You know that feeling after you complete a project, or cross the finish line at a race you’ve been training for? It’s a combination of elation, fatigue, and grief. That’s how I’m feeling right now.
I spent all of February participating in LOAD216 and now I’m not quite sure what to do next. Oh don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things I need to do! Laundry, dishes, that pesky thing called “find a job so we can eat next month” … the list is extensive. But creatively I am blocked.
What the heck is LOAD216?
Well, it’s a challenge for starters. Lain Ehmann sends out daily video prompts and you create a layout with it. This LOAD’s theme (they all have a theme) was Around the world in 29 Days so her prompts were things like geography, modes of transport, museums, food, and landmarks. Some were tricky and some took me on unexpected journeys. But all resulted in a new layout to go into my albums.
It has been a LONG time since I actually did all the layouts in a LOAD. In fact, this may be the first time! I’ve had other very productive LOADs but this one felt different for me. Not only did I try to follow the prompts as closely as I could, I also got my layout uploaded to the group Flickr gallery by the daily deadline. Oh yeah, did I mention that there was a daily deadline? There was. And anyone who uploaded a layout every day by the deadline is entered to win a prize too. Not that that’s why I do this! Bragging rights, sure, but prizes are after thoughts.
Why do I LOAD?
Several reasons.
I love the challenge. Working to a deadline with somewhat restricted parameters is when my creative juices really start firing.
I love trying new things. Some of Lain’s prompts over the years have been technique based and it’s always fun to try new techniques. This month her colour challenge prompts had me trying different ideas.
I love telling my stories. That’s why I scrapbook in the first place! Pairing my photos with the story of what happened that day, or in that instance, or even comparing it to an earlier time. That is what my scrapbooks are all about. The pretty stuff I add? Well that’s just like the icing on the cake. It’s there for decoration and as a creative person, makes me happy to play with, but the meat of the layout is what’s underneath all that pretty. The photos and the story.
I love pretty things. It may sound trivial and shallow but … it’s the truth. I am motivated by pretty things. I like to look at pretty things. I like to listen to pretty things (probably why my husband and I disagree on music choices so much – I can only take the angry, discordant, noise he calls music for so long!) They make me happy. That’s not to say I don’t “do” ugly or painful or hard, I just prefer pleasing proportions, pretty patterns, and coordinated colours! Probably what drew me to Interior Design all those years ago.
Want to LOAD too?
The next one is going to be in May (LOAD516) and if you want to be notified of when it is, add your name to my mailing list as I will for sure be letting all of you know. I may even be more involved in it than your average bear .. but we will have to wait and see what transpires. For now, get your name on my list and I’ll keep you in the loop.
On Saturday I will be sharing the last three layouts from LOAD as well as a video walk through of all the layouts I created in February. Until then, have a great week!
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