Hey You! Behind the Art with Kiki

Have you ever opened up one of Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's kits and found one thing that just spoke to you? Recently with the Wisdom kit, I certainly did. Sometimes I get a complete scrapbooker's block and can't get past it. But that's hasn't happened too often lately, thanks to the journal cards we've been getting in our kits.

This journal card, below, really helped me direct the idea of this layout. Thinking about wisdom and wise words, I thought about writing as if to myself, saying "Hey You, I've got some important things to say so listen up." 

I found this great quote about life, and it truly reflected my artistic journey of late. I started out in art journaling, and worked into scrapbooking and very structured, designed layouts. I realized that I had lost something of the style I once had that was messier, and more carefree. So I pulled out my modelling paste, and inks and decided to get messy again, drawing without an eraser, if you will.

From the Wisdom kit, November's Scrapbooking from the Inside Out member kit

Not even the arrows are facing in the same direction, and at first it bothered me. But then I sat back and looked at the layout, and it created a bit of chaos that I was striving to get across. A real mishmash of embellishments and styles on the same page.

It felt so good to let go of rules, symmetry, and just let loose and play with paper and mediums again. I had forgotten how much joy it had given me. It's not that there was anything wrong at all with the other more tailored style. It's just that it left me feeling a bit like I'd lost something of myself. So I decided to bring it back, and I think in looking at this layout you can see that again. I went for a bright orange card stock instead of something more simple. Bold, brash. And then I used floral paper with cute patterns and stripes and even added a bit of my own drywall tape. And it felt good. Really good.

But the crazy thing is that the whole time I was creating, it felt good, and yet I had needed to push myself to do it. Fight the inclination to do something more structured. And when I sat back, after pushing myself to break the rules again, it was so worth it. Now my scrapbooking feels more relaxing again. I feel like I'm drawing without an eraser, and I'm okay with that again.

Try doing something out of your comfort zone this week. Maybe try out one of the challenges on the forum, and push yourself to do a little something different and see how you feel afterwards. Either way, I guarantee that you'll have learned something from it!