I spent a good 2 weeks wondering, worrying about how I wanted my Project Life to stand out. What I could do to make it different and unique. What ground breaking design could I come up with for 2015 to set me apart from the rest.
Everywhere I turned, there was a beautifully put together intro page. I noticed a lot of people making changes in size and format. Did I want to do the same? Could I go back to a 12x12? Am I patient enough to wait for Studio Calico's new 9x12 system (which I know is available now but wasn't when I started. I did snag one for a future project though!)
Then my inner voice (my brutal, get your sh*t together voice) chimed in and simply said, "F*ck it, do what you do best girl and keep it simple because you're bringing yourself down and if you don't start now, you'll be too far behind to care."
I spent last weekend gathering supplies and printing photos from the beginning of January and played and there it was. The thing I thought I lost. The rhythm of documenting my own stories using papers I love and photos that mean so much. Not a styled life so often displayed on Instagram. Real life. Not that I'm knocking a styled photo…nononono. This is just my inner voice talking to me. To put that pressure of having something incredibly beautiful and awesome and new for all to see. This is a personal project. For me.
-I kept with the same 6x8 format I've come to love. I'm using the Sn@ap system this year (the same album I used for my December Daily).
-intro page is simple + us + holds what I love most. Something handmade (marbled paper) in the prettiest shade of blush (even though I'm outnumbered 2 to 1 in the gender department, I still love certain shades of pink & will use it often).
-simple b&w photos of us, happy & together. I always tried to get photos of us on New Years but it just didn't pan out and rather than nixing the idea, I just used a photo of us taken a week before on Christmas.
-I titled it simply with 2 words, US and Begin.
-Done.
I'm writing this all out here today for those of you who may be in the same predicament. I feel as though the pressure of creating something new and exciting each and every time is exhausting and I'm letting the sh*t go. It's too much and it's often the reason I have creative blocks.
Get out your binder and a few supplies, print your photos, close down your browser and START.
xot