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(Please take note this is totally a pity party today..LOL)
On paper crafting and card making? I guess my mojo took a one way trip somewhere because for the life of me I can not seem to make anything..or want to for that matter. I find myself needing more and more things in order to produce what I want..and it just keeps adding up..and adding up..and you would think that with everything I have I could get the results I am looking for..but it seems that all the stuff I have is what I thought I neededwhen I first started stamping a couple of years ago. It is kind of diconcerting to look on blogs and see such wonderful amazing projects..and then you go to even try to use it as inspiration and ...ZIP..nothing. You don't have anything remotley close to what you would need..and it is just a vicious cycle ..and I just feel like somehow I don't measure up..to what I want..
And might I add..that I feel horrible right now.. and blah..and well I probably should have just got under my electric blanket and taken a nap..LOL..
..and well I probably should have just got under my electric blanket and taken a nap..LOL..
This may be good advice to yourself! Seriously, sometimes it's best just to take the pressure off yourself and have a little break if the stamping has stopped being fun. It really should be something that brings you pleasure, not something that causes you stress so be kind to yourself and take a little time off. You'll most likely come back to it feeling much better about your supplies and your creativity.
One thing that often works for me if I'm feeling at a creative low ebb is just to give myself playtime - sit down with some stamps and inks and just play without the pressure of having to produce a particular project. Pick a favourite colour or a favourite stamp set and just see what happens.
Choosing a challenge and playing along with that can kickstart my creativity, too and there are plenty around that don't require lots and lots of specific products - some of my favourites in that respect are the Less is More blog and the CAS weekly challenge here at SCS (both clean and simple challenges) since the challenge is often to use your existing supplies in creative ways.
Hope you're soon feeling brighter and make friends with your stamps again!
I have days like that. I think AngelNorth gave good advice. Sometimes we just need some downtime and time to rest our bodies and minds. The best advice I've read on this website is not to compare your cards or creations with those featured in the gallery and blogs. I rarely see cards that look as perfect as those, and variety is awesome! I'm trying to use what I have available and use my imagination more. It helped me alot when I stopped comparing my creations to others. Very freeing!!! Just do what you enjoy doing and don't worry about it coming out perfect. I've heard an old saying that says nothing we make should be perfect, as there was only one in this world that was perfect, and that was Jesus. In fact, they used to make quilts with one odd block in a different color or design, because it wasn't supposed to be perfect. Looking at sketches helps also. I would just do what I enjoyed. If I enjoyed coloring images, I would color. If I enjoyed making embellishments or tags, I would do that. That gives you a place to start, and brings the enjoyment back. But if you need a break, I understand that too; gives your mind a chance to rest from it, and helps bring your creativity back later. Hope your day is getting better!
I just close the door and walk away and either go do some sewing, which I enjoy as much or go hang out with my horses - I have two really old biddies who are the loves of my life. I do not think about my papercrafts or anything else particularly. After a while, I feel creative juices flowing, and I will mess around with stamps and ink, and make some ATC's or something small that doesn't need big commitment. If those seem okay, I will progress back into it.
You could have a touch of cabin fever. I keep forgetting how cold it gets in the Northern Hemisphere in winter - it is Summer here and this year hasn't been too hot. So it has been fabulous for all my crafting. Maybe just a get away for a while is what you need; don't sweat the small stuff...
Hey, I'm sure it's mostly just because you're not feeling so well! We all have stages where we feel our mojo has gone for a hike, and feeling unwell only compounds that.
There have been a couple of threads too on the subject of does too much stuff just overwhelm you and swamp the creative feeling!
They've been superseded by the Free For All challenges, but the old Limited Supplies were great for creating without using too much stuff - you could look back over some of the older ones. Or the technique challenges, where the focus is on the technique and you don't need a lot of embellishments to take away from that.
Take a rest and read a good book - tomorrow is another day . Hope you feel better soon. {{{hugs}}}.
Release the need to produce a masterpiece each time you sit down. This a a hobby...play. Give yourself time to experiment with new techniques, it takes practice to learn to use new tools. We don't know how many starts da Vinci threw away before he liked the Mona Lisa. Expect less of yourself...this is play. And always remember--it's only Paper! Feel better. Praise yourself more and criticize less.
Thanks ladies..I know I can always come here and people understand LOL. I think my need for perfection stems from doing art work. I have scrapped so much stuff before because it "just didn't look right"...hours and days and sometimes months worth of work....LOL..so tell me why card making should be so hard for me to say "eh..that'll do pig, that'll do " LOL..I do NOt feel well at all..I am afraid I am catching the blessed stomach my kids had..Dear..shoot me now...
I read this last night and had to come back today and comment on your post. What you wrote about is exactly the same things that I go through sometimes---well, more times than I care to admit =) I also check out various (numerous) paper crafting blogs online and, instead of the inspiration I was hoping for, sometimes all I walk away with is the feeling of never having the right stuff to make something, and also lacking the funds to get it. I see so many beautiful things created out here and it just blows my mind sometimes that I do the same paper crafting and there's no way I could come up with some of these projects or ideas. Sure, I can recreate a lot of what I see out here but then I feel like all I'm doing is scraplifting and not creating. I can be my own worst enemy with this sometimes and then I realize that I need to take a break---not from crafting but taking a break from looking at what all other people (and crafting companies) are doing. I have enough stuff to make pretty things and need to get over the "mental" and just make it. Oh goodness, it can be such a circle of emotions sometimes....lol
I too have trouble coming up with ideas and stuff at times. I love the card sketches they have on here. They do help. I think you are being too hard on yourself. I do understand though. The best advice I got here was not to compare my creations/cards with the ones on blogs or the gallery. Everyone's is different and there is no wrong way.
I have thought at different times about not scrapbooking, and just making cards, but then I change my mind, and remember all the photos I have put away to scrapbook.
I too need to use my own imagination more and come up with creative ways to use what I already have.
Hope you are in better spirits and having a great day!
Hi ~~~Ribbon of A Different Color is what I have decided to use as my chat name. Why? because it's not pink... It's TEAL. I am currently on chemo treatment # 7. It has been a rough time for me. I don't have hair anymore, I'm always cold, blah blah blah. My spouse and I "take it one day at a time" and sometimes it is "one minute at a time". I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer middle of 2011. My spouse and I have each lost a parent during the year. Our children live on the coast lines. One East the other West. The best part of 2011 is our grandchild that just turned one yr old in January. I have always tried to find the good in everything. Just being alive one more day should be a good thing.
I have tons of crafting stuff that I have purchased in the last few years. Thought I was going to do a bunch of scrap booking and make cards. Well I have done only a little of either. I have recently started the card making again. I use tutorials to learn from and make the card. Then I'll make a few of that same card. Put them aside. Learn a new card design, make a few and put them aside. The goal is to make say 6 of each card I learn. when I get a dozen different cards and envies, they will become boxed gifts. It's a start, just make templates and keep the tutorials with the templates so you can use them again At some point, you'll design your own cards. One thing is to maybe make all your cards with a repeated element. I saw someone that used the circle in all of their cards. Everyone will know that when they get a card with a circle or an "O" in the design, that it is from cousin ABC... Now think of something easy. There is a foundation that uses a sun, moon and a house in all of their art work. They make ceramic pens and sell them for $10. and the money goes to a shelter for battered women. You'll think of something, keep is simple and I hope all of you have a great day and an even better tomarrow. Now where is the spell check?
Oh wow. Sounds like you have had a really rough year! My heart goes out to you! One of my friends lost her hair during chemo; when it started growing back, it was baby soft. She loved getting me and another one of our friends to rub her head. I think she liked the look of suprise on our faces.
I like your approach to making cards. I tend to scrapbook and make cards in spells. I go periods in between where I don't do either. I need to get back into scrapbooking; it's ridiculous how many pictures I have set aside.
I like your idea of making card sets also! That is a great gift idea!
Does anyone ever feel like giving up?
. Hope you feel better soon. {{{hugs}}}.
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