What are the things that fill up your life-energy bucket or tank, so that you can love, give and serve with a full heart?

 Are you currently making time for these things?
Could you make an appointment with yourself next week and go “fill-er up?”

Don’t put this one off – it’s no fun running on empty!

Projects: Scrapbook in a Box

This holds 20 pictures, 3.75 or smaller

Doing the opposite of what's expected of you ~~ by Ali Edwards

This past week I was talking with my friend Liz Lamoreux about an upcoming weekend retreat we are planning for the fall. She asked me what I wanted to teach and the first thing that popped into my head was anything that had nothing to do with words and photos. Because she's my friend and because she's a fellow creative and because she gets where I'm coming from and knows my story, Liz totally encouraged me to embrace that feeling.

If you've read much of my stuff over the past years you know I'm all about the words and photos.

And I still am.

But I'm also about fun. And play. And getting messy. And challenging myself. And doing something outside my comfort zone. And making mistakes and learning through the process. And using that awesome combination of head, hands and heart to make something from seemingly nothing.

I haven't had a chance to act just yet on that conversation with Liz, but I will. And I'm excited about it.

I'm also excited to investigate creative ways to get the words, the photos and the mess all together in one place. Thinking about that inspired me to create a layout I posted on my blog today.

When was the last time you did the opposite of what someone expected of you creatively?

If it's been awhile, what would that look like? Could you do it without getting caught up in the results or trying to make it perfect?

This week I hope you give yourself the gift of trying something new, of doing the opposite of what's expected of you, of getting outside your comfort zone, of being willing to make a mistake for the pure joy that comes from the process of taking action.

SOME PAST POSTS FROM ME THAT MIGHT UPLIFT YOU THIS WEEK:

Working Through Creative Fear

Breaking Out Of A Creative Rut

Getting Real : Thoughts On Creativity & Scrapbooking

20 Scrapbooking Tips

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. 

These person's have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern.

Beautiful people do not just happen.

~~ unknown

12 Topics: Personality

Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit, into that big black space where the audience is.
~~ Mae West

Personality:  The combination of essential characteristics or qualities that form an individual distinctive character.  The sum total of physical, mental, emotional and social characteristics of an individual.

A personality is a unique as a fingerprint and the very thing that we most need to document about the people we love.  Yes, you already have a "people" topic, which should be viewed as an opportunity to scrapbook an array of individuals in your immediate and extended family, as well as friends and people you admire.  Certainly "personality will shine through on those pages, but for the people you scrapbook in an ongoing way, there is more digging and documenting to be done, and that effort is in excavating and celebrating personality.

WIth this topic, we are attempting to notice and record the totality of behavioral and emotional aspects in those you love the most.  You are to describe moods, attitiudes, opinions, motivations, and style of thinking, perceiving, speaking and acting.  Personality is something that continues to be shaped and refined our world.  But yet if you are the parent to more than one child, you know that each child comes to earth with a distinct dispostion and makeup.  Pay attention to the the details and use both your pen and your camera to pay tribute to the special, unrepeatable and exclusively uncommon traits, quirks, features and foibles of those closest to you...

And do it with personality.

12 Topics: Personality by Stacey Julian

"There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting."
~L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

It is personality that endears us to beloved fictional characters, like Anne Shirley.

This week we focus on better acknowledging, capturing and describing the personality of people we love and scrapbook for regularly. Begin by listening to the audio message posted below (31 minutes long) and prepare yourself to become the roving reporter in your own home and family. We’re going to uncover the whole story and expose (in a good way of course) the characters that live and breathe with you—and yes, this includes YOU!

I’ve bulleted your weekly tasks and included a reference to the exercises and assignments I issue in the audio message.

• Spend time with your personal set-up. Look through your inspiration file, read your drafted topic lists and add new ideas as they come to you.
• Print and read the Personality handout, posted below and on the Handouts page.
• Print the “Personality Plus” PDF that contains hundreds of adjectives to use in your descriptive journaling on personality pages!
• Take at least one good personality photo of each person in your immediate family.
• Invite someone to take one or more personality photos of you.
• Photograph in detail the personal workspace or bedroom of at least one member of your family. Visit the classroom blog for an example!
• Spend some time scrolling through recent digital images, looking for and tagging great personality pictures.
• Take and score the free personality test HERE.
• If you have children, help them take and score the free personality test HERE.
• Do something FUN to celebrate the different personalities in your home!
• Share your ideas and insights on the 12 Topics message board

I’ve spent the last few weeks reading up on personality, so that I could share some ideas and resources with you in your quest for better character development as a storyteller. I’ve long been a fan of the free Myers Briggs type tests that I linked to in the welcome message. I first participated with this universally accepted approach to better understanding your personality when the Simple Scrapbooks editorial team attended a two-day seminar. To be frank, I was shocked and amazed at how our team benefitted from this training and putting into practice the things we learned about each other and our preferences around gathering information and making decisions. I have since administered the personality type indicator to my husband and all of my older children. You can learn much more about the Myers & Briggs foundation at myersbriggs.org, but essentially it is an understandable application of psychological types described by C.G. Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist born in 1875. The gist of Jung’s theory is that much seemingly random variation in behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment. Again, if you’re interested in diving in deeper, visit myersbriggs.org.

Personality as we use it in telling personal stories is essentially the intrinsic differences in our makeup that remain stable throughout most of our life. We may alter our appearances, start new hobbies, change our circle of friends or switch our political opinions or religious views but our personalities and preferred ways of processing information are likely to remain pretty much the same. Person

I love the quote by José Ortega y Gasset (a proponent of perspectivism) which says, “Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are.” Which brings me to your first assignment this week – I want YOU to become the roving reporter in your own home. Print and read the personality handout and then go “under cover” to discover and record as many specific details as you can about at least one member of your family. Start by scrolling through recent digital images (go back a year or two) look for photos that depict this person engaged in activities unique to them. Look for images that capture facial expressions and other evidence of personality (like clothing, toys, tools, books, etc.) that you could use as evidence in presenting their personality case. Pay attention to what they pay attention to. Sneak into their bedroom or workplace and take pictures of the details that reveal their interests and habits. Conduct several “interviews” with this person and be as surreptitious as you’d like—in other words, pose questions in the context of regularly conversations, working to get personal statements that reveal their unique take on the world.

