Creative Habit 2: Turning Adversity into Advantage

June 16, 2020

These are unprecedented times. As we all adjust to social distancing and taking precautionary measures while out in public, everyone responds in a different way. There are those who welcome the time at home, to be closer to immediate family, to have a slower pace, and to prioritize their lives during this pandemic. There are those who are pushing back, eager to meet up with friends (because FOBA and FOMO rule*), eager to eat out in a restaurant and eager for life to ‘get back to normal’. And then there are all manner of those who fall in between and spill over the edges.

But did you know that some of the strongest personal growth, deep transformation and bold creativity come out of experiences where one suffers, struggles or feels defeat?

It is through overcoming such struggles that we discover just how strong and beautiful we are as individuals. As we each live through the day by day news reports, statistic updates, and social media messaging, we have a choice how to respond. It is in such moments of adversity when we turn inward and look to what we actually believe. Often we find that the old belief structures no longer hold true and we begin to create new meaning for ourselves.

Creativity is giving yourself permission to see things differently. - David Robert

When roadblocks are plopped in front of us, it is our human nature to find another pathway around them. How many of you have attempted to cut your own hair (or someone in your family), tried a new recipe or redecorated a room in your house during this pandemic? You are exercising your creativity.

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. - Aristotle Onassis

Somehow we find a way through hard times. Often we get creative doing it. The brain is an amazing problem solving machine and when it sees a roadblock it sets about to smooth things over. When things are going as normal, the brain gets a bit bored and actually tunes out the typical. But when things get stirred up, the brain is awakened and revitalized by the novelty and challenge of the situation.

Do you feel it?

*FOBA - fear of being alone & FOMO - fear of missing out =)

Creative Habit 1: Driven by Passion

May 28, 2020

I am attracted to people who exude passion.

I have recently been watching the Masterclass by Marc Jacobs on Fashion Design. I have no desire (at this point) to become a fashion designer. But what I was so attracted to was Marc Jacobs’ passion for what he does. Listening to him speak about his career and what he has learned over the years, I was equally impressed and inspired by his passion for fashion design. All careers come with ups and downs and Mr Jacobs speaks to that, but at the end of the day it is one’s passion for the job that keeps you coming back and it was clearly evident in his class.

There are many connotations for passion. I like to think of it as an immense desire and love of what interests you, to the point of throwing your entire being into the pursuit of your passion. The famous blog Life Hack claims that passion is more important than money when it comes to your life’s work. And I agree.

Passionate people are driven by their intense interest in and desire to excel in whatever they are passionate about. You can spot people with passion because they are often quite chatty about their craft. When listening to Marc Jacobs I saw an exuberance for fashion design that I do not see in everyone. His face lights up, his tone of voice is light and cheery and he just can’t share enough about his love for design. I also had a strong sense that he just wants everyone to love fashion design as much as he does.

This kind of excitement is contagious. Passionate people are contagious. If you are fortunate enough to know someone or listen to an interview of someone with passion, you will know it.

And you may even be a little more inclined to find passion for yourself!

Go Big or Go Small?

February 13, 2020

Creativity comes in many forms. From photography to watercolour painting and sculpture to stop motion films, the range is very wide. Even within art journaling, scrapbooking and those who keep planners, there are numerous preferences and outlets. And then there is the size of format that varies from one artist to the next. Some prefer to go big and some prefer to go small.

Did you know that the brain is stimulated by novelty? Something new or out of the ordinary or unexpected actually fires the neurons in our brain! If you have ever experienced ‘creativity block’ then you know how hard it is to come up with ideas or inspiration in those moments (or days. or months), but all the brain needs is a kickstart and that can be achieved by novelty or moving outside of your comfort zone. The writer who stares at a blank page could watch and listen to the birds to be flooded once again with language. The sculptor can try playing with paint, the collage artist can try stepping out to take a few photographs… in each case, the brain will suddenly awaken instead of tuning out the ritualistic motions of working in one’s preferred medium.

Many scrapbookers, art journalists or planner addicts have a preferred size of book in which they consistently work. Right now, the trend for scrapbookers is the traditional Traveler’s Notebook size (8.25in x 4.25in) and many planners or bullet journalers are using an A5 or 8x6in or larger notebook. But it all depends on the artist.

Herein lays the challenge. As a scrapbooker, art journalist or planner addict, have you tried working in a different sized book? In doing so, you may uncover new inspiration, new talent and at the very least, a new challenge. Perhaps I can give you some insight…

Repurposed Book and insert from rePaperedShop

Reasons To Go Big

you are used to the Traveler’s Notebook size
you like to write a lot
you want to add extra lettering, photos, ephemera
you are documenting a longer time frame

Reasons To Go Small

you can still do scrapbooking or journaling or planning!
you like bullet points - keep it simple
you want to carry it in your purse
you want cuteness!
you are documenting a shorter time frame

Two sizes of book covers and inserts are available at rePaperedShop

Regardless of size, there remain similarities in both big and small sizes:

you need a system of productivity or documentation
you need a catch all for important stuff
you are a die hard for analog
you are a creative

So, will you take up my challenge and try a notebook in a new size in 2020?

You may discover a favourite new size!

5 Ways to Enrich Your Mind

September 5, 2019

The other day I came across an interesting blog post that listed 25 Ways to Nourish Your Mind. I found it interesting that six of the ideas listed are all related to notebooks and journaling in some way. And they are already things that I am doing!

