by Ethan Johnson
June 20, 2007

Shelley Powers recently asked me what scrapbooking was, exactly. Well, I'll tell you: I don't know. I'm hardly a veteran of the craft, but being a process-minded kind of guy, I analyze things probably too much, and here is what I have learned in a short time about this popular pastime.

What is scrapbooking?

UK Scrappers defines scrapbooking like so:

Many of you will remember making scrapbooks as kids --saving ticket stubs, brochures from holiday destinations, notes and newspaper clippings, special birthday cards or postcards. That was scrapbooking THEN. Scrapbooking NOW retains some of those elements, such as preserving precious memories, but focuses on the important elements of safety and longevity, journaling, and creative expression.

I have an old joke that I trot out once in a while: I like to tell people I'm a college professor when asked what I do for a living. When they ask what I teach, I say "brain surgery and rocket science." The thing is, I only teach the first-year students, so we do all sorts of activities that (wait for it) aren't brain surgery or rocket science. Then in year two they can focus on the stuff that is.

So it goes with scrapbooking: It is what you decide it is. I'm not sure how many purists out there will insist that you stick with "tradition". It's your thing, make it your own.

Added context:

Here's something that Shelley and others can identify with: Photography. I'm no photographer in the artiste sense, but I do like to snap a few pictures here and there. In retrospect, I'm glad I decided to take the odd photo once in a while because though it wasn't obvious at the time, I was capturing something that would otherwise have been lost forever. For example, I visited my parents during a business trip a few years ago and decided to snap a photo of their cat. The cat died about a year later and it's one of the best (and few) photos that I have of her.

After the photos are snapped, then what? In the good old days, if someone was on the ball, some sort of caption would be written on the back of the print. In the new-fangled internet era, photos can be uploaded somewhere and "tagged". For example, tags pertaining to my parents' late cat could be "dead", "cat", "Roxanne", "lawn", "Illinois", and so on.

Scrapbooking, like tagging or handwritten captions, is a method for supplying greater context to an object, usually a photo but not always. In a single instance, a photo or group of photos/memorabilia can be "explained" using a variety of methods, including but not limited to: Buttons, stickers, rub-on transfers, ribbons, brads, rubber stamps, and so forth. Not to mention "journaling": Text that provides some sort of explanation pertaining to the page theme, etc.

Here is a great example of the context that scrapbooking can provide: If this layout had not been created, and the photo went into a box for decades, perhaps the parent would remember "oh yes, this was your 'turquoise' phase when you were six." Perhaps not. To the unaided observer, it's just a photo of a smiling kid.

Emotional connections:

An article from the Deseret News earlier this year describes the emotional connection to scrapbooking (even for men) excellently:

Man books can veer far from traditional topics. Thomas Cain, a jet mechanic in Richmond Hill, Ga., says his wife scrapbooks about their children, but his own scrapbook memorializes his pet project: restoring a 1967 Fastback Mustang. His 50-page "Mustang Book" features before-and-after shots of the white car with black-leather interior, with receipts, progress reports and a close-up of the stitched-up finger he injured while working on the engine. The closing shot: a photo of him crying on the curb after learning that thieves had crushed his car for scrap metal.

"That book made my lawyer's job so easy," Cain says.

Some layouts strike me as emotional dynamite. Depending on how honest you are willing to be with yourself and others, certain topics may be really tough to express but may be very rewarding when completed. Here is one example where the rawness of the emotion is pretty striking. As is often the case, the creator caught a lucky break with the camera and the layout practically made itself. Or so it seems.

More than words:

This whole undertaking may seem pointless, and perhaps it is. But I'm enjoying it despite the ups and downs because it gives me an outlet to express myself in a tactile, tangible way. Marlena and I are wrapping up a book of quotes for my father. He'll get a kick out of it not only because of the nostalgic punch we've packed into it, but it proves that I (and my siblings) actually paid attention to the things he said and how he said them. One day my father will pass away, and we'll be complete wrecks re-reading the stuff we wrote in there. Looking at old photos of a person can invoke strong memories too, but scrapbooking provides a contextual x-factor that I believe is the "hook" that attracts more people to the pastime.

