I'm just wondering as I've been doing some research on creativity and I think it would be interesting to see how other people arrive at their finished pages.

For me, I often just put a page together as I go. But I find that when I take my time, give myself time to play, they are often sooo much better. I'm curious?ow

Do you plan you pages?
How often do you challenge yourself to get out of the box?
How do you rev yourself up to be really funky and creative?

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LaWanna Desjardin,
Owner, Desjardin Digital Designs, featuring regular articles and tutorials.
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Snag my blinkie!

I used to plan my pages out so carefully. Everything had to be just so. I envisioned it before I did it. But, as I grew more confident, I started just throwing things together and letting the mojo flow. I like the way my LO's turn out better when I do it this way. Maybe because I am surprised when I am done since I didn't "see" it in my head first LOL! I'm still kind of anal about using kits though. I have a HARD time mixing things from different kits. I usually just use kits as produced. That way, I am confident that everything "goes" together!

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Dena



My Blog, My Ramblings

I am getting better at being willing to completely change an entire layout! Just the other day, I was working on this layout. I used a template for it, so it shouldn't have been so difficult, but it just wasn't coming together. I think I used about five different kits with completely different color schemes before I finally settled on this one. I almost gave up a couple times because I didn't want to keep starting over. But, I'm glad I kept going because I really quite like the finished product. So, I am learning to allow myself time to think about a layout - leave it and come back to it with fresh eyes - and change it (everything if need be).

I also tend to scrap with kits, not a lot of mixing and matching. But, I'm getting better at trying a few pieces from another kit or element pack. I think the greatest thing about digital is that we can change things as often as we want without committing to anything until we are really happy. I love choosing two different papers and layering them on top of each other and then turning the layers off and on so I can really compare what the layout would look like with each one of them.

I feel like I still have so much to learn, but the digi-world is so full of inspiration, so I feel like I'm getting better all the time.

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I work best late at night and tend to work better in a cluster - i get on a roll i guess where it flows much easier. interruptions can kill a layout.

I rarely have a plan and even if I do it never ends up looking as i thought. It goes where it goes. Having said that I am pretty linear though I do try to move out of that.
The biggest influence on my creative process is color so I don't care where a element or paper comes from as long as it works.

HTH

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i almost always start with a sketch or a template, then go from there. When i quilted a lot, I used to say that the quilt will "talk to you" and tell you what to do. I think that could apply to all ART. I guess I just let the sketch or template "talk" to me and I then grab a paper or element from anywhere, recoloring if necessary.
A layout usually takes me a minimum of an hour: it's rare for me to get one done in less time that that. Sometimes, I leave it until the next day.
And I agree, the best thing about digi is the ability to change things around- or delete all together!!

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I have a couple of ways I scrap, depending on if I'm doing a layout for a CT/DT assignment and must use a certain kit or kits or if I'm doing the page for myself. If I'm doing it as an assignment, I start with the kits and pick a few papers/elements that I like, then I find photo(s) to match. I pick a few papers that I like as a background and then add all of the elements that I think will work from the kit and then add the photo(s). Finally, and this is the fun part, I move things around, add and subtract until I'm happy with the final product. In this case, my goal is to showcase the kit as best as I can and use the kit/designer requirements as the framework I build from.

On the other hand, when I'm creating for myself, I start with photos that speak to me. Some that I just feel inspired to scrap. After I get the photos looking how I want them, I search my stash for anything and everything that might work on a page with the photo. Sometimes it is a certain color or type of element (realistic, funky, etc.), other times, I find some papers that fit the feeling I'm looking for. I love to mix and match patterns and elements from kits. I really am not a template person, and when I do use one, I find that I change it quite a bit. I try to use basic design principles (rule of thirds, balance, movement, triangles, etc.) as I put my page together. My favorite part of the process is finding and adding/subtracting papers/elements. When I'm doing the pages for myself is when I find myself trying new styles and techniques. When I have a deadline, I'm less inclined to test my limits.... Because I have kiddos, I often have to scrap in small segments of time and this is a bit stressful on my creativity, but I find if I wait until I have a huge block of time to scrap, I'll never find the time After I have "finished" my page, I like to sleep on it and come back to it in a day or two. Most times, I make changes at that time that make it even better. It is kind of like when I write something, I like to edit it after a few days--I see things that needed to be fixed that I couldn't see when it was still fresh. I'm inspired to be creative by photos, elements and kits. The most important thing I've found about creativity is that I need to keep on going even when I'm not feeling inspired---If I start a page, even when I don't feel like it, eventually that creative spark will ignite, so my most important rule of creativity is to keep trying

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Neisha
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