I read this quote by Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. President, and I think it’s very appropriate for those of us who strive to find and nurture creativity. There are times when we hold ourselves back, for fear of criticism or because “we’re not good enough.” But Roosevelt says, it’s the man in the arena who counts.

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

When you see the phrase “effective scrapbooking,” what comes to your mind? Do you think in terms of number of layouts? Whether you have hundreds or tens or zero photos that still need to be scrapped? Whether you have the right tools?

If we ask a group of 20 scrapbookers, we’re likely to get 20 different answers. When I think of highly effective scrapbooking, here are the elements that come to mind:

• Clear goals
• Effective use of time
• Identifying priorities
• Maintaining momentum day after day, week after week, and year after year
• Creativity
• A personal scrapbooking style
• Being “caught up”

I think you’ve heard that last one before, and may cringe that I included it in this list. You may wonder where getting “caught up” falls into the concept of effective scrapbooking. And you’d be right to wonder.

None of us needs yet another reminder to get all our photos into perfect pages. We don’t need that kind of pressure. After all, scrapbooking is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby. But there are times when we find ourselves dreading scrapbooking as just another thing we have to get through. At least, I do, sometimes. And I find that those are good times to step back and reassess my approach.

So let me say right away that being caught up in the traditional sense is not the objective of effective scrapbooking. The traditional sense of being caught up is not what I meant, anyway. There really are other, more important things in life.

My definition of being “caught up” is “to be moving toward where I want to be in my scrapbooking.” This does not mean I let go of all goals, and just wing it. On the contrary.

Effective scrapbooking involves having a goal, a plan to get to that goal, and the ability to enjoy it along the way. But before we can decide what we want to accomplish, we need to have a clear idea of where we are. Once the vision is set, we need to regularly take steps to get to that objective.

If I’m doing these things, then I try to be kind to myself, and consider myself “caught up.”

If there’s anything you might take away from this post, it’s this:

Consider yourself “caught up” if you’re moving toward where you want to be in your scrapbooking.

We must accept the limits of our time, energy and creativity, and let go of the pressure to do it all right now. All we need is to know where we want our scrapbooking to go, and have a plan for how to get there.

Do you have a goal for scrapbooking? If you do, let us know in the comments. If you don’t, identify what you want to accomplish as a scrapbooker and make it a goal.

*** This post was adapted from the ebook “8 Habits for Highly Effective Scrapbooking.”

You ever wonder how successful creative people managed to get to where they are now? You might think they must have tremendous stores of creativity, that us mere mortals can’t even begin to hope to see in our own lives. They must never get tired of creating, never run out of inspiration and ideas, and always finish whatever masterpiece they dream up and start.

Us mere mortals? Well, we’re often tired from the day’s mundane jobs, have to scramble for the tiniest creative spark, and struggle to complete little projects.

What if I tell you that the secrets to having a successful creative life aren’t really all that secret? Or that us mere mortals can aspire to crafting a creative life for ourselves?

A few weeks ago, I was at a conference, one which was populated by creative types at various stages of their journeys to success. One of the speakers shared something which will now hold a permanent place in my daily reminders to myself. My only regret is that I didn’t write down who it was who uttered this statement. Here it is:

The three components of a successful creative life are work, courage and luck.

That’s it. No pixie dust. No extraordinarily large helpings of talent required. No mention of an endless magical well of inspiration to draw from. Come to think of it, inspiration is not even in the sentence above. All it takes to achieve success in pursuing a creative life is hard work, sufficient doses of courage, and the occasional lucky break.

You know what’s great about these three things? They’re not beyond the reach of mere mortals like you and me.

Hard work pays off

Hard work, or what’s known in writer’s circles as BIC (butt in chair), is something we can all do. We all have the capacity to plant our behind in our work chair (or grab a paintbrush, or a paper trimmer as the case may be). We can sweat it out, put in the hours, work our fingers to the bone if need be. See the beauty in this? Hard work will get us where we want to be.

