I have been participating in the Lain Ehmann-lead LOAD challenge since it was first offered on Big Picture Scrapbooking in January 2008. LOAD is one of those exercises I participate in with varying degrees of dedication and success. Ideally, at the end of October, I will have created 31 layouts. Even when I don't manage to make one layout every day, I am able to focus on the challenge and simply feel like I'm creative for a full month. Some days I even surprise myself and make two or three layouts. It's a wondeful opportunity, with a wonderful and community, to foster ideas and complete pages. Sweet validation!
In the months in between offerings (LOAD is offered in February, May and October) I have a file on my computer where I store all of those gorgeous layouts I find all over the www in the months in between. Sometimes I love a whole layout, a topic, colour combination, photo composition ... all kinds of things, they get stored in a jumble:
When you are trying to be creative 31 days in a row, it's helpful to have a file of inspiration!
The theme for this LOAD is "Story". When photography is not my favourite part of scrapbooking, the story is my favourite part of scrapbooking. It flips and it flops, regularly! Not only do we have a theme that I find appealing, but Lain has organized that we are also going to have guest speakers: Ali Edwards, Celeste Smith, Katrina Kennedy and Noell Hyman. Doesn't that sound wonderful? I can't wait to hear what they have to say.
If you like this idea, go here, and sign up!
Hopefully I'll see you over in the Flickr group. Drop by and say "hi". I'm listed under LINARstudio.