Scrapbooking and other Creative Endeavors

Source: rememberwhenscrap.blogspot.com

 

Last week marked ten years since my mother passed away. I decided to remember her by creating a scrapbook in her memory. My partner’s mother is very much into scrapbooking so she helped me out–showed me what I needed and how to go about pulling it all together.

Well, now I’ve also decided to make one for my best friend’s 30th birthday. And one for my good friend, of the trip we took together to Mexico, also for her birthday. I honestly never thought I would get into scrapbooking and certainly not this much. It has become a past-time that brings me happiness and transforms my evenings into magical moments of creativity and joy.

The scrapbook I’m making for my best friend is taking me down an 18-year journey of friendship. I have so many cards, letters, notes, pictures, of the times we’ve shared, and it feels great to find a way to commemorate our friendship.

Instead of coming home, walking my dog and planting myself in front of my television, I now have a hobby that I really enjoy. It’s fun, and it’s giving me a chance to be creative! I’m really not artistic–I love to write but ask anyone who knows me, I’m not a visual person at all! Nevertheless, I feel good about what I’m creating and I’m sure the thought will be appreciated once I hand over these gifts to my friends.

I’ve visited more art stores in the past couple of months than I have in my entire lifetime. It’s funny how excited I get when I see all those little scrapbook stickers!! I feel silly sometimes but I’m really enjoying myself and it makes me wonder about meaning, production, purpose and art. It makes me realize that I need creativity to survive; that as human beings, we don’t need a reason to create art, and to be creative. It’s just something expressive and enjoyable in itself. I’m spending hours and quite a bit of money on something of questionable value, but I guess it all depends on how you define the value of what you produce, and what you spend your time on.

To me, this is a great use of my time, and I’m sure to my friends it will be a meaningful gift.

I think what sometimes kills me about my work is that there is no creativity involved. There’s also no autonomy and I guess in my case the two go hand in hand–in a very bureaucratic environment there isn’t much room for independent thought.

So I find other ways to keep my mind occupied, to express myself, to allow my creativity to flourish. To me, there’s nothing worse than being bored on the job. There’s nothing worse than having absolutely nothing to do (my workload tends to be  either ‘no-time-for-lunch’ busy or ‘questioning-my-life’ not busy). I find when I’m bored at work or have nothing to do, it’s the worst feeling of purposelessness. It truly makes me question my life and my existence and what I’m doing with myself.

When I walk into an art store, I’m always amazed at the vast number of supplies and projects and types of art that exist. It makes me realize that there are a lot of people out there creating–drawing, painting, writing, sculpting, print making–probably because it’s something they love, and a way they’ve found to express themselves.