As a side note, I’m all for bribery. I find a trip to Dairy Queen can get me lots of information! Just be sure to record what you learn in your notebook or journal. It’s actually crazy how much time we spend with those we love and yet how seldom we engage them in self-disclosure. Most importantly, have FUN with this assignment. Naturally, you can attempt to gather information for more than one person, but I find that I’m more successful when I focus on just one family member for a few days at a time!
ality records the emotions, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, values, habits, perceptions and preferences of a person.

Now, back to a more formal discussion of personality from the standpoint of psychology—primarily because I believe a quick review will help you pick up on important traits and preferences as you experience them in your undercover work! There are five personality traits, often referred to as “The Big Five” that physicians and counselors and other professionals refer to where measuring personality. As I share these traits with you, I’ll also share the rating I received on a recent evaluation. Since you’re at least somewhat familiar with my personality, this will give you a reference point.

The first is extraversion, which is characterized by positive emotions, and the tendency to seek out stimulation and the company of others. The trait is marked by pronounced engagement with the external world. Extraverts enjoy being with people, and are often perceived as full of energy. My rating for extraversion is 3.8. The average person is 0.4 less points extraverted than you. Introverts lack the social exuberance and activity levels of extraverts. They tend to seem quiet, low-key, deliberate, and less involved in the social world. Their lack of social involvement should not be interpreted as shyness or depression. Introverts simply need less stimulation than extraverts and more time alone. They may be very active and energetic, simply not socially.
The second trait is agreeableness as a tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others. This trait reflects individual differences in general concern for social harmony. Agreeable individuals value getting along with others. My rating for agreeableness is 4.0. The average person is 0.2 less points agreeable than you. Agreeable people tend to have an optimistic view of human nature. They believe people are basically honest, decent and trustworthy. Disagreeable individuals place self-interest above getting along with others. They are generally less concerned with others’ well-being, and are less likely to extend themselves for other people. Sometimes their skepticism about others’ motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly, and uncooperative.

Trait #3 is conscientiousness, the tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement against measures or outside expectations. The trait shows a preference for planned rather than spontaneous behavior. It influences the way in which we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. My rating for conscientiousness is 3.1. The average person is 0.6 more points conscientious than you. I sometimes drive members of my family crazy, because it takes effort for me to want to plan the details of the day – I like to leave some room open for impulse.

The fourth trait is neuroticism, which is the tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or depression. It is sometimes called emotional instability. Those who score high in neuroticism are emotionally reactive and more vulnerable to stress. My rating for neuroticism is 2.6. The average person is 0.1 more points neurotic than you. At the other end of the scale, individuals who score low in neuroticism are less easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. They tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings. Freedom from negative feelings does not mean that low scorers experience a lot of positive feelings – it simply means they are less vulnerable to negative ones and less likely to react in an emotional way. Everyone that I’ve worked with knows I cry in business meetings. My emotions are close to the surface!!

And finally, the fifth personality trait is openness or a general appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity, and variety of experience. People who are open to experience are intellectually curious, appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty. They tend to be, compared to closed people, more creative and more aware of their feelings. They are more likely to hold unconventional beliefs. My rating for openness is 4.3. The average person is 1.2 less points open to experience than you. People with low scores on openness tend to have more conventional, traditional interests. They prefer the plain, straightforward, and obvious over the complex, ambiguous, and subtle. They may regard the arts and sciences with suspicion or even view these endeavors as uninteresting.

If you want to take the same free “Big FIVE” personality assessment that I took, visit www.outofservice.com/bigfive.

Extensive research has been done into nearly every area of human behavior based on these five personality traits. As you might guess, there are some gender differences that have emerged across cultures. For example, women consistently report higher neuroticism and agreeableness, and men often report higher extroversion and conscientiousness. Gender differences in personality traits are largest in prosperous, healthy, and egalitarian cultures in which women have more opportunities that are equal to those of men. Both men and women tend to grow more extraverted and conscientious and less neurotic and agreeable as cultures grow more prosperous and egalitarian, but the effect is stronger for men.

Conclusions about personality traits and birth order are many, but they are also inconclusive. There are scholars that hold to the idea that first-born children tend to me more conscientious and agreeable than later-born children, but genetics far outweigh birth order in these traits.

Newer research does show evidence for a maturation effect. On average, levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness typically increase with time, whereas extraversion, neuroticism, and openness tend to decrease. In addition to these general group effects, there are individual differences: different people demonstrate unique patterns of change at all stages of life – which in the context of personality exploration should seem obvious, hey?

Ok … enough of scientific research, let’s move on to your other assignment this week. There is a very plain, but highly useful PDF posted in the classroom. It is called, Personality Plus and it is a LONG list (399 to be exact) of alphabetized adjectives—words you can use to help you describe the personality of people you love. Scrapbookers are known for our overuse of words like cute and fun, so I thought I’d put some effort into the opportunity you have for much more compelling descriptions. I’m inviting you to print this list, hole-punch it and keep it with your other handouts, as a reference. Beyond that, you might print additional copies to play with. What if you read and highlighted one list for you, your spouse and/or your children—mark those words that describe each

Was mother right? If you can’t say something nice, don’t say something at all? It’s certainly true that we’re not all nice all the time, so I encourage you to familiarize yourself with this collection of useful words … I’m one who believes honesty can be achieved in the context of positive affirmation. In other words, you can throw in a few “less positive” traits as you take a more comprehensive view of people. I might use the following words to describe myself: warm, talkative, cheerful, demanding, distractible, impulsive, intelligent and impatient – since they’re not all bad, you get a much more authentic view of my traits. And if you’re like me in your neuroticism, you’ll want to be sure NOT to work with the Personality Plus list if you’re in an emotionally reactive mood. That just wouldn’t be fair!

The important thing is to observe and value the behaviors that stay with a person consistently over time and throughout a variety of circumstances. These persistent patterns, personality traits, are stable and consistent in a variety of situations, and truly define one individual from the next and what a boring world it would be if we were all the same!

