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Have you ever looked at your creations, compared them to everyone elses and just think...."blegh" about your own stuff. I think this happens to me every now and then, and I'm going thru that now. Sorry to whine!:(
Yeah. I take those "blegh" creations (only I refer to them as the "rejects") and give 'em to my sister-in-law, for her to use. (she knows they're my rejects)
Nope. I've learned not to compare myself to everyone else. That's not to say that I never feel I could have done a better job, or that everything turns out fabulously. I'm just happy with what I do and strive to learn new things all the time. I used to feel inadequate about so many things. I've gotten over that. My stamping will not be another one. Enjoy and be happy with what you do.
Totally! There are so many talented stampers/scrapers especially here on Splitcoast and I am my own worst critic! I look back at some of the cards I made when I first started and think I've come a LONG way! And there are always fun new techniques and projects to try. I've started making cards to send to friends out of the blue and when they call or email to tell me how much I made their day it helps keep my creative juices flowing and excited about what i'm going to make next.
I should just quit looking at some of the blogs I follow. Some of these women are amazingly talented. I will never be able to compare my work with theirs. But I still get compliments for my cards so I guess they're okay. I'm a crafter, not an artist. I really wish I was more creative.
Nope. I've learned not to compare myself to everyone else. That's not to say that I never feel I could have done a better job, or that everything turns out fabulously. I'm just happy with what I do and strive to learn new things all the time. I used to feel inadequate about so many things. I've gotten over that. My stamping will not be another one. Enjoy and be happy with what you do.
Making rejects doesn't have to be an unhappy thing. I learn from my rejects - what I could've done better specifically, and make a note of it for next time, or I make a better version right then and there. Sometimes a card turns out so horribly that DH and I have a field day making fun of it.
Totally! There are so many talented stampers/scrapers especially here on Splitcoast and I am my own worst critic! I look back at some of the cards I made when I first started and think I've come a LONG way! And there are always fun new techniques and projects to try. I've started making cards to send to friends out of the blue and when they call or email to tell me how much I made their day it helps keep my creative juices flowing and excited about what i'm going to make next.
It is really hard to look at the gallery for beginners, but I learn so much from just looking at the work, and trying to figure out how things are done. And then spending tons of money...
Oh Yeah!!! Happens to me ALL THE TIME! And actually, I am going through the same thing right now. I make a card, think it's really good, post it on my blog, and NOT get 1 comment. So then I think, hmmmmm, must not be that good afterall.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hobbywoman
Have you ever looked at your creations, compared them to everyone elses and just think...."blegh" about your own stuff. I think this happens to me every now and then, and I'm going thru that now. Sorry to whine!:(
Not a whole lot, really. I take so danged long to get a card to suit me, usually, by the time I'm satisfied, I'm in love with it. Not to say I haven't torn things up and stamped all over things that weren't going right at the time, though! And mine don't usually look like anyone else's anyway, so I just enjoy their work, enjoy MY work, and then forget to take a picture of it before I send it. which is why my gallery is pathetic.
How about comparing yourself to creations you made when you first started. Scary!
I was going through my craft room and found some cards I sent out a few years ago. Holy cow, they were "blegh" and then some!
Keep your head up - everyone has a different style. That's what I like about art!
Nope. I've learned not to compare myself to everyone else. That's not to say that I never feel I could have done a better job, or that everything turns out fabulously. I'm just happy with what I do and strive to learn new things all the time. I used to feel inadequate about so many things. I've gotten over that. My stamping will not be another one. Enjoy and be happy with what you do.
I'm with you, Scrapjanny. Eleanor Roosevelt said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Wise woman.
I am also pleased with the things I make and do. When I see someone else's work that I like, I don't compare but learn from them if I like what I see.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Oh Yeah!!! Happens to me ALL THE TIME! And actually, I am going through the same thing right now. I make a card, think it's really good, post it on my blog, and NOT get 1 comment. So then I think, hmmmmm, must not be that good afterall.
I'm laughing....with you not at you! Same thing happens to me all the time!