Start Journaling

Journaling has been a part of my life since as far back as I can remember, high school at least (and that is a long time ago for me)! I love colourful patterned notebooks and offer several options in my shop, namely blank, dotted or lined.

Get a Planner

I have been using a planner for 2 years now and I cannot say how freeing it is to have everything written down. My mind is free of the worry that I have forgotten to do something or that I will not have time to do the things I need to do. It took some time to get into the habit, I must admit, but now that I am using my planners regularly I am so much more efficient!

Create a Bucket List

Everyone needs to dream. Bucket Lists are a wonderful way to imagine what you want in life and then when you are in the throes of hard work, you remember what it is all for! I keep adding to my Bucket List as life unfolds and I am more aware of what I truly want for myself.

Try a Brain Exercise or Do a Puzzle

When I saw this one listed I nearly laughed. Puzzles and brain challenges are my jam. Doctors agree that word or number games exercise unused parts of the brain, so I am banking on that! My game of choice is something called Blackout Poetry.

You simply start with book page and look for random words that make sense together. I love a good fun challenge. I have made vintage book pages into notebooks for this purpose and I fill them to exercise my creativity.

Start Making Goals

When your dreams and Bucket Lists are written down in your journal, and your planner is begging for you to fill your time efficiently, you will find that you want to set some long-term goals to work towards. These goals can be big lofty, I’m-gonna-get-there-someday goals, or they can be goals that are easily achieved during the week. Either way, writing them down allows them to be in front of your face regularly, making them more likely to attain. As well, setting these goals allows you to break them down into manageable and doable steps that you will portion out in your planner.

Learn Something New

This one can be a stretch, but it is always worth it. A couple of years ago I set out to learn the art of calligraphy. I bought books, watched YouTube videos, took a few online classes, then practiced and practiced and practiced. I used my journals for this daily practice and it is so rewarding to look back to see where I have come from. Finding every chance I could to do calligraphy ensured that I didn’t get bored of just writing random words. I lettered quotes, phrases, poems, and even did Bible journaling using this new skill. I cannot say I have arrived, but I have definitely progressed to where I am happy with my calligraphy.

So, do you partake in any of these activities that are said to enrich your mind?

This is my challenge to you…

Cutest Ever Library Pockets

February 7, 2019

Do you remember when you were a kid and it was Library Day at school? If you are like me, it was the best day ever! Not only did you get a break from the seat work in class, but it was so exciting to browse shelf after shelf of stories that would take you anywhere you wanted to go. Now, I may come off a bit nerdy here, but as much as I enjoyed a good story, I was also intrigued by the little library pocket at the back of the book. It always looked so perfectly important there, all official and organized, protecting the card holding all the names of the previous readers who enjoyed this very story. I used to check the pocket to see if anyone ever left something in the there (no, but I was always curious and hopeful) and every once in a while I would store my bookmark in that pocket until I started reading the book.

That little pocket made enough of an impression on me that I still hold the memory as an adult. So now, when I am creating items for my Etsy shop, and my goal is to make useful and beautiful things, the idea for a library pocket pops into my head. Even though the ones you’ll find in library books (only the old ones of course as now everything has gone to a digital scanning system) are so cute and tiny, I decided to make these ones long and sturdy.

This past spring, Hubby and I went on our Bucket List trip to Italy. There were 6 stops on our adventure and for each one we had collected all kinds of paper to keep us organized on track - and that was even before we left home! We had AirBnB reservations, train tickets, event bookings, restaurant suggestions, maps, itineraries, and ‘must do’ lists for each destination city that we were to visit. So, in a moment of need mixed with nostalgia, I had the idea to make a long library pocket to hold all of the pertinent pieces for each of the 6 towns on our list.

I simply adhered one pocket in my travel journal every few pages (left blank for documenting the daily goings on while on our actual trip) to not only indicate the order of our trip, but to store and keep handy all of the important papers that we had to produce when we arrived at the next town on our list. Then, when needed, I knew exactly where to go to find the address for the AirBnB. It turned out to be a brilliant idea!

Each of the pockets is fashioned from recycled shopping bags. Not only does this offer a unique and varied characteristic to my journal, but the shopping bag paper is much sturdier than regular paper, making it durable and able to stand up to me reaching in to pull things out and then return them over and over again. And in a world where recycling is a household word now, I figure I am doing good by the environment to use up these pretty bags!

Perhaps you are not going on a trip anytime soon but you are intrigued with this library pocket idea. No worries, there are many other uses for them as well. They could be used in a baby book to hold birth stories or hospital information for new moms. They could hold love letters or pen pal letters (I know people still do that kind of thing because I’ve seen it on Instagram). They’re great in a scrapbook to keep archival documents that are too fragile to be glued in or that need to be read on both sides. And, if you love making lists, they could even hold the weekly shopping list on your fridge for you!

So, if you are interested, I’d love for you to go check out my Etsy shop at rePaperedShop.

I’d even love it if you were to leave me a comment here telling me your idea for how to use one of these lovely long library pockets. Or, perhaps you’d like to share your memory of the good ‘ole Library Days from your childhood - I’d love that too!

Album Flip Through | Last Days of Summer 2018

September 14, 2018

I finally started a YouTube channel. I’ll admit it has taken me a while to get started.

So to cut to the chase, I have recorded a video walkthrough of the little mini book I created from the Marcy Penner Mini Book Workshop offered through Studio Calico. It’s raw. It’s long. The fighting is not stellar. But I will get better at doing them, and it’s a start right?

So enjoy!

Thanks for watching!

And I would love to hear your thoughts in the Comments below…