As I send you off to contemplate the intricacies of personality, remember that we are all approaching this class from a unique place. Please don’t compare your efforts with others in class and please grant yourself the acceptance to be different in your objectives, adaptations and results.

That would be truly BIG!h family member and create a ready-list of words to choose from on various pages. For a child, it might be fun to pair two or three personality pictures with a list of adjectives matching their age. I’m anxious to hear your ideas for utilizing this list! And btw, I gathered many if not most of these words from an English as a second language site. I chuckled when I read the following “Important Note” –

Take care using negative adjectives, as some people may be very offended if you use these words to describe them! In most situations it is much safer to use a neutral adjective if you can't think of anything positive to say about someone!

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.
~~~  MFK Fisher

Standing at the kitchen counter, gulping down that quick cup of coffee and piece of toast, then rushing off to work oran appointment.  Lunch may be a packaged of processed food we microwave and eat at the desk or an all too familiar fast food hamburger.  Dinner...do we even have time?

Even the simplist food can seem like a feast, when we set the table, gather friends or family, and sit down to eat together.  We share our joys and fears, as we share our food,  We communicate.

Today, I choose to make one meal an occassion.  I won't skimp.  I will sit at the table, I will  use real silverware and a cloth napkin.  I might even light a candle.

Organizing - a way to keep track

 Make 52 file folders, each for a week in the year.

 Staple to do lists, menus, events in advance.

Dream of being this organized

A dish rack, used to hold file folders, projects, books, etc....

Project: Scrapbook in a box - Ballerina

This scrapbook in a box was made for a dancer friend of mine.

 

The ribbon that is on top of the box, is a hair ribbon from a costume that she wore, when she was 4 years old.

There are tags and a match book to journal on, and it will hold up to 16 pictures.

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.
Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.
~~  White Elk

I may not be rich or famous.
And I may not be important to anyone other than our friends and family.
Still, that's enough.  We each hoave our oown legacy to build.

How do I want my friends and family to remember me?
What do they think of me today?

The difference between these two statements, is what I need to do with the time I have left.

The Psychology of Color

It is better to offer no excuse, than a bad one.
~~  Drill SGT Davis, July 1985

We all make mistakes. 

The problem isn't that we make mistakes, but the lengths to which we go to defend ourselves when we make them.  However deep the hole that making the mistake has put us in, it just gets deeper the more we try to explain ourselves.  If we would simply say, "I was wrong." and move on, we wouldn't waste so much of out time and energy, and the people around us would respect us more.

Today I choose, to try to calmly admit my mistakes I make, and move on.

33 Ways to stay creative

There are many simple, wonderful experieinces readily accessable to us everyday. 

A few minutes to listen to a favorite piece of music, reading a favorite book, or writing in a journal can be more pleasurable and fulfilling that activities requiring much more extravagant expenditures of our time and money.

Today, I choose to allow myself a few moments of pleasure and peace today.  Maybe I'll go to the gym, or visit my favorite bookstore or craft store.  Or maybe I will sit quietly and just enjoy the peace and quiet.  What ever I choose to do, I'll make sure to experience it fully.

Project: Table Decorations

This was created using Cricut Cartridge Mickey and Friends, and covering a few boxes. 
The design was flipped , and adhered to both the front and the back to cover the dowel.

Humor is our way of defending ourselves from life's absurdities by thinking absurdly about them.
~~ Lewis Mumford

There is almost nothing that can't be helped with a helathy does of humor.  We could speak in anger and frustration about our relationships, work, politics, or even the world in general.

But it's alot more fun - and useful - to laugh instead.

Taking life with a dose of humor can relieve stress, improve moods, help us cope with change, and put things into a clearer perspective.

Instead of being annoyed, today I choose, to look for the humor in whatever it is that is threatening to irrittate me.

It is easy to say soemthing nice, and even easier to neglect to do so.

We glow when someone tells us a compliment, showing us how much we are appreciated.
But in our busy daily rush, we don't always think to pass on such kindness onto others.

Oday, I choose to offer kind words to others as often as I can.

10 THOUGHTS ON LIVING IN THE PRESENT & DOCUMENTING IT TOO by Ali Edwards

A big piece of my creative experience is documenting daily life.

Over the years I've found that daily-life documentation (not literally documenting every single day, but an emphasis on those stories) has helped me make sense of my life. Through the process of photographing, writing, creating and then reflecting, I've learned so much about who I am, what I care about, what motivates me, and which stories are really most meaningful to me. I've also learned that all those processes are important – especially the reflecting. I've come to the conclusion that the reflection piece is just as essential as the photographing or the writing because it's through reflecting that I really learn.

As many of you know, those everyday stories are my passion. The things my kids say, my thoughts on my life at this point in time, our routines – all these little things that make up the actual bulk of our existence -those are the stories I most want to include in my memory keeping efforts.

A big part of daily life documentation is figuring out how to be present while capturing those wonderful stories and images. As you'll read below, sometimes I want to be an observer and other times I want to be a participant and other times I want to experience a dance between the two.

The following 10 Tips offer encouragement for you to be in the present moment even while you are documenting an experience:

1. BE AWARE. Simply acknowledge that you want to be more present in the moment even when you are documenting it is the first step. This simple bit of self-knowledge will lead you to making better decisions in the moment. For me, living in the moment and documenting my life experiences are two very important pieces of my life. Being aware will also help you in setting yourself up for success - having somewhere to jot down stories or conversations (a notepad or app on your phone), having your camera accessible, etc.

2. PARTICIPANT & OBSERVER. During all moments of our lives we have choices. When you are in the process of documenting something with your camera it’s possible to be a participant or an observer of the situation (and you can switch back and forth between the two). I find that making a conscious choice, such as right now I’ll be a participant and now I’ll be an observer, can make a major difference in how you approach the story. Basically it’s giving yourself clear permission to be one or the other at any given time.

3. LISTEN. Listen to your inner voice. Does it say to put the camera down? Does it say you need more of less content (more/less words, more/less photos). Be respectful and trust that inner voice. Listening is also critical for discovering stories. Listening is also critical for discovering stories that might be important to you. I'm always overhearing things my kids say and jotting those bits down on journaling cards. I also listen for patterns. Things they are saying, things I'm saying, etc.