Have you ever looked at your creations, compared them to everyone elses and just think...."blegh" about your own stuff. I think this happens to me every now and then, and I'm going thru that now. Sorry to whine!:(
Just checked out your cards - they are great (but I totally know what you mean happens to me all the time).
Have you ever looked at your creations, compared them to everyone elses and just think...."blegh" about your own stuff. I think this happens to me every now and then, and I'm going thru that now. Sorry to whine!:(
Heck Ya!!!! I have been trying out with so many design teams and have never been accepted and I look at the work of the people they do pick and I'm like heck ya my stuff looks like a kindergartner made it compared to there's... Awesome work from people... so I'll keep trying once in awhile and submit my stuff but with that kinda competition I'm not likely to get picked up any time soon but it is fun to play with my stuff and make cards so it's OK
Mandy
Well, one day when I felt just like you do now, I started this thread, and since then, I've pretty much embraced my own style, accepted that not every card I make will look like art, and like SophieLaFontaine said above, I learn from my mistakes. Comparing your art to others' art is dangerous. Avoid it like the flu!
Oh yeah, I keep telling my husband that my cards will never look like those on the blogs I follow but then he reminds me if we all made cards like that they would all be the same and then what would be the fun in that. What would we learn from each other!
I'm blessed with a loving family that calls or emails to thank me for every handmade card I send them. My mother-in-law and sister-in-laws keep all my cards. When I'm feeling down they joke about how far I've come from when I started out. My very first card was a piece of construction paper. My father-in-law loves trackers so I cut a photo out of a magazine of a tracker and taped it on the construction paper. I'm sure his mom still has that card somewhere. Which reminds me that anything I make now has to be look better than that!!! We all have to start somewhere though!
Enjoy the process! I started stamping in January, then signed up as a demo (to get the discount) in March and I remember getting my starter kit and being so tickled by the cards I was making! Now when I look back I feel so silly by how proud of how I felt of those cards.....BUT....its a process. Less than a year later I am very proud of most of my work, my blog gets a lot of hits, I'm on a Design Team at Late Night Stampers, and I'm getting better each day I think! I find that my work is best when I go through the galleries a lot to get inspiration, if I slack off my cards get a little blah. And CASE what you like, it helps you improve!
I feel like that a lot! Probably a good thing for me that the people I send them to doesn't get homemade cards from anyone else so they think mine are beautiful. lol
I know that I'm not nearly as talented as people here so I just try not to compare mine with theirs. I do the best I can and enjoy making cards. I learn a little more each time too.
I feel that way every time I look at the gallery. I use stamps, paper, ink and that is it. No DSP, no Big Shot, no nesties, etc., and my cards do not look anything like the masterpieces I see posted every day. I don't think of my cards as rejects, just different.
Mary Beth
I don't compare mine to other's work either. I just think everyone has their own unique style, no matter if you case or not, so no two stampers are going to come out with the same card.
Heck ya! But you know, I study the work of those that I think are excellent to see what I can learn. The thing is....in EVERYTHING there is always someone who does "it" better then you. Being okay with that brings peace.
Oh Yeah!!! Happens to me ALL THE TIME! And actually, I am going through the same thing right now. I make a card, think it's really good, post it on my blog, and NOT get 1 comment. So then I think, hmmmmm, must not be that good afterall.
I know, ....... there are a couple I put on my gallery that I was really proud of like the santa and never got a comment. That's when I joined the comment game. Loved it, saw so many other cards playing that and got some comments on my cards. But, now I accept that people look but just don't always comment.
I actually do that all the time...and then I'll get an email from someone telling me that they love my cards or will I design for them and whatever...and I guess I'm doing alright. LOL But I think we all see things that are just BEAUTIFUL and we're like...."OH SNAP! Why didn't I think of that?!" I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing though.
Playing in the daily challenges, or challenges out on other sites, is sooo helpful! It really makes you try and learn new things. Plus, lots of people play and lend moral support, and that's how you start to make lasting friends here. And then those friends might check out your blog and gallery and it's like this terrific domino effect! The SCS users, and friends and family, who told me what I make is great really have made me go from an occasional stamper to someone who wants to do it everyday! Just keep trying and posting your creations! I can't believe how much I have grown when I look at my first posts here!!
