Oscraps

Are you one of those people who say to yourselves, “I love the idea of art journaling but I could never do it!!” ? Well, think that no more!!! You CAN do it, but you can only do it if you make the first step and just start doing it! I was one of those people who thought that I could NEVER do an AJ page. In fact, back in 2016 I stepped out and tried to make an artsy page, and it took me all day. I posted it and it got NO attention. Nothing. No comments. I was crushed because I was actually so excited to post it and show people that I could do it. It completely destroyed my confidence and I stopped even trying it.

Later on, about 2 years later I was asked to be on Created by Jill’s creative team, and she specifically chose me because I could use her kits in a more traditional way and she thought it might help people see other ways to use her kit. However, very soon she encouraged, er, pushed, me into AJ again. She was such a cheerleader for me! I went over to a different scrap site and joined a photoshop workshop on art journaling by Tangie Baxter. This page was my very first page. She gave us items to work with and the theme of “seeds”.

Am I proud of this? Well, yes, I am proud I did it and proud that I overcame my first taste of being “ignored”. LOL I look at this with my 2024 eyes and can pick it apart, but I won’t. It was a first foray, and for that, I am proud.

You too, can be proud of yourself for just attempting it. The incredible thing is that as you play and practice, you will find that you will like your pages more and more, and you WILL grow as a scrap artist – I promise. Just don’t be afraid like I was, and don’t be discouraged like I was because no one noticed. YOU and YOUR GROWTH is more important than if others “get” you and your pages.

This week in our art journaling challenge we continue with Serenity. Cheryl posted this:

What is serenity? The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as:

serenity /sə-rĕn′ĭ-tē/

noun​

1. The state or quality of being serene.
2. The quality or state of being serene; clearness and calmness; quietness; stillness; peace.
   Similar: quietnessstillnesspeace
3. Calmness of mind; eveness of temper; undisturbed state; coolness; composure.
   Similar: coolness composure

As most of you know, I’ve been searching for serenity or any of the synonyms for the last six months. I’m getting a little bit closer (some days) but it’s been a definite “crawl” most of the time. All I can do is try to keep inching my way forward and these art journaling challenges have definitely helped me in my journey.

Here’s her page: (linked to the gallery)

There are so many great pages already on the challenge that I can’t choose one to highlight – so I am doing a random draw!! This page is by Belle:

Credits:
lilacho template august stitch
Oscraps GT WA
AASPN ArtPlayPalette overlay 5 & Edge Overlay and transfer & Overlay edge Palette BBQ
AASPN PotPourriPaper
vrd ae 04
FEA ele 10
AASPN Butterfly glows and Fotoglowmix
aimeeh fusion ombre
Dezire Stacked Bold Font

So, as Pope John Paul II said on the day he was installed as Pope: “Be Not Afraid!!”