Courage leads us on

There will always be days that will seem long and fruitless, and totally devoid of success. You know what gets successful creatives through those days?

It’s the conviction that there will be better times ahead, that the hard work will pay off, that success is just around the corner. That is called courage. It’s courage when we take up our paintbrushes again, type one more page of that draft, or attempt to start a scrapbook album when there is no inspiration in sight. It’s courage when we forge ahead when all our ideas seem dull and old, when we face rejection or even ridicule. Every successful creative person has faced obstacles in their journeys, and somehow, found the courage to move forward and do what needed to be done.

Luck opens doors

Of the three components, luck is perhaps the one that may be considered random or based on chance. Dictionary.com defines luck as “a combination of circumstances, events, etc., operating by chance to bring good or ill to a person.”

I will grant that there is a modicum of chance involved here. But I don’t believe that this component is all completely random or by chance. I want to focus on the words “circumstances” and “events” that contribute toward luck. These are things we have control over. If we seek out those circumstances and events that have greater chances of presenting us with lucky breaks, then by definition, we’ll increase our luck.

Luck may mean being at the right place at the right time. So if we’re at the right place most of the time, we’ll have a greater chance of being there when the right time rolls around. What this means is that we should seek out our own opportunities for success. Practically speaking, we need to spend time with fellow creative types, develop relationships, and simply get out there.

Being successful as a creative person isn’t easy. But it is attainable.

Do you want to be successful in your creative endeavors? Work hard, be courageous and believe in yourself, and cultivate opportunities where you can use your talent, and build toward your goal.

I would love to hear about your own creative journey. Let us know how one or all of these three components are helping you find success as a creative individual.

Do you know that, as a scrapbooker, you have tools and supplies you can use to help you with daily tasks? It’s true. Every scrapbooker I know has a collection of items that are useful not just for papercrafting but for more mundane (less fun?) tasks as well.

Here is my list of versatile scrapbooking tools you can use for a variety of purposes everyday:

1. Paper Trimmer

Whether it’s for cutting coupons or making cards, a good paper trimmer is indispensable to have around the house. I like to have a few different sizes: a full-size tabletop trimmer for 12×12 papers, a portable one for 8×11, and a handy 4×6 photo trimmer. Paper trimmers save time when you’re cutting a lot of similar-sized sheets, or if you’re just doing straight cuts (like those money-saving coupons!).

2. Colored Pens

One of the ways I track my family’s schedule is by keeping a calendar on our refrigerator. We see it everyday, and it’s provides easy access for everyone. To make it even easier, I use colored pens for writing down appointments, tball games, music lessons, and so on. I use each kid’s favorite color to make it easy to remember who has what. It’s awesome when we’re in a rush to get out the door.

Another benefit is that I don’t have to write anybody’s names. This really does save a lot of time, especially for the activities that occur over and over. I can also see, with one glance, whether one kid is over-scheduled for a particular day or week, or whether the other doesn’t have anything to look forward to in the coming weeks.

3. Craft knife

The ol’ craft knife has been a staple in my tool box for years. This useful little thing can do stuff other cutting implements can’t. It can cut shapes in the middle of a piece of paper or take apart a cardboard box. Using a craft knife does require some skill, but it is well worth the effort.

4. Cardstock

A stack of good-quality cardstock can find a variety of uses around the house. Cards, bookmarks, gift tags, reminder notes, and labels are just some of the ways you can use your cardstock. I keep a basket of leftover cardstock from larger projects. I like to pre-cut these pieces so that they’re always ready to go. Sometimes I make cards ahead of time by putting together coordinating paper. But I mostly just make the cards as I need them, and it never takes me more than a few minutes!

5. Adhesives

Every good scrapbooker should have a collection of different adhesives. Glue sticks, photo tape, and sticky dots are part of the arsenal. Pair these with the cardstock in #4, and you’ll always be ready for any task that needs sticking.