4. BECOME SEAMLESS. My goal is to not have my camera, or the fact that I’m documenting a moment, get in the way or be a distraction. When it gets distracting (for myself or others) I put it down and I’ll try again in a bit. I don’t nag with my camera, I capture things as they are happening and every once in awhile I’ll ask my kids in a kind, calm voice to look at me if I want a specific photo of them looking at the camera.

5. LOOK THROUGH THE LENS & WELCOME THE EMOTION. This past week I got to have lunch with my daughter at her school on her birthday. Students are welcomed to invite their family to have lunch with them on their special day and sit up on the stage in the cafeteria. As her school was singing “Happy Birthday” I walked down off the stage to take a few photos of her up on the stage. Behind the lens my eyes were welling up. I saw her and her brother and our dear friend Katie up on the stage. I saw Anna’s little face beaming with joy. I heard the kids softly singing. I flashed back over the last three years in an instant. Being present in the moment is totally possible even when you are behind the lens. My experience of that moment was no less than if I would have been sitting up there with her on the stage. In fact, in this instance, I’d argue that my experience was actually enhanced by having my camera in hand to capture this moment on her standing on the stage. When I write this story I will also include other moments of that experience that I didn’t photograph – how fun it was to see her go through the daily lunch routine (taking turns, cleaning off her plate, placing her glass in the tub, etc).

6. LEARN & PRACTICE. Learn about your camera so you aren’t messing with it as you are trying to be both present and capture pieces of your life. Develop a set of go-to settings or techniques for yourself. Practice documenting everyday stuff. The more you do it the more adept you will become at it and the more seamless the whole experience will be. You can also practice the fine art of focusing on the present moment without comparing it to the past or the future. Work on savoring moments for what they are vs. your expectations.

7. QUICK DECISIONS. As you learn more about your camera and your own personal style of documentation you will become more comfortable and confident and be able to make quicker decisions about when and what to photograph. You can also use the idea of quick decisions to bring yourself back to the present moment when you find yourself distracted. Come back by simply asking yourself “what’s happening right now?” or taking a deep breath and silently breathing out the word “now.”

8. NO REGRETS. No stress, guilt, etc about what you don’t capture as you document your day. If you miss something, take it as a lesson for the future and work towards that next time. Use reflection, the art of looking back, to help you make different decisions next time.

9. REMEMBER THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO CAPTURE EVERYTHING. The more you do everyday documentation projects, the more comfortable you will become with the process and you’ll stop getting caught up in feeling like you have to capture everything. “Everything” is simply too much.

10. TAKE ONE OR TWO PHOTOS AND THEN PUT THE CAMERA DOWN. What if you stopped trying to capture the perfect image and really limited the number of photos you take. Even if that photo was imperfect it could still be used to help you tell a story.

LINKS

• Life Becomes Picturesque: Facebook And The Claude Glass via The Society Pages
• Technology Is Great But Are We Forgetting To Live? via ReadWriteWeb
• The Art Of Now: Six Steps To Living In The Present Moment via Psychology Today

The balance of power between them has been perfectly even, dipping and swaying from one to the other, depending on who needed the other the most.  But always coming back into perfect alignment.  It was the kind of harmony, few friendships achieve.

I may have alot of aquaintances, but I choose my friends sparringly.

Project: Decorating a Candle

1.  Gather your supplies.  I personally prefer Stazson Ink
2. Ink your pad thourghly
3.  Roll the candle across your pad, towards you.  So you can see where the design needs to stop.
4.  FInished Project

12 Topics: Inspiration

Inspiration:  the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

You may already know what inspires you.  Perhaps it is a particular genre of music, or a nice long walk, or a virtual jount through Pinterest.com.  Whatever it is, you need to go there often, and with confidence that sparks will fly.  Because inspired thought is often discovered as an answer or solution, it would be wise to fill your mind (and your journal or blog) with questions.

As you seek inspiriation it will come. 

Practice listening and learning, and be willing to change directions when inspiration calls.

12 Topics: Inspiriation by Stacy Julian

Hello.
This is Stacy for Twelve. at Big Picture Classes. We are exploring inspiration this week--how exciting and all encompassing is inspiration?! As I’ve thought about and studied inspiration, I’m intrigued by the notion that life circumstances may dictate the extent to which other topics (in Twelve.) touch your life, but YOU are completely in control when it comes to inspiration--YOU, get to decide how inspired you are, by the things you chose to do, read, listen to and engage with.

Van Gogh said, “The way to know life is to love many things.”

I love that. I think that’s true. I came across a quote a day or two ago, that I’m paraphrasing ... college caused me to think differently -- it’s like no other time in your life. I love that too. For me it was true, because I was forced (or rather required) to take a broad base of general education courses. I was living away from home and I was introduced to new people that didn’t see or understand life in the same way I did. I learned respect for these new perspectives. College taught me how to learn and I learned how to fall in love with many things.

Now, I’ll stop here and say that my thoughts on this topic are somewhat all over the place. I’m ok with this – my hope is that as I sort of ramble on, something I will say will resonate with you and you will give it space to mentally wander.

I’m particularly intrigued with the somewhat archaic definition of inspiration that is to “draw in (air) by inhaling.” Isn’t that interesting? Breathing, or taking in life-sustaining oxygen can be defined by the same word that we now associated more often with stimulation that gives rise to action—an animating or quickening influence—something that certainly makes us feel “more alive.” I think without realizing it, we may (even in the quest of creative expression) unknowingly limit our intake and find ourselves in an environment that would be the equivalent of stale, suffocating air – polluted even.

This week, or any week during this course, I encourage you to get really deliberate about what you are immersing yourself in – what you are “inhaling.”

Here’s another quote that I love, but cannot properly credit...
Great people talk about ideas.
Mediocre people talk about things.
Weak people talk about other people.

If this is true, I can choose to move in the direction of greatness, by choosing what to talk about and (naturally) I cannot speak of things I’m not contemplating or pondering on a regular basis.

Adlin Sinclair said it this way...
“You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions.”

