Losing Your Mojo… and Finding It Again

JillW

JillW

Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
For several weeks I just couldn’t bring myself to scrapbook. I felt like my creative mojo had completely disappeared. Early last week I finally told myself I was going to sit down and scrap — no excuses.

Once I started, it felt like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Not because I felt guilty for not scrapping, but because I remembered how much joy it brings me. There’s just something about the process — choosing the photos, putting everything together, and seeing the finished page — that makes me genuinely happy.

Have you ever lost your creative spark for a while and then had it come back? What does that feel like for you when it finally returns?
 
I have ebbs and flows throughout the year. I think part of it is just the nature of life and different seasons. Part of it for me is the ADHD.

Even though every scrapbook layout is different and new products give a dopamine hit, the consistency to scrap every single week is extremely challenging. Even if I love a new release or have a story I am dying to tell... sitting down to make a page can feel like work at times.

That's one of the things about ADHD that I think people don't really understand. It doesn't just keep me from doing boring and menial tasks like laundry and dishes, it keeps me from things that I love as well. There are times when my brain is just like nope. Not today. And even though I can push through that at times - it comes at a cost. Too much of that pushing can lead to burnout, which is super hard to recover from and takes a lot of mental and physical rest and nervous system regulation. On the other hand - too much rest can lead to complacency and loss of momentum which makes starting back up again all the more difficult.

It's a balance that I'm not inherently good at and have tried hard to improve in myself. I lived most of my life in these cycles of overproduction and burnout. Now I work hard to listen to my brain and my body to know when I do need to push and when I actually need to rest.

While I may never be able to master consistency I need to lean into the idea that I'm consistently inconsistent and accept it. I'm not consistent but I am persistent. It can be hard to deal with the guilt I feel when I'm in a lull and the pressure I feel when I'm on a high, but I'm a work in progress!
 
Absolutely happens. I think that's normal? Especially with how heavy the world is, sometimes it feels wrong for me to create something happy/pretty- but then I tell myself that it's therapy & I NEED TO CREATE something beautiful in these dark times. And it does help clear my head and make me feel accomplished.

Whenever I'm in a slump- I do a couple things-
1- Challenges. Sometimes when you have more guardrails, it makes it easier to get back into it. Following a recipe or template challenge almost always gets me going!
2- Find some OLD photos. I am always working with old photos- but sometimes finding a couple that I NEED to scrap, will help get the juices flowing again!
 
I don't think I've ever lost my mojo. My problem is that I struggle to find time. Hopefully when I retire from full-time employment (which will be late summer, if all goes as planned), I will be able to find time to scrap.
 
lizziej said:
I don't think I've ever lost my mojo. My problem is that I struggle to find time. Hopefully when I retire from full-time employment (which will be late summer, if all goes as planned), I will be able to find time to scrap.
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Oh yay! I hope your retirement pans out! From experience I can say that retirement is absolutely amazing!!
 
I do go through mojoless times... I've been scrapping for almost 18 years now and there were times my head just go 'mehhhhh' and there were times when life circumstances won't allow me to scrap (e.g., covid)
When that happens, I take a break. I do other things like watching dramas, reading, etc. I am glad that the mojo does return not long after and it does bring joy to start scrapping again after the break. ;)
 
Yes, but I never stress about it. It'll come back when I feel like it. Although, I've been on a roll for the past few years, so maybe I'm due. lol My problem now is that I have more time to scrap but less to scrap because the kids are older.
 
I definitely have had mojo-less times. Lately they've been more than I care to admit. Life gets stressful and even fun things get put on the back burner. My mojo does come back, but it seems to go in fits & spurts lately.
 
I know there are times in my life when things just get HEAVY, that I find it difficult to create. I usually retreat to cross stitching, drawing, or reading in those times.

I've also found that forcing myself to sit down and make a layout often pulls me out of the lull I'm in but that hasn't worked in at least two circumstances.

When Mama passed in 2024, I checked out from my usual creative pursuits. I ended up washing linens and ironing them while watching old movies. I organized cabinets and drawers. I decorated, but a lot of the times when I was decorating, I was walking around with one of Mama's special belongings throughout my home. I was just LOST without Mama and without the creative pursuits we both loved and enjoyed.

Also, the past couple of years I've really struggled with chronic pain. The past six months were particularly hard, as my spinal cord stimulator was not working (and I don't think it was effective for at least the past three years). Now that I've had the controller/generator replaced, I am in the best place with pain control that I've been in for decades. I still feel afraid that it might stop working unexpectedly and I am absolutely FEARFUL of the pain returning. I don't want to go back there.

Anyway, I agree with what others have said here. Scrapping is a joy, and something I absolutely love doing, Yet sometimes our brains, minds, hearts, and bodies disrupt that ability to reach our impetus to create.

So anyone going through WHATEVER IS HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE, please be kind to yourself. Creativity does ebb and flow.
 
My mojo comes and goes and like others I try not to stress it too much. I take a break - watch tv, go for a walk. Sometimes I do a challenge or scraplift another scrapper. I just have to remember to give myself grace and not put too much pressure on myself. If I don't give myself grace, it takes all the fun out of it and then it's even harder to get out of my funk. Keeping it fun and therapeutic is key.
 
I think that happens to all of us, especially if you’ve been doing it for awhile. I’m in a mojoless stretch currently, but we leave for vacation Friday, so I hope that gets me jump started when we get back. My DS graduates in May, I have some stuff to wrap up before his grad party.
 
