A little while a I wrote an article called Top 6 Reasons We Don’t Scrap. It’s been a popular one. To recap briefly, Write. Click. Scrapbook. readers were asked by guest poster Lain Ehmann what prevented them from scrapbooking. My article did a little bit of analysis of the responses to that question which I summarized as follows:
- Overwhelmed By Choice (25%)
- Perfectionism (19%)
- Design (17%)
- Time Constraints (10%)
- Distraction – Internet (6%)
- Disorganisation (4%)
- Unspecified Roadblock (19%)
Since then, I’ve noticed one of Paperclipping’s “Roundtable” podcasts touched on the issue when they invited guest Lain Ehmann to speak about it on their show. In a strange moment for me personally, Lain’s description of the results echoed my own interpretations above almost word for word. (If you’d like to listen to the podcast, it’s Roundtable Episode 5 found on this page. The relevant section is approx. 13 minutes into the programme and the entire show is about 56 minutes long.)
Why Scraplifting Sucks As A Roadblock Solution
During Paperclipping’s podcast, Lain repeated her catch-all solution to the problem of roadblocks – scraplifting. For those that don’t already know, “scraplifting” entails selecting someone else’s layout and attempting to emulate it. Either fully or partially. Whilst scraplifting may indeed be a solution for many blocked scrappers, it doesn’t work for me. Why?
- It doesn’t combat being overwhelmed by choice. You still have to choose a layout to scraplift. The sheer number of viewable layouts online and in magazines is utterly mind blowing. You could spend literally weeks sifting through layouts.
- It doesn’t address the issue of perfectionism. If you’re searching for the perfect layout to scrap lift, you might not end up finding it. “That one looks good….hmmm but if I just keep looking I might just find a BETTER layout to scraplift”.
- It doesn’t discount the distraction factor. If I’m online searching for the perfect layout to scraplift, I might just forget what I’m doing for a moment, click on a link that looks interesting and end up reading about the earthquake devastation in Chile for the next two hours.
No disrespect intended towards Lain here. Scraplifting probably IS a perfectly good solution for many people. Just not ME. I was still left NOT SCRAPPING. In fact, I haven’t even wanted to blog about scrapping for the past couple of weeks which is exactly why it’s been a little quiet around here (*insert chirping crickets*). I could feel my frustration growing. I contemplated very seriously giving up scrapbooking altogether. Not really an option I wanted to take given the number of die cutting machines lying around here. So what else to do?
How Else To Combat Scrapbooking Roadblocks?
It’s taken me a few weeks to get to it, but I’ve think I’ve finally found an answer that’s going to work for me. I’m hoping by sharing my approach, I might help other blocked scrappers get going again too. My approach involves:
- Reducing choice
- Planning
- Organizing
- Simplifying
I’ll be talking about these topics in more detail over the next few days. Stay tuned and have a great weekend. 
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hey there!
Thanks for bringing up this topic – I think it’s a valuable discussion to have.
We live in a world of abundance. We all have too much product, too many distractions, too many photos, too many ideas… and a lot of it is free or close to it!
I still maintain that scraplifting can help the issues you mentioned — overwhelm, distraction, perfectionism — if you put some rails on yourself. No solution is going to work on its own — it takes input and discipline from the user! Just as a diet won’t work if you don’t impose the calorie restrictions or follow the exercise suggestions, scraplifting (or any “system,” for that matter) won’t get you scrapbooking without some decisions:
1. OVERWHELM/PERFECTIONISM. Tell yourself you’ve got three minutes to find a layout to lift.
2. DISTRACTION. Don’t search online — I keep a binder full of ideas for pages, torn from magazines, so I can’t get distracted by checking links or going on an endless rabbit trail. Or limit yourself to ONE gallery, or ONE PAGE in ONE GALLERY, to find the layout you like. And promise yourself that you won’t follow any links until you finish your page!
If anyone needing this still needs more motivation or help, or has any questions, pop over to my blog! I’ll be glad to help you out. And consider joining us for the next round of Layout A Day in May. Creating a layout a day is a surefire way to blast through scrapper’s block.
One final thing — if you truly don’t feel like scrapbooking, give yourself a break! Scrapbooking isn’t a life sentence. It should be fun and enjoyable. But sometimes we all just need to get away and take a break so we can return with new energy and perspective.
Thanks again for bringing up this fantastic topic!
Lain