My blog story.

Like many of you, I have just started Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers (BBFS)with Shimelle.  Although I didn't finish Blogging for Scrapbookers (BFS), I enjoyed the community feel of doing the live class and so I signed up for the follow on course even though I know I wont be able to participate as much as I would like.  I've learnt so much already, about how blogs and subscriptions work for a start, that it was well worth doing.  And of course like all of Shimelle's classes, you get lifelong access to the materials so I can keep going back for inspiration as long as I like.

One of the first subjects of BBFS is finding the theme of your blog.  When I started my blog it was purely as a way to post entries to challenges for on-line crops but I thought it might be a good place to sort my head out too.    Then I started Slimming World and I thought it would be a good place to share my fitness and weight loss journey too.  And then I completed my creative writing course with the OU and I thought it would be a good place to share my stories too.  Except that I haven't written anything since it finished!

So Shimelle's prompt made me think about where I fit in in the whole blogosphere and who I'm trying to reach etc.  I definitely do want to reach people with depression, particularly post natal depression, as I feel it is important to find other people who understand and who might be able to help.  I also want to share my layouts, not because I am trying to show great technique or ground breaking trends, but just because I have enjoyed what I've done and someone else might like to see too.  So do the two things go together?  In some ways yes.  I use my scrapbooking as therapy - it helps me to focus on positive things generally, but in particular to remember good things about my son's first year which seem very black on first recall.  It also helps to focus on something purely selfish, that I have chosen to do and that I can get totally absorbed in.  It helps me to unwind and keep the creative part of my brain working.  Of course these are not the only reasons that I love scrapbooking but the therapeutic side is very important for me.  So that is where my niche is.  Scrapbooking for therapy and learning my craft.  But maybe the idea doesn't translate well?  Maybe scrapbooking readers dont want to know anything about the blackness I sometimes feel.  Maybe people dont want to read anything that is not connected with pretty pictures of layouts.  So tell me, should I split the blog or would crafting for therapy work?

And just so I don't leave you with a picture-less post, here is a layout I completed a few weeks ago.

I did ask Shimelle if she minded me posting it as it is all about her.  I was lucky enough to attend a retreat where she was teaching and I used the leftover bits from her kit to show the photos of her minibook class (here is the mini book, a few layouts down the page).  The layout is a reminder of a fab couple of days and in particular a reminder to make more of Shimelle's inspiration.  I look at her work and her sketches and her classes and revel in the wonderful ideas and then sit and scratch my head when I start a layout.  I need to actually use the ideas she kindly shares and not just think how pretty they look!

So there we go, crafting as therapy or two separate issues?  You tell me.... :-)

Bye for now xx