I’m paraphrasing (again) business author, Michael Gerber ... There is an entrepreneur inside all of us, she is our visionary ... “we're born with that quality and it defines our lives as we respond to what we see, hear, feel, and experience. It is developed, nurtured, and given space to flourish or is squelched, thwarted, without air or stimulation, and dies.” Did you catch that – another reference to air.

Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” And Einstein, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

In the welcome note, I outlined some tasks that (I believe) will help you “inhale” potentially inspiring elements or ideas. I’m inviting you to browse a magazine—not a scrapbooking magazine—with sticky notes in hand, pay attention to what words, colors and images draw your attention. Then a day or two later, revisit those sticky notes and see if there are some commonalities; in other words, how would you explain these visually stimulating things to someone else?

I want you to visit a store and leave your wallet in the car (in other words, go shopping without the intention of making a purchase) and just wander. Stop and handle things, read labels or tags, touch, feel and notice. I love to do this and I do it quite often—when I do, I take photos with my phone (I posted a handful of these kinds of images in the classroom).

Another recommendation is to start a visual collection of the things you find interesting or inspiring. I’m certain most of you are aware of the cultural sensation that is Pinterest. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, please stop this audio now and go to www.pinterest.com and expose yourself to what is possibly the hottest trend in filtering content on the World Wide Web. If you have a Pinterest account, then spend 10 minutes this week nurturing your virtual pin boards. If you do not have an account, get one. If you need an invitation, let me know! I’m in LOVE with the idea of curating images and links to the original source of those images, so that I can satisfy my curiosity at any time!

And, since I don’t believe the connection between breathing and exposing yourself to exhilarating things is accidental, I want you to get outside this week and fill your lungs with good, clean, fresh air!

I visited my sister Darci last week and she has pinned to her actual bulletin board a quote about never regretting a trip to the gym – the idea that you’ll never regret getting up early to work out. You’ll never come home and think, “I wish I had stayed in bed!” I love the idea of paying attention to our internal regret gauge. Pay attention to how you feel after taking in things. We’re born with the ability to discern the positive and uplifting from the negative and destructive – even in small doses. If the extent of your engagement is FB, TV, People magazine and your weekly to-do list, then there is room for improvement.

The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something is a process you are in full control of. You can increase the likelihood that you’ll experience “flashes of inspiration” and that (as I’ve already mentioned) is what this class is all about. Now ... I’m sharing a new tool with you this week, something I’m calling “page plans” – you’ll find this BONUS handout posted below the welcome message and on the handouts page ...

When it comes to inspiration, I’m of the opinion that it is less important to know what it is and more important to know how it feels and how to feel it.

I’ll close with more paraphrased words from life-coach, Amanda Harvey...

“Finding inspiration on a daily basis means aligning your heart and mind with the unlimited abundance of life, and consciously focusing on the possibilities that surround you. So, what is inspiration in practical terms? It is the flow of energy that moves through us when we are in tune with our higher selves. It is the state in which we can create without effort. Our actions flow through us, and rather than trying to make things happen, we get to surrender to the inspiration that we are experiencing, and let things happen.

Stop blocking your own inspiration with excuses not to create what you are destined to create. Believe in your heart that you have something important to contribute, and then take action and start doing it. The inspiration will follow.”

It is as if I am at a fork in the road, and considering only the one that feels right, familiar to me.   But, I know, that it is only when we take the other fork that we grow.
And by choosing to take the risk, look at all that I have gain.

A goal without a plan, is just a wish.

Having a goal, is important.  WIthout goals, we may not know where we are headed.  But having a goal is easy.  Planning to achieve it is hard.

Whati s the first step?
How long will it take to reach the goal?
What kind of effort will we need to make?
`How likely is success?
Who can help?
What is the first step?

Today, I will choose one of my goals and lay out a plan to accomplish it, step by step.

Life is an adventure in love and forgiveness.

I am naturally flawed. There will always be times when I do or say something that is disappointing or harmful to others.  Sometimes these things are done on purpose, sometimes by accident, but either way, the result is the same:  someone feels wronged.

It is tempting to hold onto those feelings of being wronged and to harbour grudges.  But since we're as likely to wrong as to be wronged. 

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we could forgive others as we would like them to forgive us?

Who, being loved, is poor?
~~ Oscar Wilde

The Beatles sang that sone "Can't buy me love." It's true, love is its own sort of wealth.  And if I were to sit down and really tally this wealth, I will probably be surprised at how much there is.  The love of a partner, a friend, a child, a relative, these accounts add up quickly.

One thing I need to remember, is that Love is like friendship.  I can't expect to receive it unless  I am willing to give it in kind.

Projects: Pampering Gift by Rachel Ricks

Very cute idea.

When something wonderful happens to me, sometimes it doesn't seem real until I share it with someone.  The happiness deepens and intensifies when I share it.

When something bad happens, again, I search out to share it.  For comfort, understanding and assurance.  Their sympathy eases my hurt, brings me comfort and hope.

Knowing how much relationships mean to me, how can I be a better partner, friend, parent?

12: Dozen Day for February 2012

 I think Dozen Day should be a monthly celebration of what you have accomplished so far in class, and whether that is completed pages or curated stories or simply a stronger connection to your digital images and a feeling of can-do in the realm of creative process then there is reason to party! I would love to see you do some deliberate sharing on Dozen Day. So, gather friends and family and let them touch and feel and hear what you’ve documented and then see what additional sharing grows out of that effort.

 The 12th of each month might also become the perfect time to focus your efforts on page making, so that you maximize the potential you have to be and feel productive.

Picture Themes for today:  So get you camera out and document these everyday things.
1.  Front Door
2. TIme
3. Holiday Decor
4. Dirty
5. Someone's Occupation
6. Paper
7. A Pet
8. A favorite blanket
9. A favorite book
10.  Somrthing you won't have in 5 years.
11.  Waking Up
12.  Money

Scrapbooking Layout Designs:
1 You:  A picture of you at a young age.  What where your favorite things, what do you remember?
2.  Holiday:  A Picture from this year's Valentine's Day and one from years ago:  What is the same, what is different?
3.  Place:  Scrapbook your kitchen.  Favorite cupboard, favorite tools, what you like, what would you improve.
4.  Everyday Life:  Take at least three pictures of things that happen everyday. 
5.  Rituals:  Tell a story of something that you did everyday as a child.  Does this ritual still exist today?  Why or why not?
