Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Heartfelt Message...

I just received a beautiful letter from a fellow scrapper. Someone who I only know through forums. But her letter made me a little ...putting it mildly, angry..Not anything she said, but what was said to her that kind of hurt her feelings. I wont post what she wrote, but what she wanted to know was how I felt about other scrappers and photographers asking me if I wouldnt mind telling them how I created something or on my technique when doing something. Because she had approached a scrap artist on a forum and asked if that person would graciously divulge her secret on a specific technique that made that artists pages so unique. The answer she got was, if she divulged her secret that made her unique, then she wouldn't be unique anymore and flat out said No, I wouldn't tell my own mother how I do it...I was astounded. Well I got to thinking, and these are my thoughts...

My creative mind works in mysterious ways especially when I am teaching a class. I have to first formulate my ideas in my head, and then try to convey them to the students I am teaching. In the end my creative mind as a scrapbook artist gets recharged. And although many photographers and scrapbook artists, jealously covet their techniques and creative secrets, I am not one of them...

I often think to myself, "that brilliant creative new idea that I thought I had, has no doubt been already done by some other artist". I just have to stretch my imagination and make it better.

I have heard the buzz in chatrooms and forums to the tune of "ooh, look, she copied so and so and tried to make it her own", or "ooh, look, she did it because so and so did it".I myself am delightfully flattered when I am " scraplifted". Most of us get inspiration from somewhere...Some of us take that inspiration and fly with it.. Few of us ARE the inspiration.

Those are the artists with creative gifts. They don't have to "try", they just "do." I myself use to envy some of those artists and wonder why on earth some of them would not share their creative secrets.

I vowed that I would learn to hone my craft, and Pay it Forward. To Pay it Forward is not a new concept..One good deed deserves another...That is what my parents taught me at a young age.

So my philosophy is this:
Michaelangelo could come down from the heavens and divulge all of his artistic techniques and secrets on how he managed to paint the Sistine Chapel. He would show me every minute detail of his work from technique to lighting to brushstroke. In the end, I will never be Michelangelo. There is only one...But it may make me a better artist with all of the insight that he taught me. And I may see things in a different way.

I will only be just me...
Star Sailor Scrapper
Mother, sister, daughter, wife, friend, scrapbook artist...
And I will graciously share with all of you everything I learn...And I hope that one day, you will Pay it Forward too...

So Thank you to the Krissy's, the Robins, The Irenes, the Beggahunas, the Gabriellep's, the Toni's, the Bonnies, the Sandy's, the Tims, (he is sooo cute) and all the other artists out there who generously devote their time and effort to teach others the fine art of this craft called Scrapbooking...I applaud you...

Lisa

19 comments:

  1. I can only say again..Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge with us.

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  2. Here ! Here ! Couldn't agree more. Personally I get such a buzz when I can teach, explain or demo a technique. Teachers pass on their knowlege to students, students pass it to their fellow crafters, they pass it to their friends and everyone ENJOYS this! I am inspired by many, yourself included, and am grateful for people, like yourself, who share so freely. Thankyou x

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  3. Lisa, you are the best!!!! Really!!! I really appreciate all those tutorials!!! And I look forward to your creations, You are a great artist and Person!!!! I'm really grateful for people like you!!!! I learn so much from artists like you!!!! Thank you again!!!! And I mean it!!!

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  4. I absolutely agree with you! I love crafting, and I love showing others what I've learned even more. I tried something new one time, and then learned later that someone else had been dubbed as the creator of the same technique and had been sharing it for some time. So...is it my idea, or hers? Really...does it matter? We all have our own flair...it's what you do with it. Thanks for sharing your opinion, and thank you for all your great tuts and ideas!! I truly love your work!

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  5. A good teacher learns from students. That selfish "artist" is cutting herself off from opportunity and the love that comes from sharing. There are few people, if any, who are true originals. We all learn from others before us to some extent. I would hate to see how anyone's pages would look without the use of "learned" technique. I'm thankful that most other scrapbookers love to share. Sharing is a big part of the driving force that makes scrapbooking a trend and a cultural phenomen.

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  6. Lisa, I need to again thank you for your kind comment and scripture...I am clinging to the Rock at this stage...you will never know how much it means to me.

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  7. Lisa...WOW! I have to say a personal thank you here because I look to your work often for inspiration...as I do some of the other artists you mentioned. You know that I got a little slap on the hand for creating a flower of yours...I try so hard to link original sites when I find a new technique but sometimes we forget where we saw them. I am grateful to the person who reminded me it was you because it gave me the oppotunity to find your personal blog and get continued inspiration from you. I too agree that seldom do we acutally have a 'new' idea...we generally take something that inspires us and make it our own. I too feel so blessed when someone asks me how to do something...that someone found that much delight in anything from me touches my heart...and I too love to pay it forward...thats what this art is all about...if we keep it to ourselves God will not nurture and grow it....we have to let it out in the sunshine...thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this story...it gave me chills to think that someone really believed that holding on to something so tightly was what made them unique...I am so gateful for people like you...what a blessing you are to this scrappy world!
    Big Hugs and Blessings, Sandy

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  8. Well said! and I totally agree!!! I would only add that the world has enough negative energy and by sharing our love and creativity, we spread around more positive, and it just multiplies, and the whole world is a better place!

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  9. Well said everyone. I love coming to your blogs for inspiration, because I am one that cannot just do I need to see. So thank you for sharing your secrect & techniques

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  10. Your work is so beautiful. It's almost beyond words how talented you are! I love your heartfelt note! Where would we be without teachers.

    Do you ever look back at your work when it is finished and ask yourself, "How in the WORLD did I just come up with that?" I think I ask myself that every time I finish a project that I am truely satisfied with. It is a good feeling to share that with people as well.

    Anyway, I just found your blog through another blog I follow and I am wishing I would have found you sooner! Keep doing what you do! Thank You! =)

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  11. Lisa I love your art & I visit your blog when I need some inspiration. You are a beautiful woman inside & out.

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  12. Well said... I am thankful to all the crafters out there that share their talents and techniques. I don't consider myself very creative, but I am definitely a scraplifter. I love to get an idea from someone else and run with it adding my own flavor or seasoning. :) I don't mind disclosing my sources or techniques either. I wish I had more time to do that. thank you for sharing. :)

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  13. Lisa
    Thanks so much for your heartfelt words! I agree with so much of what you say! It is so rewarding to share & learn from each other! You are an inspiration & I am so grateful to artists such as yourself to inspire!
    Thanks
    Lynn :)

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  14. Karma, baby, Karma! Wonder where she 'took' her inspiration from??? What goes around, comes around and the day will come when she is on the other side.
    I love sharing what little I know and have with others and have always found it enriched my life and my work so much more by doing so!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Amen sister! I am flabbergasted that there could be someone out there who REFUSED to explain how he/she did something. I have been asked so many questions over the years about my work, I always share because I want to let people know ANYONE can do it! And let's be totally honest here, the vast majority of techniques are quite simple with the right tools and know how, so jealously guarding a "secret" is ridiculous!

    Another reason I love sharing is because I love to learn and try new things myself. The day I stop learning, is the day I stop breathing. I like knowing perhaps others feel that same way and that I could be helping them. When I was starting out, I remember that everyone on sb.com that I asked questions of, responded kindly to me. They were happy to help, and I am happy to pay that forward!

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  16. Thank you for your generosity. I am new to all this and certainly need guidance. Thank you to you and to all who share their talents. God bless you.

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Love hearing your beautiful words!!!!