Consolation prize for non-picked babes????

[carrie1977]

Ella...please don't change your style! You have become one of the scrappers I can pick out in a gallery and that is because they are unique and stand out. I especially love some of your most recent layouts. You don't need to change the way you scrap...evolve if you want but please don't change it. You do you!

 

[ellasspace]

Ella...please don't change your style! You have become one of the scrappers I can pick out in a gallery and that is because they are unique and stand out. I especially love some of your most recent layouts. You don't need to change the way you scrap...evolve if you want but please don't change it. You do you!

Thank you Carrie

 

[Sherly]

Hugs, Ella! Remember why you started scrapping in the beginning. Scrap for you, scrap as your creative outlet and scrap for your family memories, not because of babe position. Don’t let it take away the joy of scrapping from you. Hugs!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[biancka]

Ella, it's like I could have written that post myself !! I know how it feels to get the 'i am so sorry but you didn't make the team' email and it's no fun and it even hurts and your heartbreaking disappointment covers it all. I think we've talked about this in the past but we both are so hard on ourselves and we should stop doing that. If your style of scrapping changes..that's good but please don't change it because you think it will higher your chances of becoming a Babe. I know my style changed big time but that happened over time and not because I thought..I want to get on that team. It changed because I found love for clustering...allthough I do scrap white space layout...my layouts are far from clean & simple I totally agree with you...do it for the love of scrap and that is what brings us together here at SSD !!

 

[craftytam]

Here is my take on all of this after three tries myself. I am one to get inside my own head way too much and you are about to see that firsthand. Getting inside my head is not always pretty and often harmful for me as I suffer from self-harm issues.

The first thing I go through is obviously the same as everyone else heartbreaking disappointment. I then start to question everything I do, my style, my ability, even myself as a person.

I worry that it’s because I have had so many family issues that called on me to be there for family first. Yet what I love about scrap-booking is the message from most is family first. I lost dream teams to put my husband first after he was hit by a bus, even after I would still choose him again, even knowing those teams are now unavailable to me.

I worry it’s because I’m too introverted, even though I’ve seen girls make it in the past who were obviously introverts too. I beat on myself over things I cannot change like my own personality. I worry it’s because I have had a past conflict with someone in the scrap world after being approached first by her. Yet I’ve seen girls make babe who openly lashed out and hurt others out of their own hurt and disappointment in the past in the forum. (my issue was outside the SSD forum and most probably do not even know of it) I get inside my own head thinking, worrying, stressing too much. I have always tried to be a kind person and hope those who know me see that.

I have spent the past two weeks tweaking and changing my style, only to be disappointed in myself and am now getting less love on my layouts then I did before I changed my layout look. I’ve had close friends disappointed in me for giving in to the “desired look” not sticking to my style. I’ve had people message me that I didn’t even know where following me inspired by me in the past asking me why I changed my style. Telling me they we shocked to not recognize pages by me recently until seeing my name attached. Telling me that they miss the look I created before, that my layouts were always recognizable to them but no longer are.

Now I question myself completely thinking how I can grow and still get the love I once got on my layouts. Truthfully, I will say feeling loved and excepted is important to me even on my layouts. I worry it’s because my layouts are NOT always SSD typical. I am an art major stepping out of the box is and will always be me, I love a challenge.

I worry it’s because I do not share my life stories in journaling on my pages, yet I see people blur out faces and think it’s no different they are providing privacy for that person though photographs. I am providing privacy for myself and my family and our stories. This is important as I am someone who has been stalked online in the past and probably still is stalked.

I worry it’s because I create so may pocket pages, but I find I love them because I can create a story without sharing the written story online. BTW for those of you worried I’m not saving stories for my family this way; I am my stories/journaling gets added later before printing for privacy.

I found myself questioning is it because I use a different program? Yes, I do use something different then CS, but I am here to say I can run circles all over my program and KNOW for fact I can do anything with it everyone else does with their programs.

What I am trying to say to all of you and YES even MYSELF is, we will never really know what it takes to make it each call, it could change upon the need that given year. I am hoping I can take my own advice here to get out our heads and just do what we love again document (in our own way) and create.

Will I apply again? YES will I change my style, MOST LIKELY YES, not just to make a SSD Babe spot but to grow myself. Growth in everything I do is and will always be vital to me. Now to get out of my head once again and move on to what I started in the first place loving to scrap.

Just do it for the love of scrap ladies and if it is meant to be it will fall into place.

I wish I could reach across the internet and give you a huge hug, Ella!! :wub: You know I'm here if you need to chat! You have a beautiful style, and a beautiful heart. Growth is good, but stay true to you!!

 

[Scrappy Penguin]

Maybe we should create a thread for constructive criticism. Only post in it if you are willing to take others suggestions, and not take it too personally.