6.  Neighborhood:  Who are the people in your neighborhood?
7.  Creative:  Document a website, that you visit often for inspiriation.  Why?
8.  Personality:  Take a picture of a person in your household along with a food they don't like to eat.  "I don't do...., because......"
9.  Things:  Scrapbook an event or activity that you were recently apart of.
10:  Family Stories:  How did you get your name?  How did you decide on the name of your children?
11.  Seasons:  Document signs of Spring
12.  Fun:  Use crayons on a layout.

I am as happy as I make my mind up to be.

"I'd be happy if...."
There is always soemthing we are waiting for - the right relationship, the right job, the right living situation, a child, a raise, a change of place, a change of season, --- to make us happy.

I choose to simply be happy, rather than postponing my happiness until "something" arrives.
Happiness is a state of mind, not a set of circumstances.

Project: Rhinestone T-shirt for UHS Spirit Team

This t-shirt was designed and  created using the Imaginesic I-rock collection, and are for the three Seniors on the UHS Cheer Squad.    It took me 6 hours to create this, because I had to give the I-rock tool a chance to cool down.

Only have 2 more to make, so there ight not be many projects posted over the next few days.  Between work, classes and just plain life in general.

 Tape the stencil in place, then using a washable fabric marker place a dot where each hole is.

 Using heat adhesive Rhinestones and your I-rock tool, adhere each rhinestone in place.
Very important, the tip of the tool gets very hot.

 Here are pictures of Missy working on one.

Photographic Voice by Ali Edwards

"Don’t look for your voice too hard. You won’t find it. You’ll have to be quiet. You have to listen for it. Just keep shooting and, over time, it will find you. You’ll be drawn towards that which you like and that which speaks to you. When you start to over-think it, that’s when the confusion and anxiety sets in. Have fun and don’t let anyone tell you that you are doing ‘it’ wrong. There is no right or wrong. It’s simply what works for you." Paul Lester Photo

What do you want to say with your photos?

I want to tell real-life stories. I want to document our daily life. I want to celebrate small things. I want to capture the here & now as a way to make sense of the world around me.

Your focus may be similar to mine or you might want to say things like: capturing nature, documenting humor, shooting current events, witnessing relationships, celebrating weddings, welcoming babies, up-close portraits, etc.

Voice is a very personal thing. It's a point of view that is uniquely your own, that no one else can replicate.

IDENTIFYING YOUR PHOTO VOICE
Identifying your voice can help you grow as a photographer, memory keeper and overall creative person. By taking some time to understand where you're at right now you can make conscious choices as you move forward to tell more complete stories with your photos.

One of my favorite ways to assess my own photo voice is to look back through my photo library. This can be a quick glance or a more in-depth exploration. I grab a piece of paper or journal and as I look through the photos I ask myself the following questions and jot down observations: What themes or patterns emerge? What do I love to capture? What points of view show up most often? Are all my photos up close, far away, or a combination? What do I really want to say with my photos?

As I review my photos I also consider what might be missing: What do I wish was represented? What would I like to do different? What's missing?

Another technique for identifying your voice is to invite someone else to look through your photos. Often an outside eye can see patterns and themes that might just be too obvious for us to see when it's something we look at all the time. A creative friend or family member can be a great resource in this exercise.

There's no right or wrong here. Your photo voice it's as personal as your speaking voice and your goal is to simply gather information.

"When you learn to embrace your individuality you begin the process of finding your style." Brett Culp

MY PHOTO VOICE
This past week I embarked on a Day In The Life photo & word project. As I uploaded my photos I took some time to look back at some of my own photos via Flickr. Here's a look at some pieces of my own photo voice:


JOURNALISTIC | real life in-the-moment images, rarely posed, often technically imperfect, often shot at a wide angle to include more of the scene, subjects engaged in the business of life vs. looking directly at the camera


COMPOSITION | looking straight down (maybe my feet, maybe a place setting, maybe toys, etc.), lines & shapes (how lines move and intersect through my photos), tight cropping heavily weighted to one side of the frame or the other (this usually creates space for me to add words and also relates to weight and balance), pieces of the whole


INTERSECTIONS | I'm interested in the place where things meet - light and dark, lines and shapes


RELATIONSHIPS | connections between people and often connections between spaces & places & things (how does one thing interact with another thing - such as how does the edge of a building interact with the sky or how does Simon interact with his homework, his sister, his toys, etc), also my own connection with myself (self-portraits, mirrors)

EMBRACING & CHALLENGING YOUR VOICE
"The most important aspect of the whole thing, I think, is to get that camera in your hand and shoot, shoot, shoot. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ways of shooting, even if someone else says that it’s wasteful, fruitless, unorthodox, etc. So what. What works for them, might not work for you. Do your thing. If you have an idea, follow it." Paul Lester Photo

I want to encourage you this week to take a look at your own voice. Assess it. Embrace it. Challenge it. Cultivate it.

If you find, as you look back through your images, that there are things you want to work on - that's awesome. That's an opportunity for growth. Take some risks with your photos - try different angles and different light. Try some new subject matter. What happens if you get down low or if you shoot looking straight down? What's the thing you're most fearful of capturing or what do you want to capture most that you haven't yet? How do any of those adjustments impact the story you want to tell?

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS about this week's topic on my Facebook Page: Ali Edwards Design.

LINKS

• The Art of Finding A Photographic Voice via NPR.
• How Not To Suck At Photography via Paul Lester Photo.
• How To Find Your Voice - Advice For New Photographers (Part 2) via bf-Stop.
• The Inner Voice via Denise Andrade for Shutter Sisters. This one is not directly related to photo voice, but it had a lovely message about the concept of personal voice and the power that images have to speak truth.

We need people who can dream of things that never were.
~~ JFK

I am thankful for those people who have been able to dream of things that never were and make them real. 

12 Topics: People -- by Stacey Julian

There are some people, like Maya Angelou that Walt Whitman described as “so much sunshine to the square inch.” I know you associate with people (and hopefully have them on the “people” list) that you feel are sunshine in your life.

This week, we get to ponder our relationships with them and discuss ways in which we can document their lives and their influence.