But as others have said, I've learned to embrace my style of cards and if it pleases others, that's great. If it doesn't, then oh well. I don't like some of the cards I've seen others post either so it kinda evens out things out when I post what I feel is a great card and get no comments.
__________________ The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. Psalms 9:9-10
Here is my solution to a card that is kinda' blechy--I add more to it! I bling it! I glitter it!! I add another layer!!! I drink a glass of wine and then look at it again!!!! Then it looks just right...so far that is working for me.
Here is my solution to a card that is kinda' blechy--I add more to it! I bling it! I glitter it!! I add another layer!!! I drink a glass of wine and then look at it again!!!! Then it looks just right...so far that is working for me.
BWAHAHAHA! Now, THAT is some good advice!:mrgreen:
I used to compare my stuff to other's work, but now when I see a card that I LOVE i say to myself: what did they do to make their card "wow" and can I do that? Heck yes!!!
I have some pretty lofty goals for myself card-making wise, and I think I will get there by having a signature style and really standing apart from the rest. I CANNOT compare myself to others if I'm looking inward, and you shouldn't either!!
__________________
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I design for: Stampendous!, There She Goes, Technique Tuesday,
SRM Stickers and Deconstructed Sketches.
I feel that way most of the time myself but usually when I make cards now I normally CASE something from the gallery or use the gallery for inspiration for making a new card.
Then when the new card fails to even meet my expections. Like a painter constantly touching up the canvas, I disassemble it, try different papers, add layers, add glitter, color, pop-ups, etc.
in the end.. I have found that the "higher" my card is .. I tend to be a little more satisfied. by "higher" I mean more layers of paper, use of brads, ribbons, glitter, pop-up dots, etc. So in the end very similar to a painter who just keeps touching up the same spot over and over again.. it's "higher" than the rest of the painting.. EH... that's why it's called "art"
I have good days and I have bad days! Sometimes I'm on a roll and am really pleased with what I've done - other times nothing seems to go right for me (usually when I'm tired or when I've got something else preying on my mind). If I have a bad day I pack up and go and watch TV.
I never tire of looking at other people's creations which are better than mine because it gives me something to aim for!
Actually...the glass of wine thing is pretty cool....it helps you be freer with your work!!!!
Mostly really cool when tippling with another stamper or two!!!
Michelle
Quote:
Originally Posted by 53queenbee
Here is my solution to a card that is kinda' blechy--I add more to it! I bling it! I glitter it!! I add another layer!!! I drink a glass of wine and then look at it again!!!! Then it looks just right...so far that is working for me.
My stamping is like my working out. Sometimes, I get in "the zone" and am on autopilot. When I'm in "the zone" my workouts are terrific, if I'm running, everything just clicks and I feel great and have personal best times. Unfortunately, being in the zone doesn't happen every day, so you just push yourself on those days - telling yourself that it's all that work that's not perfect or where you want to be that is actually making those few zone days possible.
My stamping is the same. Most days, it's either case an idea, or throw something together. Even in doing that, I learn a little something each time about what works, what doesn't, what I like or about color and balance - always something. Then, when I get into the stamping zone, it's like being in my own little world and the end result even ends up amazing me. I've been in the stamping zone a few times (more and more the more I create) and those pieces have always been my favorites. But I'd never get there if I didn't make all those "substandard" or just okay originals or cased projects. Like with any skill, the more time you put in, the better you get. I cringe when I look at some of the very first cards and projects I made. Back then, I thought they were good - and they were in their own way. The ones I do now are so much better than those I used to do, but I've put a lot of time under my stamping belt to get me to my skills today, and those skills won't be as good as they will be next year.
I totally understand. There are times that I want to put all my stuff in a pile and send it off to someone who needs it!
But then there are the really good moments.
The other day I made a card that I loved and I stood there and said -- "I don't care what anyone else thinks. I love this." And you know what, it wasn't a "popular" card but I didn't care a hoot.
And that's when I'm glad I didn't give it all away!
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
Ever feel like this????