6. Ribbon

Ribbons may not be totally necessary for everyday tasks. But I think, hey, if you can add a bit of color to your life, why not use ribbon instead of twine? They’re great for gift bags and boxes, or creating bookmarks, for example. Wide ribbons can even be used as bookmarks on their own!

7. Crop-a-dile

The Crop-a-dile tool seems to be largely unknown outside of scrapbooking circles. I think more families should have this around the house because it’s just so useful! I’ve used it to punch holes in leather belts and cardboard boxes, as well as attach eyelets to a variety of materials. Sure you can use a regular punch for some of these tasks. Even a 3-hole paper punch might work in a real bind. But what I love about the Crop-a-dile is the power behind that fancy-looking contraption. I once gifted a teacher with the one of these so she can save her hands from injury when she’s making a whole bunch of cardboard crafts for her kindergarteners!

So there you have it. Seven scrapbooking tools that you’ll find useful for everyday tasks as well.

Do you feel yourself being pulled in many directions throughout your day? Is your schedule so full that you don’t know where to begin? Do you have so many things in your mind that you leave no room for creative pursuits?

Many of us believe that being productive with our days means filling up our schedule to bursting. We say yes to every activity or request that comes our way. We figure that we will just deal with issues as they arise.

The result is a lot of items, most of them unrelated to each other, on our to-do list. We end up running from one task, class, meeting, or problem to another. No wonder that an entire day passes and we feel frazzled, tired and unproductive.

There is a better way.

We don’t have to live at the mercy of urgent tasks. We don’t have to let other people’s schedules dictate our own. We can take better control of how we spend our own time, choosing those activities that are in line with our primary goals and interests.

How do we do that?

One all the most basic reasons that our daily lives are so disorganized is, well, that our time is disorganized. Our to-do lists are scattered in various pieces of paper, post it notes, even the backs of napkins. The thing is, in order to keep track of everything, we need a centralized depository for the lists of things that need our attention.

A lot of people already do this for their work. It only makes sense to do this for the home as well. Here are three basic tools that I’ve found to be essential for organizing my time and my thoughts.

1. Personalized Planner

I am a firm believer that every mom, student and busy person should have a personal planner. What I mean by it being personalized is that it should almost be like a diary. This planner should become an extension of your brain. It will hold all your own appointments, both for work and home, as well as other people’s appointments that you also need to remember. This includes your children’s medical checkups, school activities, and playdates. All your work deadlines are there. Any schedules for home related tasks. In other words, it should be a snapshot of your day.

The reason I believe that each person should have his or her own planner is simple. We are different people. Our schedules are different, even though they may overlap. We think differently, we organize our time differently, and we prioritize differently. Thus, the only person who will find my planner easy to use is me. My husband may be able to make sense of it, but it won’t work as well for him as it does for me.

2. Centralized calendar

Any group of people living together should have a centralized calendar. This group could be a family, students in an apartment, or an entire office or department. Because of overlapping schedules, we need to have a method for tracking common appointments and activities.

This calendar should be placed in a prominent location that everybody can access everyday. For families, the most obvious is the refrigerator.

It should be easy to use, giving important information at a glance. In my house, our centralized calendar is color-coded. Each kid’s schedule is in his favorite color, everything else is in black. This way, it’s easy to see who’s got what in which day, and it saves me from having to write their names over and over again. Besides, it’s a great way to use colored scrapbook pens!

3. Idea Catch-all

This third tool for enhancing productivity and creativity can be combined with the first one. As you generate ideas throughout your day, you need a place to put them in. A personalized planner is perfect for this.

Your planner should have a section for notes, designated specifically for jotting down ideas as they occur to you. These ideas could be for anything. They could be work-related, or they could be stuff that you want to make in your hobby. The important thing is that these ideas are written down in a permanent place, so that they don’t get lost. This is why the backs of napkins don’t work so well. They get misplaced or thrown away too easily.

These are just basic tools that will help you organize your time better, be more productive, and enhance your creativity. We will revisit these ideas in later posts. Meanwhile, let us know what kinds of tools you use to manage your own schedule and nurture your own creativity.