In the gallery, we only leave love. We don't give helpful hints "work on your shadows", "those colors don't quite work with your photos".

Maybe we need one thread, and if you chose to post in there, you chose to take the criticism also. Nothing negative about photos (because those are personal), quote the layout you want to give helpful hints on (since threads move fast and it could get jumbled and confusing). Just an idea to help us improve our scrapping and techniques.

This is a great way to learn and grow. I have asked for critiques from my "boss" Tracey as I have CT'd for her over the years. She and I have become good friends through our honesty in life and scrapping. She said to me in a chat once....You were on the boarder line but I saw strengths, your work has grown quickly. (paraphrasing) Her pointers and my willingness to listen and try new things are the reasons for this. I find I have become a picky scrapper and have high standards in my work because of this. When I hate a page I post... It haunts me, lol.

 

[Scrappy Penguin]

I didn't apply for a Babe spot.... Not because I have had my share of rejections AND I have, lol. BUT because I was selected once to be a guest on a STORE TEAM somewhere to be unnamed. It was a 1 or 2 month commitment (or maybe a trial run for permanent spot, who knows) IT was more work than I bargained for. This is something you don't quite understand until you are there and doing it. I said my thank yous and goodbyes when my time was up. It was for me like having a JOB I didn't get paid for. For me scrapping is not a job...it's my hobby, my escape, my friendships. I have never wanted to be on a stores team since.
This may help some of you as you go forward and it may not. I will say never give up until you feel at peace with it. I am only on one CT and I apply to very few calls knowing I am competing with some of the very best scrappers in all of digi land. I consider myself a good scrapper and I love most of my pages. I redo what I don't love. I scrap for me and if it's liked, it is and if it's not that's ok too. If you want to get better for a call ask for help from someone you admire. For me, that is Tracey of Clever Monkey Graphics.

 

[jacinda]

Hugs from me too Ella. I love your style! I think when you scrap to please others and not yourself, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Scrap because it brings you joy. Scrap whatever style you want to on any given day. Scrap for YOU. When you do that, and feel happy with your own layout, THAT is all that matters. Don't change your style to get onto a CT. Change your style only when it feels right for you. I never thought I'd ever be chosen to be a babe. My style is much simpler and cleaner than the typical babe. And I use templates a LOT. I couldn't scrap clusters or arty pages like some of the babes if I tried. And you know what? It didn't matter. Robin chooses her team to fill various needs. Maybe when she chose me, she needed someone with a simpler style. Maybe she needed someone to show off the templates. I don't know why she chose me, but I do know she chose me for me. You be you. Keep doing what you do because YOU love it. Don't hang your happiness on the decisions of others. You have to be happy with yourself. I also don't take the number of gallery comments to heart either. If you look at my gallery I have very few comments on my layouts, and that's ok. I'm not a big commenter either. Just because people don't comment, doesn't mean they don't like your layout.

All that is to say, don't be disheartened. Remember why you started scrapping in the first place, and find joy in just creating pages that you love. :wub:

 

[lholuska]

IT was more work than I bargained for. This is something you don't quite understand until you are there and doing it.

This is so very, very true. I was a designer from about 2010-2013 at another store. I had my own CT. People who do CT work (or just scrap for themselves and appreciate designers' work) often say that they don't envy the work that a designer has to do to put together a kit, but I can say that CT members put in a lot of work too. It's kind of an unpaid job, because you usually have to scrap on a bit of a deadline, especially if your designer is delayed a bit on getting a new release to you on "schedule". And I think that CTing for a store is even more work than that - because it's basically like you're CTing for multiple designers at once, plus you often have a few other tasks that stores ask you to do (run challenges or events, an amount of involvement in the gallery and forum, and during special events like DSD or iNSD there's a lot packed into the weekend that the CT members do). The good thing is I've never (personally) encountered a designer or store who doesn't appreciate their CT members or understand when real life comes up. I know that I just adored all of mine - and still miss them!

I'm currently enjoying being able to scrap for just myself without any expectations or deadlines. I participated in the Passport challenges this month and I'm finding that is expanding my comfort zone a little. There is definitely a few designers I'd love to CT for here, and if the day ever comes that they're having a call I may apply if I feel like the fit is right and I won't find it overwhelming for myself. Until then I'll enjoy scrapping on my terms, and be patient for "the right" call to come...or try anyway.

 

[Sherly]

I think Jacinda says it perfectly. I was *more than once* felt what you felt about the unsuccessful CT applications, but I learnt to just scrap for me, tweak my style for me and enjoy the process, while keeping my wish to be a babe alive. After all, those pages are for me to keep and only I know fully how precious the memory being recorded in them.
So hugs to you, Ella! :wub: