Disney Pressure

For a period of time I was working on a number of Disneyland layouts, but I found that I wasn't having any fun with them. I realized I was putting an inordinate amount of pressure on myself to create layouts in the order of how the days went during the four days and to create layouts that were perfect and worthy of a Disneyland scrapbook.

Because I wasn't enjoying myself, I stopped all Disney layouts these past 4 or 5 months. I even stopped purchasing any Disney embellishments as they reminded me of how little I was enjoying working on the layouts.

I returned to Disneyland layouts this week when I discovered how to enjoy working on them again. I'm creating layouts randomly of the things I want to. I don't care anymore if I did certain rides or parades on the fourth day or the first.I am now striving for the overall joy of the vacation rather than depicting every instant and photo taken. If an idea hits me, I go with it. I'm also being super picky about which pictures I use.

I'm finding that everything is coming together much easier and faster. I'm happier with the finished product and I actually can't wait to show the book to the friend who went with me to Disneyland.

Has anyone else ever felt this type of pressure or have found working on certain layouts not particularly fun anymore?

Yes. My holiday-of-a-lifetime trip to Cambodia in 2007. I had all the photos printed out, bought a special album, special papers, had huge ambitions for it. I've done one page.

I'm the same as you, too much pressure and it simply doesn't get done.

Yup, my wedding album. I keep taking mini breaks to work on something else. I'm determined to get it done (since it has been 3 years already) but it's a lot of pressure.

I know exactly what you mean. it feels the same way to me with some challenges and albums - wanting it to be absolutly perfect and great work, forgetting to just have fun with it!

I know what you mean. I have stopped making layouts at all. I hope tahe after my next holiday I get my mojo back.

I know exactly what ya mean!!!!!!!!! so I had to print out these awesome photos I took of my bil(boyfriend in laws) parents it was his dads 80th b-day and his daughter bf sisters threw him a little party and cousins I have never met came well there they sat waiting to be used but no inspiration then I just thought do your best you cant do more so I prayed to jesus and tried my best sometimes I would use sketches from my handmade sketch book other times I would feel god leading me to do my own thing see I don't have a ton of self confidence so I always try to impress and to make it perfect or copy others. so I did a coupke of two pagers and you know what every little thing from that night was stunning in my (humble ) opinion well ok I had a little mistake here and there but for the most part I was super happy with what I created!!! thanks to hard work and JESUS!!!
that's it!!! if you would like to see what work I am reffering to go check out my little bitty gallery!!!
love yall,mg

I feel that way with just about every layout I do. I am working on my daughter's school album (She graduated in 2007) and I had a picure that I just couldn't get to work not matter what paper I picked. I finally put it aside and didn't look at it for a few days. A few days later when I was flipping through a paper pad I found the perfect paper and then everything else fell into place.

Disney is hard......I have been doing album after album since we did Disney in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 (huge family trip with my husband's entire family) and a mini trip in 2013.

I am still on 2012. I decided to do a mix of pocket pages and 12x12 but then HAD to work in order.....hated that.

I am almost done. I will never do that again. After this album I am taking a break from Disney and doing our Vegas and Grand Canyon Pics.

What I realized about Disney is that all their papers are too STRONG to work with easily. All their papers are MICKEY heavy and do not work for most of our pics as you don't see Mickey that often at the parks.

Next time, I am not using much Disney paper.......

I understand if scrapbooking is forced it loses its fun and it inhibits creativity. When you scrap what you want and enjoy the process it comes so much easier and the pages will look better as happiness encourages creativity. Scrapbooking should be fun and enjoyable!

I only scrap for my boys. They both have their own books, and they are in chronological order. I have found I CAN'T scrap the pages in order or I go crazy. This is why I love the 3 ring binders. I scrap whatever I feel like scrapping and can still insert them to be in the correct order.

My oldest is a sophomore this year. I just scrapped his kindergarten pictures a few weeks ago If I force myself to do a certain page, I don't enjoy it and end up not liking it.

I figure whatever I get done, I get done. I flip through pictures or paper and something usually jumps out at me, and that's where I start

Good luck!

I have pics from my best friends wedding four yrs ago to complete. Its not about inspiration to get this topic done per se, but that I hate the photos from the event. Unfortunately most pics from my camera were taken by all the kids...so they are not centered, no defined subject, from odd angles (hello double chin!!). Just poor quality photos of a wonderful event. Also, many of the guests are people I don't really know or care to have in my albums. The pages I *have* done look wonderful, IMHO, &I'd love to do more...but slogging through the riff raff seems daunting...BTW, the pages are for me, I'll share them with my bf at some point, but I only have to please myself!!

