Small stuff. Anyone who knows me even a little understands that I *so* sweat the small stuff. I don't mean to. It's just a personality quirk, I suppose. Some minor thing goes wrong, and I'm a mess. For days. It's quite annoying. I get that little things don't matter. I really do. I lay in bed at night stressing and analyzing. I can't fall asleep. It can be anything. A simple comment made at work. Wording in an e-mail. The finishing touches I need to make on a scrapbook page, a manuscript, anything. Small stuff drives me crazy. And, sometimes, I think I miss out on the big stuff because I'm paying too much attention to the little things that shouldn't matter.
Dan & I went out the Coralville Lake yesterday to take some portraits...I needed a few good ones (at least one!) for an upcoming project. The weather was beautiful, and I was really happy to have some quieter time with Dan. It really allowed me to let go & de-stress, and forget about the small stuff for a little while. In between shots (or while Dan was perfecting his lighting)...I was just goofing. It was so great. Dan caught some silly moments on film (or should I say, on digital?):
And, of course, I turned the camera on the two of us:
I love these shots. They capture the silly me, the real, I'm-not-obsessing-over-dumb-things-right-now me. Happy me. This is the me that loves life. This is the me that loves the man I'm going to marry. This is the me that loves to play.
I love it when scrapbookers learn from each other. I love it when books change me, and when classes open my eyes to new ways of thinking. This is what I love about Big Picture Scrapbooking. Over the past several months, I've taken several BPS classes. (I also had the priviledge of attending a few of Stacy Julian's classes in person this past March. And if you haven't read Stacy's book yet, I don't know what you're waiting for!) Big Picture Scrapbooking has taught me the value of capturing life's little moments in my scrapbooks. My silly moments. Moments like these. Do these outtake, silly, crazy photos belong in my scrapbooks? Yes.
As most of you know, I've always focused my scrapbook pages on relationships and emotions. Holiday layouts are last on my list to create. So when Big Picture Scrapbooking launched, I was so excited. I felt like--at last--there was a resource for people who scrapped the way I did. I've been scrapbooking this way for a long time. And I've been teaching it for awhile myself, both locally in Iowa City, as well as in my writing. But I love how much this site has unexpectedely taught me. I've learned about color and how I emotionally respond to it. This caused me to completely redecorate parts of my home, pick out different clothes in the morning, and paint and scrap in new color combinations. I've learned that I'm innately creative, and that all I have to do is be open to the possibilites. I've learned to create art just for me, and just for the sake of creating. I've learned to love the process of creating, and not just the final product. (And as a scrapbooker who is constantly working to meet various deadlines...this was pretty great!) I've learned to play.
Of course, I've picked up some design tips along the way, and I've made some wonderful gifts and projects. But, really--truly, and I know this sounds silly--Big Picture Scrapbooking has made me a happier person. Stacy Julian, Paula Wessels, Kayce Rehn, and the rest of the BPS team are not just excited about scrapbooking. They are excited about life. And this is why they scrapbook. Not to organize photos. Not to capture each and every holiday. To celebrate life. Their families. Their hobbies. Them. This excitement is infectious. And I've caught it.
I know I sound a little silly right now. But those of you who know me well will get it. I'm a person who stresses a lot. Deadlines. Details. Small stuff. A person who sometimes forgets to smile. To learn to find time to create, laugh, and believe in myself? Well, it's a pretty big deal. I wouldn't have thought it could come in the form of a scrapbooking class. But it did.
So to Stacy, Paula, Kayce, and the rest of the BPS team and all of its teachers...thank you. This is scrapbooking at its best, folks--with a little bit of patterned paper on the side. So what are you waiting for? Get in the picture.
And, so now, it's time to head to bed. Finally able to rest tonight. Life is good.
Finally, to those of you who are wondering, we did finally get a good shot in the midst of all the silly photos. And, yes, I'll scrap this one, too: