Find Your Groove

 

Second to my love of scrapbooking comes my joy of reading the latest scrapbook magazines and new idea books.  I simply cannot wait to get them home and dig in.  Yesterday, I found a great book that I read cover-to-cover in just a few hours.  Find Your Groove: A Guide to Discovering Your Scrapbook Style by Kitty Foster and Wendy McKeehan, is a must have for anyone searching for their "scrapbook style."

I feel fortunate that after years dedicated to this craft, I've identified my style (feminine and vintage chic - defined in the book as Shabby).  For me, the book really reinforced what I already knew and gave me increased confidence in my style.  Through the years, I've talked with many friends who were afraid to pick up scrapbooking because they "weren't creative" or couldn't complete pages that looked as good as the magazines.  This book proves that none of that matters (see excerpt below). 

Your Style is Based on Your Tastes - pg. 50:

With all the discussion about product and styles we tend to forget one crucial element, ourselves.  We are focused on others; on what they do, on what the newest papers look like, what the latest embellishment craze is or what is the hip trend that everyone is following.  What we really need to do is focus inward.  We need to figure out what motivates us in the first place (story, photos, products, techniques, etc.).  When it comes to developing our own style, what matters most is finding out who we are, what we like and what we dislike.  Developing a personal style is not copying someone else's style.  Developing a personal style is finding out who you are and what makes your work the extension of your personality.  There's nothing wrong with being influenced by others, or even duplicating (i.e. scraplifting) them as part of the learning process.  But the goal is to take it a step further and add that special something that is original.  It takes time to develop a personal style.  

As the authors say, when you find your niche, everything comes easier.  Finding your natural style allows creativity to flow and your pages to come together almost effortlessly.  Whether you need to define your style or just confirm the one you already know, this book is worth picking up.