It’s very interesting to me that many of us, perhaps most of us, start scrapbooking because we want to remember and we want to celebrate our memories. Memories really are focused around the people we love and yet it is very easy to get into scrapbooking and begin to develop the skills, maybe learn how to organize pictures and how to design pages and pretty quickly and almost sort of naturally the focus shifts from maybe this idea that I’m going to scrapbook so that I can celebrate or record stories of my grandma or my own children or my childhood which is all very people focused. We shift. I guess it’s because sort of the general paradigm of photo organization is around events. Pretty quickly without even really being cognizant of it you can fall into a pattern of scrapbooking events. You know – we did this, we went here, we celebrated this birthday, and sure grandma and grandpa are there and yes, of course, we saw the cousins when we went to the waterpark, whatever it is, but if you are not careful you end up with short captions that say, you know, fun was had by all. I say that a lot. I use that example a lot, but I really do see it as being a pattern that emerges in scrapbooking if you are not remembering why you started to scrapbook in the first place. With all of the pictures that we have and all of the overwhelm that sets in, and then there is the whole intimidation thing that creeps up because page are supposed to look a certain way. I know you’ve heard it before, but this audio message is dedicated to PEOPLE because people matter in our scrapbooks and here’s what doesn’t matter. What doesn’t matter is where the pictures are taken as much as what you are trying to capture. So what matters is not that you are scrapbooking an event or a moment or any one of the 12 topics, what matters is that you pay attention to who is involved in the memory and you try as much as you possibly can to say something about the people, say just some little snipped about the relationship that you have with them, the way you feel about them, something about that is unique about their personality, as much as we can, focus on people.

So, I’m excited because this week I want you to revisit your people list. I’ve prepared a couple of things that I really believe will help you revisit that list. So a little bit of a back story here. When I was editor of Simple Scrapbooks Magazine and I was traveling to events and teaching classes there were always lots of questions that were written into the magazine. A common one and the details varied but the common question was, I’ve got a big event coming up, i.e., a wedding anniversary, 70th birthday, an 80th birthday, a 50th something or other, a reunion from high school, sort of these big events that sort of generate this desire to create a scrapbook or to do something to commemorate a life. So how do you begin? How do you begin telling the story, because again we quickly fall back into the mode of I’ve got to go to the beginning and I’ve got to organize and I’ve got to present things chronologically which is not a bad thing, but when someone walks into a scrapbook store or writes a magazine and they’ve got two weeks, you know, two weeks until my parent’s 50th anniversary and I want to create something, how do I begin? So, long story short, as I traveled to events, as we fielded these letters, as an editorial team as we sat around talking about things, we thought, we are Simple Scrapbooks, we’ve got to come up with some solutions for people in these situations and I came up with this idea. I didn’t know what to call it, but I wanted to sort of test it out at an event and I was super nervous that it wouldn’t work, but being the extrovert that I am I don’t really test things first, I just go for it. So I stood up in front of a group of women and I said we’re going to do this thing called, and like right there in front of them, I said it’s called 2-minute memories, and I was like, ooh, that sounds good. I like to say it out loud…ooh that sounds good. I said it is a solution for you…yes, you could scrapbook your grandfather’s life. You could organize things and go back and date and mark pictures or you could go to a comfortable place in your home and you could literally close your eyes for one minute and you could immerse yourself in memories of your grandfather. You can think about the places that you visited with him, think about his home or the chair he sat in or the things he did or the stories he told, the foods that remind you of him, the clothes he wore, the way he smelled. I introduced some of these sort of sensory triggers and I said you can immerse yourself in his memory for one solid minute and you can open your eyes and for another minute as quickly as you can you can write down anything that comes to your mind and then you can take that sort of brain dump and you can organize it into a list of 10 memories. You don’t even have to worry about if there is one memory that is more important than another, you just list 10 memories and you could then go get a small size scrapbook, an 8 x 8 or a 6 x 6 and you could gather 10 to 20 photos of your grandfather and arrange them with your responses, our memories that were generated in this 2-minute exercise and you would have an emotionally-packed scrapbook or gift or commemoration for your grandfather or your parents or your best friend or whoever it is that you’re wanting to celebrate at this event.

So I’m going to share with you in this audio file this 2-minute memories exercise. I’m going to walk you through it at the very end. So if you want to cut me off and not listen to it right now or come back and listen to it when you have time to actually engage in it that might be a really good idea, but I am a total believer that this 2-minute memories exercise can help you pull the people out of the big events and off the list in this class. So it would be super cool if you did the 2-minute memory exercise with each person on your list. Now it’s going to work better for people that you know and you have a relationship with, and I say that because some of the people on my list that are pictured in the classroom today are people like Jimmy Stewart and Abraham Lincoln, so clearly I can’t really do a 2-minute memory exercise with them because I don’t have a personal relationship with them. This 2-minute memory exercise works wonderful for anyone that you have a relationship with that you would like to scrapbook. And the resulting scrapbook doesn’t even have to be like a list of top 10 or 10 memories, but you will generate enough stories, enough content doing that exercise that you will be able to organize the information in whatever way you choose. So I don’t know if that makes sense. So here is one thing you could do is revisit your people list and engage in the 2-minute memories exercise.

Now what happened to the magazine is I ended up teaching that and presenting that exercise enough times that it really became something that we did at Simple Scrapbooks. One time my boss was in the room, he had heard about this exercise and I did it with him there and he came up after and he said that we should figure out how to share this more, better, so we had kind of a brainstorm meeting. We were on the verge of starting to do some product at the magazine and so Simple Scrapbooks, and I don’t know if you remember, you may or may not, but we had a little paper book. We wanted them to be a very low price point and we wanted to have them sell at retail stores. They were quasi successful. The quality of the product, sadly, wasn’t very great and that’s because we weren’t product manufacturers, but that’s a whole nother story. We did produce for about a year and a half these little booklets. I actually made one. I have several extra that I still have and I think they threw a lot of them away, kind of sad, but anyway the exercise is still good. I have a little video that I’ve posted that you can watch in which I share one of the 2-minute memories little Top 10 books that I created for my sister Darcy. It actually is one of my projects this week. You can watch for that. I will touch on it again on Dozen Day which is this Sunday…very exciting. So stay tuned for that. At the end of the audio we will do the 2-minute memory together.

