Hi everybody and Happy Monday! If you have been living under a rock or perhaps in space, underwater, or in the middle of nowhere, this past weekend was International Scrapbooking Day (Weekend!) My head is still spinning from the challenges, process videos, discussions, and contests that could be found everywhere. The problem I see with that is that it is really great for a weekend and now, today, we have the day after hangover so to speak. We got inundated with creativity and amazing work for three straight days and now....back to business as usual. Which is great but wouldn't it be wonderful to keep that momentum going? Wouldn't it be great to stay in that creative mindset even though the event is over? So...I put together five tips for maintaining the momentum using the resources we gained this past weekend.
1. Use the Challenges. Just because the deadlines are over and the prizes awarded doesn't mean that those challenges aren't amazing places to start. Choose a few of those challenges that you really enjoyed or that really inspired you and do them again. Even add a new twist or combine two together. Not for a prize but to create an amazing product.
2. Go Back to the Boards. Many of those challenges were posted on Facebook which meant that everyone who wanted to participate had to attach their layout submission to that topic post. Glancing through today, I noticed that there were over 20-30 submissions for each challenge. Now that is what I call inspiration waiting to happen! Go back to those posts and browse all of the amazing work that was submitted. Scraplift...can inspiration...and keep your creativity in top condition!
3. Maintain Communication. How many connections did you make with people over the past weekend? There were numerous opportunities to network, do Google Hangouts, interact with live streaming, and Skype. Keep those connections open and plan more! Just because the weekend is over doesn't mean you can't reach out to some of those people and suggest more meet-ups, hangouts, or discussions. There are many, many people out there who don't have scrappy friends nearby that are always looking for people to chat with, bounce ideas off of, and build new friendships with!
4. Just Keep Swimming. It sounds obvious but don't pack up your supplies thinking "well, another scrapbooking day come and gone" or "all cleaned up until the first weekend of May next year." Right now, you might feel tired and drained but you are also in a great place to keep working and creating. You have seen new things, tried new ideas, and experimented with products you might not have used before. Don't just pack up and consider it done....keep playing with those ideas! Keep creating!!
5. Explore New Inspiration. You might even be feeling like you used up your entire year's worth of creativity this weekend and have nothing left! Never fear, there is constantly new inspiration out there. Treat yourself to a purchase to replace all of those supplies that you used up this weekend or put together a new stash kit that you are excited to use. Visit some new You Tube channels (you can find me here) or Instagram accounts for the new artists you learned about this weekend.
I hope that these five tips will help you keep motivated and created. Please leave a comment below if you have another tip to share on how to maintain creative momentum! If not, we can always hope that the industry decides we need more than one world scrapbooking event a year! Happy Crafting!!!
Great tips!
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