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I watch video after video of crafty people creating things on camera that are both beautiful and flawless. Everything around them neat and clean. This is SO not me! lol I feel like it takes a half-dozen trial cards before I get something I can feel good about sending. Even then, I'm never truly satisfied.
I spent a couple hours at it this a.m. -- paper, embossing powder/glitter, and assorted scraps flying in all directions. Stuff falling on the floor. Adhesive in my hair. Counter top so full of tools and supplies that I was losing things in plain sight. Blowing through good card stock like there was no tomorrow because I kept messing up. When I was finished, the area looked like a cyclone had gone through. Mind you, this was a single-layer card! Nothing fancy.
All that time and mess and STILL I ended-up with something that exhibited the skill level of a preschooler. It's not like this was my first rodeo, either. Oh well, guess there's always tomorrow!
Sadly, yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about. I decided yesterday that I was watching too many videos and that most of the ones I was watching were beyond my experience. So, I’m going to limit myself for now. I really like Natasha Foote! She doesn’t push products and encourages people to use what they already have. I also like to watch Ryan from Glitter Grunge Greetings. His style is not something that I aspire to duplicate so for me there’s no pressure to buy the things he uses. So, I’m mostly watching to pick up helpful hints. I also find his voice easier to listen to then some of the women. That’s just a quirk I have with higher pitches.
Well, for one thing, single layer cards, especially clean designs, can often require a lot more work and re-makes than something busier. So I wouldn't worry about that. I made 3 sets of sympathy cards for my SIL last month, and the clean simple one-layer card is the one that ended up with several card fronts cut wrong and took 9 attempts to get 6 cards; 4 of which I was happy to sell, the other two which I will use myself.
For another, unless you're watching a live video, then it's probably been edited.
And unless it's someone's first video, they have learned and streamlined the process over time.
The first (and only ) one I made for a tutorial here, I did two trial runs and then recorded it with everything to hand, and I can tell you it does not represent my normal work desk. The pros will have organised and planned what they need and it will all be there ready for them.
The only thing that matters really, at the end of the day, is if you enjoyed yourself. Someone used to have a quote in their signature "comparison is the thief of joy" (Theodore Roosevelt). If you enjoyed yourself, that's the most important thing. You don't need to compare yourself to others, just to what you hope for for yourself as a personal goal.
Deb, I feel your pain. I have been stamping, scrapbooking, playing with color and glue on and off for more than 30 years. And I am still a TERRIBLE stamper! I get inky fingerprints on my projects. I either squish the stamp too hard or not hard enough. Embossing powder clings everywhere, not just the inked areas of the card. My layers are often just a tad off. And while I love my Copic markers, I'm really not that good at using them.
I have known all my life that I have no artistic talent. Yet, I feel some sort of in-born need to create. It is so frustrating to have a vision in my head but be unable to create a project that comes close to my idea. Some times I want to cry, want to scream, want to throw stuff against the wall. (I don't) Other times, I just feeling like giving up. (And I have) I've boxed up and forgotten about papercrafting at least four times in my life -- and yet I still keep coming back to this costly, messy, aggravating hobby.
This year, I've returned to crafting with a different mindset, a mindset that I hope I can hold on to:
HAVE FUN!
ENJOY the PROCESS!
DO NOT COMPARE MYSELF to OTHERS!
NEVER FEEL GUILTY for TOSSING a FINISHED PROJECT in the TRASH!
REMEMBER that it is NOT the DESTINATION, but the CRAFTING JOURNEY that MATTERS!!
This year, I've returned to crafting with a different mindset, a mindset that I hope I can hold on to:
HAVE FUN!
ENJOY the PROCESS!
DO NOT COMPARE MYSELF to OTHERS!
NEVER FEEL GUILTY for TOSSING a FINISHED PROJECT in the TRASH!
REMEMBER that it is NOT the DESTINATION, but the CRAFTING JOURNEY that MATTERS!!
Yes to al this!! I've been papercrafting for over 20 years and at first was so deliriously happy with my playtime. I rarely got discouraged and disgusted with what I made.
Then came the proliferation of blogs and YouTube.
At first, I was thrilled to see what others had made and to soak up new ideas. But then I noticed my hobby becoming frustrating. I wasn't satisfied with anything I made and I questioned everything I did - did these colors really go together? Should I put this here or here? Overthinking became the norm. I realized that I was subtly wondering what my favorite papercrafters would do and trying to make what I was working on a reflection of them, and not myself. I STILL do this.
SCS is a different beast, though. I joined here a few years after I began papercrafting but before blogs became ubiquitous, and yet SCS has NEVER been a source of discouragement and struggle. In fact, it's been an inspiration and a teacher. This site is uplifting and motivates me to make something. Maybe because everyone is so real here. No editing. No polishing. We're all just being who we are and posting what makes our hearts happy.
well, I have never made a video but, I have shot thousands of photographs over time. and I am fairly adapt at using the processing tools to crop and edit still life shots so, I'd imagine that anyone who creates "how-to" video's does the same thing.
and I'd bet you a nickle that what you see in the finished product is not what the trials ahead of time looked like. you can make anything you practice enough look fairly easy to follow along with if you have put in the time to learn it yourself. kwim?
I don't actually feel like that when I watch the ones I have seen but, I do wish I had more time to learn (and to me that means play) especially with say water coloring. In the back of my mind the reason why they look so cool to me is the people doing them have put the time in to learn it enough to teach it. Those are the video's I enjoy the most as it is not something I know a great deal about and there is something about watching the brush move that makes it "click" easier in my head than reading how to books on the subject. (of which I have a stack of them)
What ever it is you want to do better is only going to happen with a mix of error and some trials ahead of time. (so, I buy stacks of cheap watercolor paper at Micheal's when its on sale just for that reason, if its that bad when done, no harm done I did enjoy the mixing colors and swirling the brush around and just playing) hth,
Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to comment! It's nice to commiserate with those who've been where I'm at. It's also nice to get a bit of encouragement/advice and to hear the perspectives/experiences of others.
I so appreciate the plethora of wonderful videos and tutorials out there, and I'm thankful to those who give so freely of themselves in this way. I spend LOTS of time (way too much???) watching them for the sake of inspiration and motivation not only in crafting, but also in getting organized.
When I looked around at the mess I'd spent a couple of hours making this morning--all for the sake of one card, only to end-up with something I just wasn't happy with, those hours of video footage with perfect cards and zero mess just popped into my head. As has been said, that's not how it is in most real-life crafting experiences and those vids are spit & polished; but it still makes me yearn to be that person.
It is true that we sometimes expect too much of ourselves. As a result, I myself go for months without even stepping into my craft room. Then, a family member will become ill or something and I feel compelled to make rather than buy a card (given the ridiculous amount of supplies I've horded through the years). And so the cycle of making messes and never being satisfied starts all over. lol
I did try again later in the day and managed something I was happy with--just have to assemble it tomorrow. The tool and supply explosion sits exactly where it landed. "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy." :-)
I really like Natasha Foote! She doesn’t push products and encourages people to use what they already have. I also like to watch Ryan from Glitter Grunge Greetings.
Thanks for the recommendation! Will have to check these two out.
Well, for one thing, single layer cards, especially clean designs, can often require a lot more work and re-makes than something busier. So I wouldn't worry about that. I made 3 sets of sympathy cards for my SIL last month, and the clean simple one-layer card is the one that ended up with several card fronts cut wrong and took 9 attempts to get 6 cards; 4 of which I was happy to sell, the other two which I will use myself.
Sure seems that way--I wasn't even coloring! Just texture, a cutout w/stacked frame, a small homemade embellishment, and a computer-generated sentiment. I ended-up doing it in two layers, which is what I had originally wanted but thought it would be too complicated; it wasn't.
Your comment "9 attempts to get 6 cards" made me laugh right out loud, because this is me quite often!
I have known all my life that I have no artistic talent. Yet, I feel some sort of in-born need to create. It is so frustrating to have a vision in my head but be unable to create a project that comes close to my idea.
This year, I've returned to crafting with a different mindset, a mindset that I hope I can hold on to:
HAVE FUN!
ENJOY the PROCESS!
DO NOT COMPARE MYSELF to OTHERS!
NEVER FEEL GUILTY for TOSSING a FINISHED PROJECT in the TRASH!
REMEMBER that it is NOT the DESTINATION, but the CRAFTING JOURNEY that MATTERS!!
Oh, I'm with you on that! The desire is there, but I don't have an inborn knack for it like some do. I get there, it just takes me longer. When I first got into this hobby 15(+) years ago (scrap booking before that), pre-SCS and instructional videos, my cards were so childlike. lol I once sent a handmade birthday card to my grandniece and my niece thought my middle-school daughter had made it. My lack of knowledge was topped only by my lack of supplies and tools.
Glad you got something made that you were happy with!
the tidy-up is one thing I have disciplined myself to do after each card. I find it much easier to start fresh the next time if there's space on the desk and everything is where it should be, so that I don't have to lose time looking for it. I have a small plastic tray and incomplete projects go in that so all the parts are together and ready to get on with the next time.
Last year, one of the birthday gifts I got from a friend who had to "shop her own stock" was - I think it was Jane Davenport, and I think it was called a journal garter but I can't find that looking online. Anyway, a pouch on an elastic strap, designed to go round an art journal and hold a few pencils. I don't journal, but I keep in it my best and second best tweezers, my scoring stylus, burnishing pen, score tool from the Scor-Pal and a couple of other things. It's bright colourful stripes and easy to see on my desk, and has saved me so much time in looking for those things, especially the tweezers and stylus. In theory they always had a home before in one of the jars on my desk, but for some reason the "garter" just works better for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Debbie Do
When I looked around at the mess I'd spent a couple of hours making this morning--all for the sake of one card, only to end-up with something I just wasn't happy with, those hours of video footage with perfect cards and zero mess just popped into my head. As has been said, that's not how it is in most real-life crafting experiences and those vids are spit & polished; but it still makes me y
I did try again later in the day and managed something I was happy with--just have to assemble it tomorrow. The tool and supply explosion sits exactly where it landed. "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy." :-)
We've all been there, a great idea in our heads that doesn't work out and ends up in the trash, the "I can't find . . ." that slows us down, the ink splotch on a finished card, the precut layers that turn out to be the wrong size. Sometimes at the end of a stamping time, I can look at the finished projects and my inky fingers and say "Good day of stamping!" Other times, it's too many fails, too many MIA supplies, feeling rushed or stressed and I say "Bad day of stamping." But I go back again and again because it's what I love to do and my craft room is my happy place. Think about chefs, tech developers, clothing designers, medical researchers -- all have good and bad days and they keep going, too.
