The Done Manifesto for Digital Scrappers—Part 2
by Jen White
Welcome to Part 2 of a series entitled The Done Manifesto for Digital Scrappers. If you are just now joining, I’d encourage you to start from the beginning.
Sometimes a girl has time to sit and play and be ultra crafty. Then there are times when a girl just has to get things DONE. The Done Manifesto for Digital Scrappers is for those times. If you are interested in just getting it DONE, this series is for you.
In this series we’ve been talking about the Done Manifesto by Bre Pettis. It’s been quoted as being “a set of working rules based on a sense of urgency.” We are working together as a team and a community to see how this “sense of urgency” could be applied to our craft of digital scrapbooking by taking a look at one “Done rule” per week and relating it to our world. This week we are focusing on Mr. Pettis’ Rule #2.
The Done Manifesto Rule #2:
Accept that everything is a draft. It helps to get it done.
Draft. What does that mean exactly? For a second I thought Mr. Bre was just having a beer while working along side a friend. But then, my buddy Sharon spurred me on to a different view.
“Draft” could mean it doesn’t and shouldn’t have to be perfect. It’s your creative copy. “Draft” takes the pressure off. Try this on for size:
The Done Manifesto for Digital Scrappers Rule #2.
In the Scrapbooking stage, work in draft mode. It will help get things done.
Draft mode involves getting those photos and elements on the page. Take a step back from the page. Does it look well rounded and complete? Did you tell the story? Sometimes just the photos tell the story and journaling is not necessary. Other times, only journaling is needed—not all scrapbook pages need photos. Draft mode suggests that you get it all down in an orderly fashion that makes sense and looks good to you.
More great scrapbooking advice:
Linda Sattgast advises that after finishing your scrapbook page in draft mode, put your project away for a few days. Then, go back and look for silly mistakes as part of the Completion stage. Look for things like:
- Is your spelling and punctuation correct?
- Did you include the date?
- Are all necessary shadows applied?
Andrea Graves likes the theory of working in draft mode. She says it helps her to feel free to create without having to worry about the picky details like spelling and punctuation.
Now it’s your turn. What’s your take on Rule #2?
Rule #1 | Rule #2 | Rule #3 | Rule #4 | Rule #5 | Rule #6 | Rule #7 |
Rule #8
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Author: Jen White | jen@digitalscrapper.com All comments are moderated. Please allow time for your comment to appear. Thanks!
Working in draft mode was a technique I picked up in the “Power Scrapbooking” class. I might have all my pictures on the page, elements in place and things just don’t look the way I want them to, I’m just not loving the page! Linda had suggested we put the page away and sleep on it. It’s amazing what working in this “draft mode” can do when you put it away and you’re not staring at that page. The next day I come back and it seems the scrapbooking fairies have visited me overnight and my creative juices start flowing and it’s easy to finish that page.
I like the draft idea. I think I’ve actually done this before but not known it. I start a layout and work on it but for some reason it is just not working so I put it away. Then, the next time I look at it – usually within the next one or two days – I see just the extra piece I need and everything falls into line and the layout is done. What a great feeling!
As I said last week, I sometimes need to slow down. I am always trying to use Sharon’s rule to put it aside for a day or two. But with work and other things I sometimes hurry to fast. But as an accountant I understand Draft mode. Stand back and see it in the eyes of someone else. It’s like taking a photo – take the photo that is in front of you not the one in your head because the camera can’t see the one in your head and others can’t see the page in your head. I have steps pick the pictures, look at templates, decide if you are going to do anything to the pictures, add the paper and then the elements, lastly the journaling and drop shadows. The identify all the parts and copy to journaling into word. When I take these steps I can finish a page because I can mentally check off the steps. Identifying the parts can be boring and this is what slows me down to look at the pieces before I go back to look at the whole. Finishing a page is like reconciling an account always a joy.
Jen you always have such fun ways of getting your ideas across. This is a great idea!! I am going to try this on my next layout. I have the pressed tin paper done, but no page to go with it. I am a terrible perfectionist sometimes. This may be a good mind set to get away from that tendency. Thanks for the idea!!
Love this idea. I’ve used it many times and it has helped to see tiny things that need to be corrected or changed. On one of my pages, I had described a photo in my journaling section. A friend pointed out that the photo was not on the page. Needless to say, I had not done a very good editing job. I had changed the picture but not the journally! lol
I completely agree that done is better than perfect – the albums that I was on a time crunch to complete such as birthday gifts are lovely and they are on my shelf ready to be looked at any time the mood moves us to reminisce – many of those that didn’t have a “due date” are sitting partly done or waiting to be started…
However; thinking of my completed pages as a draft would give me permission to go back and “tweek” them…so not the best mindset for me to complete things.
This draft idea has helped me! I am a hybrid scrapper and am always putting things aside because the perfect pictures aren’t printed. With a draft, I use my printer printed pictures, embellishments, etc and when the “real” ones are developed, I just tape/glue them over the printer ones. Gives dimension and walla the pages are done!