The other thing that I prepared for you that I think can be a very playful thing for you to engage with is this little worksheet that is called “My People”. Just because we are going with the 2-minute thing you could make this last 2 minutes too. It wouldn’t take very long, so the theme apparently today is people and 2 minutes. I prepared the worksheet for you and I love it. I actually got the idea when we traveled to New Zealand. We went to a very cool paper store called Kiki Kay and I picked up an adorable little gift book but it’s a blank book. The intent is to write in this book to maybe take it to a party and I’m kind of saving it for my 50th birthday party. I don’t know why. Isn’t that weird? But I thought that whoever I’m with, whoever is at the party, I’m going to pass this little book around and the idea is that the people that are at the party they fill out a page in your book. So I’m very much one who respects copyright so I did not use the same questions but I kind of took the same idea and generated or created this My People worksheet. The idea is that you can print several. There are two on a landscape page, print them on just computer paper. You can cut them in half and then give them, if you have the opportunity, if some of the people on your list are still alive, obviously you cannot give this to people who have passed, but anyone, your friends, you sisters, your siblings, your parents. If you can share this little worksheet with them and let them fill it out, give it back to you, and you can just tuck it in your inspiration file behind your People tab. I just think it’s going to be really fun. So the idea is that they start with the worksheet and they write in their name and what’s something they want to be known for in their life. They get to fill in what they do…basically, I work as what? What do they consider their life work or their occupation or their vocation. They get to fill out the answers. The last question at the top says, I know the maker of this quiz because….and they get to fill out in their words their relationship to you. I hope that makes sense. And then because it is a 2-minute worksheet and kind of the theme is two, then there are two things they get to answer, two things we have in common, two things I’m very good at, two places I love, two foods I crave, two things I’m doing this week, two lessons I’ve learned. Quizzes are such a great tool for generating information and details and personality traits and stuff from people. I love the idea of a quiz that you can use to distribute to the people on your list or just to people in your life in general and get some great feedback from their perspective.

Alright, so what I want to do now is actually just do the 2-minute memory exercise with you. 

So the first thing you do to do the 2-minute memory exercise is you get ourself in a comfortable place in a comfortable chair with a sheet of paper and just number the side of the paper 1 through 10. Just make a place where you have a place to write 10 memories and give yourself a little bit of room but not a ton. It all can fit on one sheet of paper. I like to go find a photo of the person if you have one that’s available and kind of set it there next to your paper. I totally do this to myself and I totally did this to generate the little book that I created for my sister Darcy. Then I actually get my phone and I set a timer for a minute and I close my eyes and I just think about this person and I try to recall specific times we’ve been together and I kind of go through the five senses, you know. What are the things that trigger memories of this person for me? So what are the foods, what are the colors, the places, the activities, maybe the funny jokes or inside jokes, or I just try to go places and relieve things that we’ve done together, just for 1 minute. I just in my mind walk myself through these kinds of things. So I’d like you to go get a photo of your person and a sheet of paper and number it 1 to 10. You can pause the audio now and come back when you’re ready to do the exercise with me.

There, how’s that. I just thought I needed a little break, a little music intro break.

Okay, so, if you’ve got your paper and your pen or pencil and a photo of someone on your people list or someone that you love let’s go ahead and start the exercise. I have the timer on my phone set for a minute and go ahead and close your eyes and try and get comfortable and just go to a place where you are very familiar and you spend time with this person in this place. Begin to think about the conversations that maybe you’ve had or the types of things that you talk about with this person or the things that you’ve learned from them, thing about how this person has made you feel and now all feelings need to be positive, but what are some of the feelings you associate with this person? What are the things that you see that remind you of them? What are the things that you taste or smell or experience that immediately brings this person to mind or brings something that you’ve shared together to mind? I’m going to just go ahead and let you enjoy immersing yourself in memories of this person.

Okay, open your eyes and start writing as fast as you can. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind. I’ll give you another minute to do that. Don’t try to write out all the details right now but try and capture all the different sort of topics that came to mind, just different foods or colors or feelings or places, or other people that you associate with memories around this person so that you could go back and sort of nurture or fill out each topic a little bit more. Just about 10 seconds left so keep writing as fast as you can. Usually at about this point when I’ve done this with groups of people live, most people have 3 or 4 or 5 things written down and at the end of a minute some people are still kind of writing a lot and some people have kind of hit their first pause with what else did I remember. What I’ve found is that everyone has something that they can finish up or revisit or go back to and fill in with more detail.

What I hope you experienced if you do this is just the fact that this kind of mental focus can generate memories. You can totally go immerse yourself in a memory of a person for just a minute, open your eyes and generate all kinds of good stuff. Hopefully you take time to do it with me but whether you are comfortable doing it with me or doing it on your own or doing it with someone in your family, you know, sit down family members and do it with them. I hope that you will practice this because it has been very helpful for me. Again, you can watch the short video that is posted in the classroom that is me sharing the result that of this 2-minute memory exercise focused on my sister Darcy.

So there you go. It’s People week. Spend time with your people list, see if you can distribute the worksheet to people that you know and love and get some of their perspective back and then engage as often as you want to and can throughout this year with this 2-minute memory exercise and use it to generate good detailed stuff about the people you love. People matter. Let’s scrapbook people!

A few questions to consider when scrapbooking the people in your life:

• Name:
• How you met:
• Occupation at this moment, and when you met, future goals...
• 2 things you have in common
• 2 things they are good at
• 2 of their favorite things
• 2 of their least favorite things
• 2 of their favorite foods
• 2 of their favorite books
• 2 things they are doing this week
• 2 things they have learned