Inspiration Elevator - March 2014

Welcome to our March Inspiration Elevator challenge. Each month our group is challenged to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow. Be sure to check out our Inspiration Elevator Blog to see all of our previous challenges.

Our challenge this month was posed by the very talented Ann Jobes. Here's how she expressed this month's challenge:

"First, for those of you who are getting tired of journaling-based challenges, I apologize. This idea has been cooking since the fall (just not articulated).

My daughter subscribes to the Dance Spirit magazine and I sometimes browse through it, too. One of my favourite monthly features is an article that features a different dancer each month, some photos of that dancer, and a description of their current work, and (the best part!) a letter. The theme is a Letter to My Teenage Self. The content ranges, depending on the dancer and his/her experience, morals, ideals, etc. So this month's assignment is to write a letter to your teenage self. You can take any approach you'd like to this - scrapbook page, art journal page, canvas. However the prompt inspires you. And your content is of course up to you, as well. Some topics might be: what would you try to teach yourself? Or, what would you counsel yourself to do or not do? This does not have to be a page about regrets. It could be about congratulating yourself on something you did right that has contributed to who you've become today."

Thanks Ann for an awesome challenge!  I admit that I was not too thrilled with this challenge at first.  But after thinking about it for a couple of days, I thought of a fun approach to it.  I decided to do a digital subway art design!

I am not overly proficient in Photoshop but I have managed to teach myself enough to get by.  In choosing to do a digital design I had to work with the technical side of Photoshop as well as the creative aspect of Ann's challenge.

I chose a chalkboard background and added some paint splatters to it to give it some interest.  Then I added different phrases that I would want my teenage self to know.  Words of encouragement. Truths that my very shy and insecure self would not have believed or trusted, but that I so desperately would want her to accept!

I also chose to add one of my school photos from high school to my design!  I felt it was important to have the photo on it in order to create a personal connection to the words that I wrote.  I scanned the photo into my computer, changed it to black and white and backed it with a doily-like frame.  Then I played with the placement a bit before I settled on this final layout.

I had fun working with the different fonts and enjoyed being creative with the positioning, color and size of each phrase.

When I completed the first design, I decided to try a different background.  This lovely wood background caught my eye and when I put it in place, I rather liked it!  I was able to use the original coloring of my photo (a bit of a sepia tone) which matched the warmer wood tones, plus the blue lettering matched perfectly with the painted wood.  When all was said and done, I wasn't sure which design I liked better, so I am showing you both!

I hope you will choose to visit the other Inspiration Elevator designers' blogs to see what they did with Ann's challenge.  They are an incredibly talented group of ladies and I know you will be inspired by their work.

Ann Jobes

Laura Whitaker

Lisa Moen

Cathy Harper

Joanne Burton (you are here!)

Jodi Wilton

Michelle Hernandez

We would LOVE to see you take up Ann's challenge this month, so if you do, please share it at our linkup on the Inspiration Elevator Blog.