There’s always a moment of dread, anticipation and excitement when the new Hobby I try out requires me to be creative, artistic and expressive things I’m truly not known for. Yet this Hobby spoke to me because due to my health and memory issues I always feel a need to explore ways of helping them in any way I can.
Scrapbooking is a means for me to engage the underdeveloped creative side of my brain helping development, it allows me to engage with my memories via visual stimulation (my preferred kind) and it’s something physical and tangible that I can safely store away, retrieve and engage with on another level that reviewing photos and videos on an app can’t provide.
So lets look into this wonderful Hobby, the journey and the future.
What is Scrapbooking?
Scrapbooking is the craftsmanship and artform of creating a display of scraps of information and memories in the form of text, photos and doodles to express a concept, memory or other forms of self-expression that is generally brought together via artistic design of your own creation to envelope the concept and self-expression into the final product.
Scrapbooking tends to be personal to the creator, but they can also be artistic products for others, fandoms or requested concepts but for the most part and their common use is the storing of memories and mementos of passing moments in life so that we can look back upon them, remember the moments and establish that emotional connection with the concept and design.
Exploring the world of Scrapbooking
As with most journeys I take they start with a plan, preparation and research that lasts so much longer than the actual journey but it’s a part of the process for me and I truly find it fun. When I take up something new, I like to learn about it, see what makes it tick and how it fits in with me and who I am as a person but also is there something it can offer to help something lacking or missing within my life.
Soon as you read anything about Scrapbooking its easy to see it as a means of storing information, memories and mementos but also a means of using matters you’ve internalised to be expressed on to a canvas of your own creation. The Scrapbook can be whatever you want it to be, it’s objective and purpose is that of your own creation, it has no goals, deadlines or targets as such you can take your time to ensure it fulfils your defined purpose and enjoy the journey as you engage with it on your own terms.
The learning & research
Looking into Scrapbooking from a learning and research perspective what an interesting experience because almost everything I found was ideas and guides on techniques for different types of artistic design there wasn’t really a guide to scrapbooking per say because of the nature of the concept it’s very heavy into self-expression and you can’t teach that.
There’s a lot of sharing of ideas, concepts and design suggestions that people can undertake to express their own concept and design but for the most part there’s a lot of sharing of their scrapbooks, ideas, concepts and the pages themselves as its comforting to see people expressing themselves but also gives us ideas and inspiration for our own.
This was a bonus for me as a non-creative I struggle with ideas, design and visualising what I want to place on to the canvas. A lot of my time spent on learning and research was done by watching others express themselves on their pages, seeing their thought process and how they went about the concept allowed me to start to see myself within the Hobby which made it a lot more enjoyable.
The Fundamentals
At it’s core Scrapbooking is a means of presenting, arranging and preserving personal moments throughout your history but they’ve been developed by those who take part in them to be a creative outlet and not so restricted in their primary use of them.
For the most part it simply involves placing memorabilia such as photographs, printed media, artworks and crafts that represent you, the concept of the book or simply a means of self-expression. You simply arrange the items the way you want, then you can add artwork, crafts and designs to the pages to make them look more involved and integrated but also to make it your own (in every meaning of the phrase).
Throwing it out the window
When starting off into this Hobby I started to build plans, ideas and designs that I wanted to try out. I got out my design software and started to create storyboards and concepts of what these pages might look like but when it came to physically taking part and creating all that went out the window and I simply created with what was in front of me.
I didn’t aim to try new techniques or designs that were given as examples to me, I looked at the mementos in front of me and decided which ones to use and where they would be placed. I looked at all the craft accessories and design tools just used the ones I wanted to use and in the way I wanted to use them. Its as if in that moment the dominate part of my brain that loves to plan, organise and structure everything went for a nap then the creative and expressive side of me came alive after being dormant for so long.
Now don’t get me wrong this side of me is very rarely seen and its skillset is surely lacking but it was refreshing that it ran free and did as it pleased it gave me just the same amount of joy when a plan comes to fruition it just goes to show even the most ridged and plan centric individual can have moments of chaotic expression.
What we got from the Hobby
We all get something different from our experiences, hobbies and journeys but for me it was as previously noted it was letting a under develop and reclusive side of myself out into the light to express itself. It didn’t matter the end product because itself is a representation of that freedom and self-expression without me planning to do so, it was a true and freeing moment that I can now connect with every time I look at the pages.
What have we learnt?
Sometimes letting the dominate personality and traits within us to take a little break and letting the side of ourselves we don’t engage with out to express and develop itself can be beneficial to ourselves on a level we never thought possible. It allows me to look at objects, concepts and structures within my life differently both in expression of order but a little creative chaos too.
It’s good to let lose, rip up the plan and just simply see where the journey may take you; I try to do this as often as possible while on hikes but never thought to do it in other aspects of my life but maybe the take away here is not everything has to be approached the same way and changing the plan or getting rid of it can just be what you need in that moment.
