I have the hardest time fitting in. I'm generally awkward when it comes to just acting like everyone else. I only have a few close friends and even though I love being around people; large groups tire me out quickly -- I'm pretty much a quintessential introvert.
Where does that fit in with my scrapbooking? and why does it matter?
There are a couple of important reasons:
- It's who I am and if I'm not documenting my life in a genuine manner, then why am I doing it at all?
- I'm happiest when I embrace myself. Even though my style might not be the same as everyone else's (or the kind that will sell a lot of product) its still my style, and its a part of who I am.
- When I'm creating from my soul, I love what I make. When I reach deep down inside and pull out those little bits that live deep in the bottom of my heart, my projects are so much better. There's some extra twinkle about them, like invisible pixie dust.
- In the end, I'm creating for myself. This is a representation of myself at this time and this place; even if I'm documenting others, its still the way that I see and I choose to put those memories together.
This is still a road block for me. Most of the time when I sit down to start scrapbooking; I find myself saying, "I have no clue how to do this". Eventually I work my way through it, trying to learn along the way.
It happens to everyone. The bottled up feelings we have inside. Everyone has them. The "I'm not good enough" or "this isn't like everyone else's" is common to us all, even if we don't want to admit it. I tend to not talk about my feelings because I don't want to burden people or worse yet, alienate myself even more.
I've found that the more I talk about what I'm thinking, the more I understand who I am. Self-awareness is one of the best traits to cultivate when trying to figure out your niche; whether your scrapbooking niche or your niche in the world. Even though I still might not 'fit in', its much easier to come together, make new friends, and learn lots of things when you can find common ground.
