It's almost time for the next Layout a Day challenge. I am excited to join friends both old and new as we embark on a month long commitment to make a scrapbook page a day. For those who haven't tried the challenge before, it can seem a bit daunting. I hear conversations fraught with worry about whether or not they are fast enough to make a page a day. Now that I have a few LOAD challenges under my belt I can say with conviction that you just need to relax. It's not as hard as you think. I wish someone had told me that during my first LOAD challenge.
Relaxing is a bit hard when you feel pressure to complete something in a set time frame. My first few LOAD challenges were full of me scrapping hard and fast, hands shaking, trying to finish my layout by midnight. I am a stay at home mom but my day isn't empty. I homeschool my son, clean my home and fix meals for my family throughout the day. I had to learn how to allocate a little time to work on my LOAD challenge each day. For everyone, this is different. It took a few prompts to find my groove. I like to look at the prompt, take a bit of time to think about my approach, then set to making the layout. On some days, this means I don't start working until sometime after 8 pm. Long story short, you might have a few days of shaking hands. Once again relax, and think about what worked for you and what didn't. Can you work in the morning for an hour or will you have time at night?
Share that you are doing LOAD. The first time your spouse or child might look at you cross eyed with confusion. They may not get why it's important to you, but at least they will understand what you are doing. You might even find you get a few extra helping hands around the house so that you can allocate a little extra time to the challenge.
Prep or don't. Preparing for LOAD is a personal thing. Once again, you need to find what works for you. I do shuffle through my photos, trying to anticipate which ones will work or not. I do have some kits set aside along with a collection of go to sketches. It doesn't mean I will use them. I let the prompt take me where it will. I have learned that, for me, keeping preparation to a minimum is fine. I want to be able to adapt to prompts on the fly.
You can save time with confident choices. Many days, you will not have the time to shuffle through 45 sheets of paper to find just the right one. Look at the prompt, pull the first photo you think will work, and then go to your supplies. The first embellishment or paper you pull that catches your fancy are the right ones. In memory keeping, there are no wrong choices, just options. During LOAD, you need to keep those options to a minimum.
Have fun. If you don't make the deadline, so what. The earth will not blow up. Your house will not self destruct. What will happen is that you will learn a little about yourself. You will make some new friends. You will keep on creating and in the end, you might just be crazy enough to sign up for LOAD next year.
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