Tuesday, November 3, 2015

The "Process Art" in Scrapbooking

I bet every Scrapbooker out there occasionally experiences this feeling: there is a good chance that the bulk of their finished product will go unnoticed, not shared with others and literally collect dust on the shelf. Trust me, I have felt this way many times and can't help but wonder if some of the albums that I spent hours creating won't really be looked at until after I am 6 feet under. Sounds a bit macabre I know, and I am not trying to feel sorry for myself, just realistic.
So after all these years, why do I continue to Scrapbook? Simply put: I enjoy it...the whole process as much as the end result.

Creativity inspired: Tools of the Trade

I
enjoy trying new techniques, new products and it is such a terrific way to display the best of the best of your photographs. Also, when I taught pre-school several years ago, I became familiar with the concept of "process art" in comparison to looking only at the end "product". Little ones delight in the tactile feel of finger painting, for example. As Scrapbookers, I believe we need to keep this concept in mind so we can enjoy the process fully. For a better understanding of this concept and how it affects us as Scrapbookers, look at Wikipedia's definition of "Process Art":

"Process art is an artistic movement as well as a creative sentiment where the end product of art and craft, the objet d'art, is not the principal focus. The 'process' in process art refers to the process of the formation of art: the gathering, sorting, collating, associating, patterning, and moreover the initiation of actions and proceedings. Process art is concerned with the actual doing and how actions can be defined as an actual work of art; seeing the art as pure human expression. Process art often entails an inherent motivation, rationale, and intentionality. Therefore, art is viewed as a creative journey or process, rather than as a deliverable or end product." Wikipedia, 2015

That is something I like to keep in mind on those days I get discouraged that this is a "creative journey". Part of that journey is remembering the delight we take in putting albums together. The sensory delights of this hobby include the feel of thick card-stock paper, the textures of embossed designs and OH the many colors to mix and match. It is truly amazing, for example, that there are so many variations just on the color of green.

So enjoy the journey and try to remember that the process itself is just as important, if not more so, than the end result. There is value for a Scrapbooker in remembering the wise adage: