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10.07.2005

Scrap Celeb

There’s an interesting thread over at the veggie garden about the phenomenon of scrapbooking celebrity--people who have become famous in the industry…scrapbookers whose names we all recognize.

Is it silly that the scrapbook community has it’s own celebrities?

No, I don’t think so. I think it’s pretty normal. There are tole painting celebs, floral design celebs, knitting celebs, basketry celebs, photography celebs, cake decorating celebs and remarkable celebrity-like people in every other element of creative arts around. It’s normal. When you excel at what you do, people who share your passion come to admire your work and you.

What’s wrong with that?

There is a very short list of scrapbook “professionals” I deeply admire (and those on the list would probably surprise you). To me, because of their accomplishments and wide-spread acclaim, they are “scrapbook celebrities”. You know who they are. They are the people we refer to by their initials. For the most part they are women who have worked very hard in creating this industry. They have taken risks creatively and some have just been incredibly lucky. They are the faces of scrapbooking because they are authors, teachers, creators and people who have taken their own scrapbooking to the next level.

What’s wrong with that?

I think it’s far more palatable to admire these women for who they are and what they do than many of the other segments of “celebrity” in our society. Those on my list are women who share my passion for paper and photography, family and the written word, women who are generous with their gifts, and who are real. They are talented and creative scrapbookers. I happen to think that makes them worthy of admiration.

Do I get as crazy as a school at her first rock concert in the presence of those I admire?

No. Of course not. Geesh. Have some dignity. I do own a few autographed books by people on my short list but when I got those autographs there was no swooning, no fainting, no hyper giggling. There was no one autographing body parts. At least none that I saw. LOL! It was all very civilized and becoming of adult women. Maybe that’s a personality thing…I’ve never been one to do the whole “rock-star-let-me-bow-down-to-your-greatness” thing. It’s just not me.
I’ve said it many times before. Scrapbooking is a very personal art. By the nature of the art, people who lead this industry, share parts of themselves with the world. Maybe that’s why the admiration runs so deep.

1 comment:

Debby said...

I agree with you, even though I don't know any of these people. I also think it was interesting the way the original question was asked. Yes, there are layouts that I don't "get", but there are movies, songs, books, paintings, and sculptures that I don't "get" either. God made us individuals and He made us to be creative, so not everyone is going to like everything - it's nature. But there's no reason to hurt feelings over, which is what it was sounding like but the time I got to the end of the thread. That's the sad part.