Less than words:

Some layouts are so minimal that perhaps the photo could indeed have been stuffed in a box somewhere. But the creators decided to be "artsy" rather than concern themselves with context and so forth. Here is a layout that doesn't explain much, but was probably just a fun project for the creator. Nothing wrong with that.

What is the best way to make a scrapbook?

The best way is to do it honestly and with an open mind. Beyond that, I'd say the sky is the limit.

Scrapbook pages are usually but not always contained in a book or binder of some sort, although more unconventional methods like decorated clasp envelopes, tin boxes, and framed one-page layouts are making an appearance. Unlike web design, people won't necessarily declare a form of scrapbooking to be "non-standard" or whatever and reject it outright. It truly is constrained only by your imagination, budget, and access to materials. Not that it has to be super expensive. I've seen (and made) some great stuff for under $5. Not bad for something artsy fartsy and unique.

Unlike blogging, scrapbooks or individual pages can be given away as gifts, loaded with personal touches that text alone cannot match. Not to get all competitive about personal touches, of course. So as a workable example, Shelley takes amazing photos. Instead of dumping the photos off to Flickr or her web site, she might opt to make a scrapbook layout providing additional context and capturing the essence of the visit. Or another hot-button topic is the Taum Sauk Dam break. Before/after photos with journaling could be really powerful. Again, not that blogging doesn't already accomplish this in some way, but scrapbooking adds a more tactile (and perhaps "real") dimension.

Putting the "fun" in fundamentals:

I am loathe to say that there is some ancient and accepted method for creating scrapbooks and layouts. There really isn't. I'm noticing that certain design elements come into vogue and pass away, such as enclosing a word or short phrase in {curly brackets}. My neighbor is a retired art teacher and she now wishes that she had shown more of an interest in scrapbooking back in the day, as she commented that scrapbooking is a great way to teach artistic fundamentals in a loose, fun way.

For the guys, I think what could be really attractive about scrapbooking is that not only can the whole family participate, there are lots of potential tools one could use, including die cutters, hole punches, and sandpaper.

A slippery slope:

This sounds like a cop-out, but I recommend even checking out the uploaded layouts at scrapbook.com to get a feel for what's out there and how people are expressing themselves through this medium. I find myself wishing I were more observant, and scrapbooking has given me an outlet to hone that skill, and reap its benefits.

I used to think that scrapbooking was something of a one-off, like a wedding album or baby book. Not so. Every time I think I'm out of ideas, and have a finite number of projects, I add 3 more to the list. Here is my current "to do" list, which may help spark ideas of your own:

• Book of quotes for my Dad (things he always says and why)
• FC Dallas 2007 scrapbook or one-page layout, depending on how my photos turn out, etc
• 2007 summer road trip scrapbook
• Weight loss journal - mmmmmmaybe
• Texas Sky one-pagers (plural)
• Recipe books (selected recipes from ethmar.com)
• "How I got the job at the community college" one-pager (for fun, will explain later)
• Our wedding album, years later (good thing we saved everything in a safe place)
• 20-year High School reunion album
• Something for Marlena - not telling since she reads this site occasionally
• Another surprise gift - not telling
• Dog one-pagers or album(s)

See how screwed we are? That's a lot of hours in the crop room. At least we're off drugs, off of the street, and high on life. And sniffing sparkly glue.

Note that neither of us has any children, so it's not like we are "willing" these to our heirs someday. Some of this is for our own amusement, some for artsy touches around the house, and others are gifts to give in the near to late future.

The other selling point: Unless I haven't found them yet, I'm not hearing anyone declare scrapbooking to be "2.0", the "next big thing" that "changes everything", and is a harbinger of the "revolution". It's social without the bullshit, and solitary without the nihilism. Dig? Oh, and unless I just am completely clueless, the "a-list" as it applies to scrapbooking is a list of which die cutters will produce the letter "a". Enjoy the relative anonymity while it lasts.

Hopefully all of that helped. Y'all are welcome to join us in the crop room and see what the fuss is about! <EM>