A
Creative Outlet for Mothers
by Susie Cortright
I remember, not so long ago, looking at the boxes and boxes of my
babies' photographs and becoming so overwhelmed by the notion that
I had better get them organized and labeled before I lost track of
which kid was which. And then one day, I picked up a particularly
poignant photo of my oldest daughter, and I had an urge to create
a scrapbooking page around it. I didn't know what I was doing. I just
knew I wanted a finished product that would evoke the same emotion
I felt when I took the photo.
I took far too much time on this page (and had so
much fun creating for the simple sake of creating), and when my scrapbooking
layout was finished, I showed it to my daughter. The look on her face
told me I had succeeded in doing what I set out to do. She was touched,
and so was I.
From that day on, I was hooked. But I had to promise
myself that his hobby would never turn into another "should,"
"ought," or "must." My scrapbook became my precious
lifeline to my artistic and emotional center, and I had to promise
myself that I would never rush it. That I would never cheapen the
experience with the notion that I had to finish "x" amount
of pages in one day. That my photographs and memories would never
be something to simply process - but something always to honor and
revere.
Fast forward. I am now a scrapbooking instructor
for a company that reveres this creative process as much as I do.
Scrapbooking is unlike almost everything else in
my life as a mother of small children. The layouts and cards that
I make stay finished, unlike the dishes and the diaper changes. When
I'm done with a piece, I'll put it up where I can see it as I walk
past, and I feel a small but sure sense of accomplishment.
And that is one of the reasons I scrapbook. There are others:
- Scrapbooking offers a connection to the community.
Classes and crops are serving the same social function that quilting
bees once did. This is a time to get together with friends, to share
precious memories, to exercise your artistic expression, and to get
something accomplished.
- When your children leave home, and if they are
ever feeling down, they will look through the scrapbook you've created
for them. They will hear your words and feel your love span across
time and space. And, beyond that, when you are gone, your voice, your
memories, and the written and visual record of your philosophy and
your values will live on.
- Scrapbooking helps us to remember that our life
is our art. The time I spend scrapbooking helps me to remember that
every single moment I spend being a good mom - as well as a good human
being - is time spent in positive, artistic creation. And I have no
doubt that if we all spent more of our time in positive, artistic
creation, the world would be a better place.
Whenever I spend time cropping, I relish the present
moment with my family more fully as the very moments I seek to capture
and celebrate on my pages play out in my living room.
Time spent scrapbooking is time spent in open, ardent
appreciation of your family and the experiences that you have had.
It's a way of honoring the experiences and people in your life with
your time and reflection.
A scrapbook is a treasured gift. It is a piece of
the real you, the real artistic, emotional you, which encourages others
to show their artistic, emotional, real selves, too. And you can start
today!
Susie Cortright is the founder of momscape.com, an
award-winning online magazine that helps busy moms find balance. She
also publishes a free weekly scrapbooking newsletter, featuring best
of the net design ideas and advanced techniques: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking
Susie is a scrapbooking instructor for a rapidly
growing direct sales scrapbooking company, which offers high commissions,
second-to-none support, and low monthly minimums. You can browse her
online catalog here:
http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/catalog
Or get more information on how you can build your own scrapbooking
business alongside her: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/business.htm
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