“Be colourful, spontaneous, and authentic. Be yourself!” is what Stacy Julian said when asked to describe her style as we sat down to chat a few weeks ago. I was introduced to Stacy at a retailer event and was immediately drawn to her warmth, passion for scrapbooking, and for “telling the story.” As the Founding Editor of Simple Scrapbooks magazine and the author of several books, Stacy has amassed an incredible following as the founding partner of Big Picture Scrapbooking. She also has a blog www.stacysbigpicture.typepad.com which, as a loyal follower, truly represents the wonderful person she is.
I engaged Stacy in a little Q & A, including some of the questions our readers wanted answered, and here are her answers:
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A: I am the mother of 5 incredible children who I know will have far more influence on this world than I will. Although I was raised in Seattle, I now live in Spokane, Washington. I went to school and earned a degree in exercise physiology.
Q: Describe your style—both in scrapbooking and in your day-to-day life.
A: Intentional imperfection. It is not worth the time or effort to get hung up on details that do not matter. There is so much fun we can have in scrapbooking and life when it does not have to be perfect. Be colourful, spontaneous, and authentic! Be yourself.
Q: What is a priority for you when scrapbooking?
A: It is the freedom to make connections between pictures. The story is first.
Q: Share your top tips for organizing photos—both on the computer and for printed photos.
A: Digital:
• Sort and purge regularly in 15 minute chunks—set a timer!
• Separate highlights or favourites into folders (i.e. seasonal, event), focus on those, and then upload onto Shutterfly or some other photo processing company.
• Print photos—even digital scrapbookers should be printing 10% of photos
Printed photos:
• Slip photos into viewable storage albums in quasi-chronological order
• Organize aging photos thematically
Q: Tell us a bit more about Big Picture Scrapbooking and your vision for it over the next while.
A: Scrapbooking can make you a happier person. It helps you to live a more satisfying life. It is about the creative process—not the end result.
Big Picture Scrapbooking is about connecting people and their memories through online scrapbooking education. We are forming some fabulous partnerships and are about to launch to people outside of scrapbooking. There will be more transparency—doing the “social medium” in a positive way so that people can talk about what they are learning.
Q: What changes do you see in the industry over the next year or two?
A: I see more people scrapbooking. I see a broader definition of scrapbooking and see people being less narrow-minded about the perfection and the outcome, and also being open to new ideas. I see more people telling stories with pictures. I also see a return to basic, core practices.
Q: If you could share a message with a new scrapbooker what would it be?
A: Tell me a story and keep taking pictures.
Q: Other than scrapbooking and photography, do you have additional hobbies?
A: I love to be outside, to jog, and to make brownies (all brownies)! I love interior design and planning. [Stacy is also a list maker—one of the reasons she loves Mondays!]
Our Reader’s Questions:
Q: Stacy, do you ever find yourself wanting to put things aside for awhile...maybe doing a craft you haven't tried, or haven't done for a long time? Do you experience burn out?
A: I have not burned out because I have maintained a good rhythm. I continually step back and release expectations. Give yourself permission to let go.
Q: What got you started into scrapbooking?
A: Cards! I attended a dots (formerly CTMH) party in Chicago and I still remember the physical response from that moment. As far as scrapbooking goes, I started by visiting a stamping and scrapbooking store and signed up for scrapbooking 101. I was immediately hooked!
Q: Do you make your own greeting cards?
A: You can laugh at this, but I make only one in ten cards!
There was so much more I wanted to ask Stacy, but we were both limited for time. I did however have the chance to hear Stacy address the retailers that evening and if ever you have a chance to meet Stacy, ask her about the “sprinkles” story.
Finally, here is a little excerpt from Stacy’s blog that I love.
“It was 1997. I was living in Salt Lake City, Utah. I telephoned a neighbor, who I was just getting to know. Her husband answered, I said "Hello, is so-and-so there?" He replied with the expected "Just a moment please" followed by an unexpected comment to his wife "Honey, it's that woman who's altogether too happy!"
Thank you Stacy!
Catherine
What a great interview! I *heart* Stacy and her Simple Scrapbooks philosophy. And yes, for me, scrapbooking is all about telling a story.
Thanks for sharing this, Catherine. :)
Posted by: Barb | April 21, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Hi, Catherine,
I love Stacy's sprinkles story. I heard it that night at the Open Page retailers' event and told my DH when I got home. As we are both parents and teachers we admire her quick thinking.
Cheers!
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