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Layout That Stir Emotions–

Happy Monday! Heather (hedderlee) here with my first post for ScrapMatters. And my first public confession: I’ve been stuck in a “been there, done that” rut with my layouts. I mean, really, how many ways can one scrap her most adorable children in the whole wide world without exhausting “cute, “sweet” and *gasp*… “adorable”? I’m sure many of you get scrapper’s block too from time to time.

Poet Ezra Pound said, “Make it new for me.” How do I keep it fresh? I thought long and hard about this, because I want to chronicle my family’s memories with enthusiasm, instead of this dragging feeling. And then it hit me: it’s the power of stirring emotions with my layouts that keeps it new. Our artistry should move hearts. The human spirit should be pierced, be it with joy, pride, sorrow, wonder, even anger.

There truly are a million shades of feelings to evoke. I’ve compiled a list that keys in on how to achieve strong emotional content:

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P H O T O . Scrapbooking is inherently visual. The photo is your most powerful method for conveying emotion.

-Zoom in on your subject! The less distraction in the background the better. Crop your photo if you need to. I really like extractions to single out the subject:
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Here’s the original photo:
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-Duplicate the photo. Focus in on the part of our photo where the emotion is strong. You can also blend the photo into the background:
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-Photo placement and size of photo. Tuck a small photo into a corner for a shy, timid feel. Or a large one smack dab in the middle for a strong focus.

J O U R N A L I N G . Pour out your heart!

Honest, heartfelt words accentuate the mood that your photo establishes. Journal as if no one else will read it, and chronicle exactly how you feel. What I can’t say in real life (because the words get caught in my throat) I can reveal in my layouts. Use descriptive action words. So instead of “she went to the living room”, you can say “she tore through the house and blew into the living room”. The visual you get from the second statement is dramatically different from the first!

Use quotes. When words fail you, just use someone else’s. I used a quote by philosopher Lao-Tzu in the layout below: “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

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Strong title. Self-explanatory, right?
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C O L O R . Restaurants use a lot of red in décor choice because they know that it can boost a person’s metabolism and make them eat more. Use color psychology in your layout to convey strong emotion. Here’s a cool color psychology quiz to test your knowledge on this subject.
Kuler from Adobe Labs is a great tool that allows you to choose harmonious color combinations. Check it out:

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I hope you can utilize this list to lift yourself out of the scrapper’s block doldrums! Have an inspirational day full of creativity.

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 at 8:47 am and is filed under Creative Team. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

12 Responses to “Layout That Stir Emotions–”

  1. Scrapmatters Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 8:52 am

    Terrific inspiration Heather! I am looking forward to incorporating your ideas into my scrapbook layouts. :D

  2. Cheri Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 9:04 am

    Great ideas Heather! Thanks for the inspiration:)

  3. Dacia Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:31 am

    Great ideas to get us out of the “rut”. Thanks so much!

  4. SusanD Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:35 am

    Heather, Thanks for the inspiration!

  5. LivE Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:37 am

    Great job with this, heather!!! So proud of you! Love all your layouts to go with each point you discussed!

  6. Joan Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:42 am

    Heather, this is wonderful. You are amazing.

  7. Teresa P Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    fantastic post :) thanks so much!

  8. Angela Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 5:44 pm

    These are really great suggestions, and guidance. And your layouts really do exemplify these points! You pulled a whole lot of information together very succinctly, Heather. Well done! Now. . . ., to only FOLLOW your advice!

  9. Shari Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 7:22 pm

    This is a fantastic post. I love all the informations you shared and your ideas are wonderful. Your LO’s truly expressed what you are trying to say.

  10. Zakirah Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 2:01 am

    Thanks so much for the inspiration! Wonderful idea!

  11. Jeni Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 6:40 am

    Thanks so much! Now, we’ve got lots of great inspiration from you and your LOs!

  12. Ann Says:
    March 5th, 2008 at 7:03 pm

    This is so great. You did a fantastic job with this GF.

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