Mary Beth
There are some days when I’m bursting with ideas I want to try and rather than get bogged down in finishing a card, I just want to try all my ideas—inking up this embossing folder, trying glitter paste through that stencil, watercoloring an image, etc. It’s easier not to feel like a “bad” crafting day if I go in with the expectation of experimentation. Later, I’ll work the pieces into finished cards or just save them for later. Sometimes going back after a couple of weeks, I’ll see that original experiment in a new light and know exactly what I want to do with it. And somehow the experiments that don’t work out are easier to toss if I wasn’t starting with the purpose of having a finished card out of it.
Omgoodness....no no no!
Ok first of all some of those bloggers are what I would call professionals. It is what they do for a living (ie Jennifer Mcguire-which she always points out when discussing supplies and her room)
Second....people absolutely make those cards a bunch of times before shooting a vid. Lately we have started to see them making mistakes and NOT editing them out...to be more real and accessible to people.
So do NOT make yourself crazy trying to be them! Learning a technique is one thing. If you want to case exactly what they did is another. But once you go off to do your own thing...you have left the station and are in Imagination Land and that is always full of whoops and hiccups. It's how we learn. We didn't just stand up one day and walk. We crawled, we got up and fell down...this is no different. Practice is it. Do something enough times and it will be much easier! But there is fun in that. The pleasure of unexpected discoveries....color combos or a layering you had not thought about before that happens accidentally when you just lay something down to pick up your soda and suddenly realize you like the way it looks...etc etc.
I have zero expectation that I am supposed to master all techniques within X time. I expect I will be doing it the rest of my life and I love that idea.
Suggestion: I do something and then discovered Kristina Werner does it too-grab a piece of scrap paper (she has a notebook) and sketch out what I am thinking I want to make. Helps me to focus my thoughts. Doesn't need to be fancy. As long as you understand it.
Some people craft like a doctor doing surgery-super neat and tidy and some people are Tasmanian devils. (raising hand). No worries.
You just be you. That will be plenty good enough!
__________________ Margot
I am a proud fan club member
the net result is more than just whatever pretty paper you manage to produce. more than that, it's the creativity & joy you've given yourself with your play.
at a certain point i realized i had to allow myself to do things imperfectly. Even the "masters" eyeball their panel placements & my eyeballs can clearly tell it's a bit lopsided, their fussy cutting is feathering like mine does & their die cuts still have some fuzziness. my projects are allowed to look a human tried her best, & in fact that adds to their charm. (if i say it often enough i may convince myself one day!)
i tend to think of those magic tutioral moments as "and then you just!"s. the artist does something perfectly and claims it's so simple and when you're trying to follow you realize there's a "and then you just!" that's not really doable. The "and then you just!" usually requires the purchase of another new tool or gadget or stamp or die, etc. which you can buy through their handy affiliate link. yep, it's cynical but it keeps my expectations at a manageable level for me.
What we see online is not always the whole story, whether it is Facebook, forum discussions or YouTube videos.
There are a couple sayings that come to mind: You should never meet your heroes.
If the grass looks greener on the other side, it is probably astro-turf.
Others have already said it, but it bears repeating. What you see when watching these videos is exactly what they WANT you to see. They have cleared the space that will be on camera of all clutter, they have practiced making the specific card they are showing you at least once before deciding to film themselves making it again. If it’s not “live” they probably edited out any mistakes.
Even for a live card making video they sat down and rehearsed what to make before going live.
I really enjoy Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner videos but they are both professionals. Even so, I recall one (or both) of them saying things like “if you could see the rest of my craft space behind the camera” or “ I practiced making this card so many times before I felt like I could share the process with you on camera”.
So seriously, do NOT compare yourself or whatever mess you make while crafting to what you see on a video.
And we ALL have spent hours trying to make one card and ended up with a bunch of pretty trash.
Others have already said it, but it bears repeating. What you see when watching these videos is exactly what they WANT you to see. They have cleared the space that will be on camera of all clutter, they have practiced making the specific card they are showing you at least once before deciding to film themselves making it again. If it’s not “live” they probably edited out any mistakes.
Even for a live card making video they sat down and rehearsed what to make before going live.
I really enjoy Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner videos but they are both professionals. Even so, I recall one (or both) of them saying things like “if you could see the rest of my craft space behind the camera” or “ I practiced making this card so many times before I felt like I could share the process with you on camera”.
So seriously, do NOT compare yourself or whatever mess you make while crafting to what you see on a video.
And we ALL have spent hours trying to make one card and ended up with a bunch of pretty trash.
Ever Have One of Those Crafting Sessions . . .
