chosen exactly the same elements and put them together in the same way that we have. And no one else has designed the layout exactly the same way.
And when the layout is complete, we don’t just say “There, that looks good.” Our enjoyment of it is so much greater because of how much of ourselves we have put into the creation process. I know I like to keep coming back and looking at my layouts many times. It’s almost like they’re a little part of me.
For the scrapbookers who fall into this category, I believe there is as much of themselves in their scrapbooks as there ever was in ‘days gone by’.
The Scrapbooking Middle Ground
And for those who want to be in the second category but don’t have the time or space to manage it, there’s Digital Scrapbooking. By the way, Digital Scrapbooking falls into the first and second category too.
Just like with paper scrapbooking, you can choose the Quick Page or On-Line Scrapbook option which just requires you to drag your photo on and you have an instant scrapbook layout.
But it also offers you the option of real creativity in creating unique scrapbook layouts where you can even change the colour and shape of elements to suit your layout design. Not to mention creating your own elements. It doesn’t get much more personal than that!
And of course Digital Scrapbooking comes with the safety net of the Undo button or the Ctrl+Z command to reverse out of anything that doesn’t work out as you had expected. That’s enormously liberating and really lets you experiment and try new things.
Then when you’re done for the day, you just save your file and shut down the program. No clearing away supplies or half finished projects on the dining room table. The perfect craft for the New Millennia that still allows you to put your own personality into your creations.
Question: Has the ‘commercialness’ of the scrapbooking industry de-personalised our scrapbooking?
So now I’d like to ask you for your thoughts.
Scrapbooking has become a hugely commercial industry. Do you think that it has removed or reduced the ‘personalness’ of our albums? And how do you keep your own personality and identity in the scrapbook layouts you create?
I’d love to hear your views in the comments below.
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