Ah! This is real! ❤ and I think Cheryl's advice is perfect.
This might sound weird, but I stopped waiting for “good stories” to scrapbook…
and my mojo came back almost immediately. I’ve been leaning into documenting the kind of moments I usually skip and it’s completely changed how I’m approaching pages right now. It's made it feel lighter. It’s simple, but it flipped a switch for me.
I’ve been calling it my “joy journal” approach… I shared a little more about it on my blog if you’re curious. (you can check out a few of the posts here)
 
I feel it happens to most of us! Like others have said, try not to stress over it too much! With mine, I usually force myself to open the computer and just get online. That is my 1st step (It's much easier to just scroll Facebook or Instagram or watch YouTube videos). Sometimes looking through my photos will help inspire me to scrap. Sometimes looking through my kits (I have quite a few that still have to be used!). Sometimes doing a challenge (sometimes just scrapping a page for me, no challenge, no rules, not even posting it. Just a page that I wanted to scrap for myself). It can vary greatly! The most important thing is to get back that mojo...eventually. I have soooo many Facebook friends who no longer scrap (more who don't than who still do). Sometimes it will scare me back into scrapping again! "Oh, I don't want to never do it again like XYZ. Time to get scrapping!"
 
aussiegirl said:
I feel it happens to most of us! Like others have said, try not to stress over it too much! With mine, I usually force myself to open the computer and just get online. That is my 1st step (It's much easier to just scroll Facebook or Instagram or watch YouTube videos). Sometimes looking through my photos will help inspire me to scrap. Sometimes looking through my kits (I have quite a few that still have to be used!). Sometimes doing a challenge (sometimes just scrapping a page for me, no challenge, no rules, not even posting it. Just a page that I wanted to scrap for myself). It can vary greatly! The most important thing is to get back that mojo...eventually. I have soooo many Facebook friends who no longer scrap (more who don't than who still do). Sometimes it will scare me back into scrapping again! "Oh, I don't want to never do it again like XYZ. Time to get scrapping!"
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I agree with your last statement ----- I don't want to never do it again like other things ... I honestly could not imagine NOT ever scrapping again!
 
ForeverJoy said:
Ah! This is real! ❤ and I think Cheryl's advice is perfect.
This might sound weird, but I stopped waiting for “good stories” to scrapbook…
and my mojo came back almost immediately. I’ve been leaning into documenting the kind of moments I usually skip and it’s completely changed how I’m approaching pages right now. It's made it feel lighter. It’s simple, but it flipped a switch for me.
I’ve been calling it my “joy journal” approach… I shared a little more about it on my blog if you’re curious. (you can check out a few of the posts here)
Click to expand...
BRILLANT!!
 
Well, I just found a way to be inspired brand new! Download photos off of your phone and onto your computer! I am usually really good about this. I screenshot or download any photo my daughters send me, so that I can scrap those memories for them. And I am pretty good if we go on a vacation or some getaway. But we haven't had that lately. I just went through my phone and downloaded a bunch of photos. I always sort and label them as I download them (to make it easier to scrap). Now I am all inspired to scrap some new pages! :)
 
I am currently in a burnout/slump and have been for awhile. I've been scrapping for so long, and my boys are all older. They don't want photos. Makes it harder. I've been scrapping at least 16 years. That's a lot of pages. Now, I scrap mainly CT stuff. Most times I'm scrapping more out of obligation than desire to do it. Even with the gorgeous kits. Also because it's routine for me. I hate to take a break because then I feel like I'm letting my designers down. So I plug along. Currently to combat the lack of creativity, I've been trying to create more for me pages. My favorite style of scrapping is artsy. Mixed media/art journaling style pages. I love mixing this style into pocket scrapping. Another fave of mine is to scrap with a bunch of kits. Just taking pieces from a variety of kits and making a page. I don't feel boxed in this way. I'm not tied to a theme.
 
aussiegirl said:
Well, I just found a way to be inspired brand new! Download photos off of your phone and onto your computer! I am usually really good about this. I screenshot or download any photo my daughters send me, so that I can scrap those memories for them. And I am pretty good if we go on a vacation or some getaway. But we haven't had that lately. I just went through my phone and downloaded a bunch of photos. I always sort and label them as I download them (to make it easier to scrap). Now I am all inspired to scrap some new pages! :)
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I used to be very good about this but I haven’t done it in years! Great reminder.
 
I cycle with depression so when I'm down I can't look at my computer or think about scrapbooking. Lucky? I just got put back on meds and can finish this months changes. Sometimes it helps me to just play with a kit or kits no pressure just throw stuff in the page no rules. It just makes me want to create more.
 
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aussiegirl said:
Well, I just found a way to be inspired brand new! Download photos off of your phone and onto your computer! I am usually really good about this. I screenshot or download any photo my daughters send me, so that I can scrap those memories for them. And I am pretty good if we go on a vacation or some getaway. But we haven't had that lately. I just went through my phone and downloaded a bunch of photos. I always sort and label them as I download them (to make it easier to scrap). Now I am all inspired to scrap some new pages! :)
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Absolutely! You have to be active with your camera roll! (Do you also use Google Photos to back up from your phone?) You may want to check out my inbox trick in the Joy Journal Project ideas! ;)
 
tammybean04 said:
They don't want photos. Makes it harder. I
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This is definitely the downside when they get older- but you can still scrap stories about them- just not with photos- sometimes I use screen shots of our texts- or make non-photo layouts. I also like turning the spotlight inward a little bit now- my hobbies- my everyday- these stories get lost when we have the littles- but I've started digging out photos of when I was younger and scrapping my own memories- the hard part is changing gears 🩵
 
I play 'stash roulette' when I'm really struggling.

I pick a random organized theme on my EHD and tell my family to pick a number, count out that number, then I *have* to scrap with that kit (or delete it). I can always find something to scrap with for CT pages, so this is a good way to get me thinking, which in turn helps get me scrapping - and using my stash!
 
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