OH I agree about poor pictures being uninspiring. That one can be hard to overcome no matter how awesome you make your layout.

Disney is one that fills us with vivid memories and we want to capture that on the page. It does become pressured filled and not fun. My trick that helps me is to stop and think about what would I share about these pictures if I was looking at them with someone who didn't go on the trip.
Then I can see what details of the photos I want to pull out, build the page around those memories and thoughts. At times I have gone in a completely different direction which then became so inspiring.

We can knock ourselves out trying to be creative for each page. Sometimes having a couple page formulas can free up a lot of creative thinking. It lends consistency yet open for other creative choices in materials.

I have some very boring pictures that I want to scrap too. They are of the cabin we stayed in on vacation. However, they are just pictures of each room, with nobody in them. I want them scrapped for the memories of the place, but I hate scrapping pics without people in them.

Yes, I have felt this pressure. I have to ask myself, in 1 year, in 5 yrs, what will it matter and who will care? Artistic people tend to be perfectionists. I so admire you! You stopped and waited until you found a way that worked. If I am not having fun, I don't scrap it.

Oh, I wanted to also share that Disney is challenging because of the bright colors and patterns. I almost lost my mind.

• heather375 Said:

I take pictures like this too... more for documentation and they aren't as fun. Can you make pockets and tuck the pictures away, with like a pull out tab so you can see them when you want, but you don't have to do a whole layout for them? You could even do an accordian style folded paper with the pictures on it, and when you pull it out, it unfolds if you have multiples.

That's a brilliant idea Vae. You could do a 2-in-1 LO, with the boring photos in envelopes with the interesting photos stuck on the outsides. Like John and Jane's room inside, with a photo of John and Jane on the outside. The kitchen inside, and a pic of a yummy meal on the outside. Hmm. I might do that with our last holiday.

In those room shots, I usually try to get DH to pose with a silly face in the bathroom, or get a shot of me raising a glass or a mug in the living area, or waving a dishcloth at him in the kitchen. Just to give a focal point for those otherwise uninteresting photos that you want to record.

• Vae Said:

I have never done pockets or anything like that. All my pages are in page protectors so maybe I don't understand? I wouldn't want people to have to take a page out to look at "hidden" things. Or do I have this whole idea wrong?
hmmmm

Mine are in page protectors as well. I add ribbon to my hidden journalling, so that it can be pulled up out of the top, and slotted back again after reading. Like these:

Bubble Wrap! By RedSquirrel

Salisbury Cathedral By RedSquirrel

You could do the same with your "boring" photos. Mat them, add a pull-cord and slot them behind another photo mat. You could extend the mat so that you can write the journalling onto it, and write "pull" on the top, instead of the ribbon.

ohhhh! Thanks for sharing the pics! That makes a lot more sense to me! Sometimes I just have to see it Thanks for the great ideas gals!

You're welcome. I'd love to see what you do.

• heather375 Said:

I've seen an album where the author took some pocket pages and some regular 4*6 dollar-store albums and glued a couple flaps directly on top of the 12*12 protector: making protected flaps with the protected pages. cumbersome but also valid. It looked very natural on her layouts , I think they were block-style kind of pages..

• heather375 Said:

Heather, I've seen some great pages of this type of page...for instance when you move into a new house, or are leaving the old behind...the pics were accompanied by quite a bit of journaling: what you hope to find or build in this new place, where the cat sat in the window, the tree that dad climbed to get the kite...etc, even tho the pic wasn't OF dad in the tree, it evoked the image and memory...the photos were simply matted and scrapped gridlike, but could also have a banner under each, very simply done.

I am working on a very special album about my partner and I and our new home. We waited a very long time to share a home, so it's a pretty big deal. I bought a We Are Memory Keepers album and some pocket pages and 12 x 12 pages. I am still transitioning from Creative Memory albums. This album is turning out so cute! I did the move and the housewarming on pocket pages, and then I added done 12x12 pages using nicer photos. I discovered that some pictures do not warrant the elaborate 12 x 12 page, but still have a story to tell. I bought some mini project life cards and they work great.

• Juansmom Said:

That's pretty much what I've done so far....just matted them and done a lot of journaling nothing special, no embellishments, maybe a simple title that says "kitchen" or such, but just simple, and fast. If I try to spend too much time on boring pictures, I'll never get them finished!

I'd also like to apologize for taking this topic off subject of Disney!

so sorry!