Feeling Challenged

I'm posting a layout on my blog for the 1st time. The L/O is of my family: my fabulous hubby, & our 2 kids. Daisy, our beagle is on the left and Rosco, taking up almost all of Dad's lap, is our Basset Hound.

My greatest personal champions!

As I sit down at my table to scrap I find I'm often confronted with a feeling of anxiety that leaves me creatively blocked. From there I get lost in thought only to find I've been staring out the window as time quickly passes by. I feel overwhelmed by my massive collection of product & the desire to use all the wonderful things I have plus incorporate so many of the nifty techniques I have come across. Pile on top of that my expectation for nothing short of a "FANTASTIC" end product & you can see how I find myself in a place where my output is minimal. I have pretty much stuck to card making for just over a year now.

When I read a blog post by Ali Edwards this past February about One Little Word I was inspired. CREATE is the word I chose to focus on for this year. I am making a conscious effort to force the chatter in my brain to quiet as I sit down to create. I refuse to continue to give it power & let it distract me. I have also decided to choose 2 or 3 items to work with & stick with them, & go from there. The most important change to my approach is changing my mental focus to always be cognizant of the joy my hobby brings me and why I like doing it. I love scrapbooking because it is a way for me to tell the stories of my life . I don't scrapbook to receive accolades & approval from others. I do it to chronicle & record cherished memories of loved ones while playing with wonderful materials. For many years I had never considered myself "creative" & assumed I was "not that kind of person". I now realize I need to be patient with myself as I evolve & explore this side of myself. With time I'll continue to grow, experience more joy & less self doubt while trying out different creative endeavours.

Cheers!