finding your way with karen grunberg :: a bpc giveaway

Karen Grunberg {aka Karenika}, first a friend and now also a design team member along with me at write.click.scrapbook., is teaching a new class at Big Picture Classes, formerly Big Picture Scrapbooking. I'm currently taking her free class, Embrace Imperfection {registration ends February 16, 2011} and have also taken her Book of Stories class. When I found out that she was getting ready for her new class, I asked if she wouldn't mind sharing some thoughts about scrapbooking , her class and what it all means to her.

Finding Your Way :: registration info can be found here

And now some words from Karen

During the first five years of my scrapbooking journey, I struggled to find my authentic way of creating pages. When someone looked at my pages, they could clearly see that I had a simple style. I focused on the photos and the words. They might have defined me as “simple scrapper” and moved on.

The thing is, something was missing from my pages.

When I looked at the layouts I created over a year, I couldn’t see enough of a consistency. Sometimes I loved my pages and other times I hated them. Sometimes the process of creating was a torture and other times fun. The pages felt irregular. I couldn’t look at twelve consecutive layouts I made and see a common thread. And, most important, they didn’t feel authentic to me.

I could see that my journaling had a clear voice. But my layouts, my designs, my pages didn’t have one.

During May 2010, just for fun, I decided to do a layout a day. I then created a page every single day for the next 31 days. About halfway through the process, I realized I’d finally found my design voice.

I’d found my WAY of scrapbooking.

When I look back to the pages I created I can see clear threads. I can see repeated patterns, ideas, even composition. I’d finally found my groove. Come into my own. Whatever you want to call it.

This turned out to be an incredible blessing on several levels.

1. Time: I now had a clear idea of what types of products I used on my pages. I surrounded myself with those, made sure I always had some in stock, and this inspired me and made my scrapping quicker and more fun.
2. Money: Since I now had a solid understanding of what I used and what I didn’t, I stopped buying products I didn’t use and bought more of what I did. This meant that I used what I bought and didn’t end up accumulating stuff that was never going to end up on my pages.
3. Joy: Most significantly, I really enjoyed the process of creating layouts and loved every single one of my pages. Sure, I loved some more than others but each of them felt authentic to me. They were a piece of me.

I created my own creative toolset. Things I love to use. Techniques I try again and again. Colors I adore. Photos that inspire me. I even started hand-journaling: something I would have never done in a million years.

After this journey, my scrapbooking changed permanently. Not only did I get more opportunities to design for amazing manufacturers, I began to truly enjoy the process of preserving our memories. My albums felt more true to me. I felt like now that my photos, my words, and my design each had pieces of me in it, I was truly leaving pieces of me to my kids. If all this sounds a bit cheesy and over the top, I swear to you it’s exactly how I felt. And still feel.

There’s truly nothing comparable to feeling like what you’re creating is authentic to you. Your voice.

Your way.

As soon as I realized the impact this change had in my scrapping, I decided I wanted to teach a workshop to share this with as many people as I could. I am hoping that I can help you Find your Way just like I did. Your own authentic way of scrapbooking. So that your pages feel completely true to you. I hope you will join me in a workshop where we can slowly discover our own scrapping voices and each of you can start Finding Your Way.

I'm hooked, aren't you?

Karen and Big Picture Classes are kindly offering one of you a spot in the class.  Feel free to sign up even before the giveaway is over. Why? Because BPC will gladly refund your registration fee if you are the lucky winner!

To earn your entries:

:: sign up for Karen's newsletter, you can find the sign-up in the top right of her sidebar
:: share with us if, and how many, classes you've taken with Big Picture Classes
:: be/become a follower of iloveitall

Comments will remain open until Friday, February 18th at Noon. It is the winner's responsibility to check back to claim their prize.