Editor's Corner

I’ve been keeping memories in one form or another all my life. But I didn’t start scrapbooking in the modern sense (with archival adhesive and Zig double-tipped markers) until 1997, when I met Julianne Szymanski. Julianne was my roommate the summer between my junior and senior years at Utah State University, and she just happened to work part-time at a new scrapbook store in Logan. I remember thinking to myself, “A whole store devoted to scrapbooking?” (And then I thought, “Scrapbooking is a verb?”)

It was easy to become addicted. Every Sunday, when the store was closed to customers, Julianne was allowed to bring a small group of friends to partake of the space and the supplies. With access to the store’s complete inventory of Provo Craft patterned papers and Suzy’s Zoo stickers, we’d scrapbook for hours and hours, while listening to Sixpence None the Richer, The Wallflowers, and Collective Soul on the radio. Then we’d tally up the items we used and pay on our way out the door.

	The College Years Two individual pages I created on a “Scrapbooking Sunday” during my college years. I don't even think I owned a trimmer; I cut everything with scissors. Take note that these pages do not constitute a spread. I’m not sure that the "scrapbook spread" had been invented by 1997. :-)
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I felt compelled to scrapbook every single picture I took during my college years, which wasn’t too difficult since the digital camera was still a dream of the future. By the time I graduated and entered “the real world” with a full-time job and a car payment, I had completed two massive albums: one covering my 4 years of college and the other chronicling the 5 weeks I spent touring Europe after graduation.

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	The Europe Scrapbook Now that the “spread” had officially been invented, I happily scrapbooked nearly every photograph I took in Europe. To save money, I adhered pictures to both sides of each piece of cardstock. The background cardstock color changes with each new country. Purple = Germany. (I apparently thought it was important to record the speed of the elevator. Fascinating.)
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After college, I meant to keep scrapbooking. But, while attempting to earn my own living and have a life on the side (with no one to scrapbook with on Sundays), I quickly became overwhelmed by my inability to keep up with my pictures. Every now and then, I’d make a valiant effort to crank out a recent page or two, but then I’d remember that I had two new rolls of film to develop and that I hadn’t even touched my last vacation pictures. So I’d go play tennis with my platonic guy friends instead. Right around the year 2000 (and no, Y2K is not to blame for this one), I decided it was easier to just push the PAUSE button on the whole endeavor.

	Post-College Scrapbooking This was one of the last layouts I created before hanging up my glue stick for a few years. I needed someone to tell me that chronological scrapbooking was not required, and it would be four years before I'd discover Simple Scrapbooks magazine and the creative freedom it embodied.
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Fast forward to 2004. Because of my professional writing and editing background—and despite my truthful admission that I used to scrapbook—I landed a job at Simple Scrapbooks magazine. I was suddenly surrounded by a bevy of talented, innovative, inspiring, and incredibly intimidating scrapbookers. These women were able to leap over the artificial barriers that I let get in my way. They showed me how to let go of ridiculous rules like “I must scrapbook every picture. In order.” They encouraged me to just dive back in and do it. They led by example, scrapbooking what, when, and where they wanted. They sent me home with boxes and boxes of beautiful scrapbook products.

But still, I couldn’t do it. I had been exposed to greatness, and my old slap-the-pictures-on-the-page-and-add-a-caption approach just wasn’t going to cut it for me anymore. Plus, my goals had changed. It wasn't just about the pictures for me anymore. (It couldn't be, or I'd drive myself crazy trying to keep up.) I realized I had stories to tell, and that I could illustrate those with select pictures from my growing photo files. But how on earth would I ever get started again?

	I'm Back, Baby This is the first layout I created after my “return” to the hobby. It took me about 3 hours, and I didn't even finish the journaling until, ahem, last week. (Tell me I'm not the only one who used to procrastinate her journaling!)
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The answer: I took the first step. You see, my colleague Wendy Smedley hosted a scrapbooking day at her house. She could see how important it was for our team (and me, in particular) to forget our deadlines for a day and just get our hands sticky.

I fussed. I fretted. I measured. I asked for second opinions. I changed my mind a hundred times. I created exactly one page (sans journaling) that entire afternoon. But it was still a first step. And that's all it took to get me back in the game.

	A Current Layout My current pages most often focus on connections and relationships, and journaling is almost always a prominent feature of my pages. And see? I allow myself to create 12 x 12 pages when I feel like it. Ah, freedom.
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Five Lessons I Learned Along the Way:

Wherever you are in your creative journey, and whatever detours and derailments you've experienced in the past, I hope you’ll gather up your courage and take the next first step that comes your way. Who knows where it might lead?

Happy scrapbooking!