Scrapbooking through burnout

In my previous post, I mentioned suffering from severe creative burnout, something that stopped me from creating and enjoying art completely. These days, I’m still working on rediscovering my creativity, hoping to find my way back to creating with childlike wonder and playfulness. One thing that’s worked really well for me is scrapbooking my travels as a way to remember, reflect and show gratitude for the places I’ve been and the people I’ve travelled with.

A big reason for my art block was the self-imposed pressure to be a ‘perfect artist’. It’s ironic because aside from my own art, I hang onto a lot of ‘imperfect’ things. I collect sentimental items many consider worthless – tickets, receipts and cards that remind me of special moments and people I love. I cherish old clothes and tools because they tell a story of being well-used and well-loved. If I’m able to accept these imperfect things in life and hold them so close to my heart, why can’t I allow the things I make with my own hands to also be less than perfect?

The chunkier the better! I’m excited to see how thick my scrapbook gets once I’ve finished it

Scrapbooking freed me from the trap of creating ‘perfect art’, mainly because the materials I work with aren’t even originally made by me, thus liberating myself from the stuffy role of creator. I find it much easier to embrace the role of a historian, curating memorabilia and encapsulating special moments I want to remember forever. There are no wrong answers in scrapbooking because everything can be peeled off or covered with just a glue stick and scrap piece of coloured paper. This has been such a welcome break from watercolour painting, where every stroke has to be premeditated.

In the process of scrapbooking my travels, I have enjoyed experimenting with a whole variety of materials, colours and textures, while adding interactive and tactile elements I’ve missed so much from my childhood days. At this point, my travel scrapbook holds so many precious memories that it’s the one possession I will always unconditionally save, say in the event of a natural disaster or house fire. It is simply the most valuable (and my most favourite) thing I’ve ever made.