Why I love scrapping

By:Margaret S.

I discovered long ago that I am called to be creative, and I'm happiest when I'm responding to that call. For me, creativity comes in many ways. One of the most meaningful is scrapbooking. Scrapbooking gives me a lot of pleasure. It gives me a sense of accomplishment, and I love feeling satisfied, even pleased, with my work.

For me, it is difficult to scrap pictures more than once (photos for my son's book, and for the family album) unless I have two 'wonderful' ideas. If the layouts are too similar, the second one is more like work, and I procrastinate about doing it. That's because my creative energy is spent, and the second layout is just 'work.'

I find it most rewarding to complete a gift album. For me, that's better than scrapping my own album. I recently scrapped an album for my mother. Our family isn't close, and I didn't have many fond memories of my childhood. I remembered my youth with pain and anguish until I started scrapping her book; but then something happened. I was flooded with early memories of family vacations and day trips to the mountains and beach. It was a wonderfully healing experience fore me. Now there is an heirloom album that will hopefully come back to me one day. From this experience, I also learned the value of proper documentation. Frequently my mother didn't know who was in a photo, or where it was taken. Although it was sometimes frustrating, the end result was gratifying to me and a treasure for my mother.

One thing I know with certainty is that I could never scrap for money. I have to be vested in my albums. Several people have asked me to make an album for them, but scrapping someone else's memories isn't appealing to me. I guess that's because scrapping is soul work for me. I have spent hours scrapping and crying as I remember, and relive, my memories.

I know that one day my loved ones will appreciate the value of my work, and the love and care with which our family history is documented and compiled. Long after I'm gone, my albums will tell our story.

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: My Scrapbooks are Like Treasures, by Sheri F