One comment in one of my recent posts hit a very sensitive spot. Are there really no talented scrappers? Are we really all the same as long as we are happy with the result? I guess we can have different opinions, but I certainly don't agree with that affirmation.
Scrabooking or cardmaking are crafts and, as such, have two main elements creativity and accomplishment. Within the creativity I enclose the originating idea and the design, when I say accomplishment I mean the quality and finish of the end product.
In my honest opinion, there is such a thing as a talented scrapper or great cardmaker. The one who has the whole package: the one who is creative, has a good eye for design and colour, and finishes the project beautifully -for example, no wonky lines and images stamped properly. The crafter who uses several techniques, use different layout designs, colours that match beautifully, is a talented one even though he/she may use sketches for inspiration, or not have invented the technique, although that might be a big plus.
Sometimes it is hard to appreciate it over the internet. Once I met in real life one cardmaker I had admired for quite a while through her blog. Her designs were beautiful -still are- but the card was all wonky, double sided tape showing a bit here and there, just badly finsihed. In that moment, I realized that her photographic habilities and photoshop skills were more impressive than her papercrafting ones. I still consider her a great designer, but not so much as a great cardmaker as for me is not the whole package.
We often tend to think that anything that is related to creativity can only be judged subjectively. I actually think that is wrong. One should always be able to see what is good even though is not to our taste, or know that something is bad even though we may like it or be to our taste.
But, going back to the comment that sparked me to do this post, I think what it meant is that all of this is not important if you are doing cards or layouts as a hobby. Cardmaking or scrapbooking is not a competition to see who is the greatest, but rather a way to spent time doing lovely things and improving ones skills. It is like any other hobby.
The important is to enjoy the process. And I, for one, totally agree with that!
PS: For this card I used a PaperArtsy stamp, alcohol inks and gold leaf.
And, for the record, I do not consider myself the whole package. I do tend to stay in my comfort zone too often when it comes to colours, design and techniques, like I tend to use too much monochrome colour schemes. And I have too many wonky lines! I have many more issues but I wont divulge any more publicly!
3 comments:
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Fascinating to hear your thoughts on this topic Paula. I've never seen it in terms of creativity and accomplishment before. Like yourself, I see that there are principles and practices which in the hands of a talented person produces a project which is stunning. If you are a hobbyist in art and craft, I agree, rules be damned, just enjoy yourself and paint outside the lines etc. I know I have my own style and tastes and yes, very accomplished creative people produce work which I'm not keen on because it doesn't fit my ideas however I can still appreciate their talent. I applaud those differences. It teaches me to look at how I create in a new perspective. Or I can take their ideas and tweak them to fit mine. Haha, oops its becoming a long winded rant. Sorry haha. Short of it is - I agree with you and thanks for sharing that. Px
I don't disagree, despite my earlier comment - which I stand by - if the creator is happy wiith the creation, then it is a personal masterpiece. But I do strongly believe that in scrapping particularly, the end result has only to please you (the creator). If your work is for public display (and therefore unavoidably for public critique) then levels of finish and care in technique are required, and without digital help to iron out flaws that can be easily avoided in my opinion. But in the same vein - just because it's a well executed example of some design principle or perfect colour placement, or because it's neat and even straight (!), doesn't mean that the LO or card is great. Just well observed and beautifully rendered. On that basis, I disagree with you, I think these particular crafts are in a very subjective arena. Ably illustrated by the 'in my opinion' that could be added at the end of each of my sentences. Again, in scrapbooking in particular, we musn't forget that the idea surely, is to enhance/celebrate the story told by the photographs? And then there is no issue - an album full of plastic sleeved photos is as much a thing of beuty to the owner as all the scrapbook pages that we treasure.
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