What have we enjoyed?
My normal go to with new Hobbies is the research and learning seeing what is out there with regards to the Hobby and how I can get myself involved but although I enjoyed people sharing their designs and helpful tips there was nothing better here than letting loose and taking part in the Hobby. I wasn’t disappointed in the quality of the work, how it looked nothing like my planned designs or how poorly some of the arts and crafts was applied because when I looked upon the finished products, I simply saw the memories they represent and the fun times I had creating them and the pages I look upon.
What memories have we made?
I’ve made memories of the creation of the scrapbook, preserving memories with time spent with my family and this community. I’ve a physical representation of all these things that I can hold in my hands and revisit at any time that I like. It’s a powerful tool for the conjuring, preserving and expression of memories; a creative tool and outlet to self-express, show and preserve ourselves.
How was the experience of this Hobby?
I think this Hobby was undertaken in the most ideal of times (considering my current state), my health and wellbeing is at an all time low, finding effective ways of regulating and enjoying myself has become very difficult but more important than ever. It was good to have a Hobby that I could let loose, not put as much pressure and effort as I normally would and simply express myself in the moment and enjoy it for what it is.
This hobby has been very revealing and healing for me, sometimes it’s difficult to know what we need in our lives especially if your neurodivergent brain is having a moment or several hundred moments; as such letting go, throwing away the plan and not knowing where it will lead you can be exactly what you need. Yet it also helps not having expectations and goals so I feel less pressure when I don’t have the energy to motivate myself in that way nor the want.
How it could help others
When going through this journey both of trying out new Hobbies and Content Creation my thoughts always journey towards how this could help others, by living and reflecting on our experiences we can learn how these moments of exploration can benefit us and that could also benefit somebody else.
I think self-reflection on your life is so important, it reminds us of the positive steps we took and the lessons to be learned when we got knocked down. Our Hobbies and Special Interests have so much to give to us, but we can also learn from them to adapt into other aspects of our lives or to help others express and engage with it to.
Creative Outlet
It could be that you’re already a creative person and having an expressive outlet like this isn’t a new concept to you or you can be like myself who isn’t creative but has a need to express themselves to help engage with that side. Either way if you’ve been wanting to engage with your creative side this can be a good starting point or lifelong journey to undertaken due to the fact it’s not being judged, you set the objective and it becomes what you want it to be.
We can engage with our creative side without a need or even thought of the final product having to meet some kind of standard; the Scrapbook simply has to represent the concept and be a reflection of yourself. You can always pick up new creative and artist means of expressing yourself via other medium but its not a requirement and you can simply choose the path you take openly and freely.
Self-Expression Therapy
Art, Design and Crafting can be very therapeutic tools to help with many situations and conditions. Due to the nature of scrapbooking I think its an ideal tool for expressing oneself, situation and feeling onto the page allowing the individual to express themselves, their feelings and struggles because it can be healthy to express negative feelings on to a page and reflect back on them in a positive learning means to help oneself heal and move on.
I use a similar idea within my life, almost like a journal; when I’m going through difficult times (mostly either to do with my depression or Autism) I document the situation, how I feel and what I did to get on by. These journal entries or stories can be a good reflective means when occurrences happen I can look back on situations of old to learn from it and gain perspective. Scrapbooking can be the same tool to store those emotions, troubles and expressive healing onto the page to be used over and over as a jolt to the memory of how you overcome the situation and was the better for it.
Memory Storage
The greatest overall benefit I’ve had from this experience is the fact I’ve something tangible now I can hold onto that visually reminds me of memories and the emotional connection with them that I may have lost otherwise. If you’re like myself with a poor and or chaotic memory then aids like a Scrapbook can help support you, they can ensure you’ve a keep’s sake to remember and it puts less pressure and worry into the loss of memory because you have the memento to carry with you.
The Take away from the Hobby
I feel I want to maintain this Hobby within my life, it has given me so much that I didn’t even think I needed but gave me so much without even knowing it. I will be taking part in Scrapbooking henceforth creating and storing memories to be looked upon when I need to remember and reflect.
It will also provide a creative outlet for me to develop personally, within my content creation and editing so by all means stay tuned for that. No matter the medium you choose, remember, store and cherish the memories of your journey taken and let it be of comfort to you when you need it the most.
The Dreaded Signing Off…
I thank you for making it to the end, there are and should be other blogs for you to read; if you like diversity in your content you can watch our video-based content on YouTube, our reels and photos on Instagram or you can swing by our live streaming on Twitch to engage with us in real time, no matter your content of choice I can’t wait to hear from you.
*Please note any funding or donations towards the Hobbyist Community goes into helping fund the creation of the content here and I thank everyone for their time in visiting our website and other media.
I’ve been Ryan the neurodivergent Hobbyist, you’ve been part of our community and Happy Hobbying.
