Scrapbooking Philosophy

Here is my scrapbooking philosophy, based on the main philosophical areas of study:

Metaphysics: The study of the nature of reality.

In scrapbooking, I attempt to concentrate on the nature of the objects and subjects of my LO and define them by all of their attributes: color, size, shape, location, texture, time, etc. This really helps me to get the "feel" of a LO and helps me determine how to support the items that I want to highlight and how best to do that.

Epistemology: The study of the nature and scope of knowledge.

One thing I try to remember is that knowledge is not always universal. When making scrapbooks, I keep in mind that I want them to be kept and read by myself and my family many years from now. As a result, when I am journaling, I try to imagine that I am reading it without the in depth knowledge of the subjects and feelings that the LO carries with me.

Ethics: The question of the best way to live.

Morality often blankets concepts like right and wrong, good and evil, virtue and vice, pride and humility. To me, life is always somewhere in the middle; but, perception can keep us from seeing things as they really are. My scrapbooking philosophy is to try to show the good, the bad, and the neutral; because if not, it's not truly a representation of life.

Aesthetics: Deals with the senses and sensory-emotional values.

I feel, I perceive, I sense. Whether it's using the Rule of 3, clustering, layering, using specific types of embellishments, etc., making a LO appealing is important. It give a page that extra dimension. Like each piece of art have a unique perspective and evoke different feelings, I want my LOs to do the same.

Logic: Study of valid argument forms.

Logic always reminds me of the scientific process at science fairs. The question "How does ____ affect ____?" is central to discovering and improving ourselves, the world around us, and even our crafting! After observing how drawn I was to certain colors (neutral and primary tones), I began to experiment with new ideas, photos and techniques that would affect my color choices. These discoveries have led to LOs that embrace colors and techniques that I would have never considered using if I hadn't spent all those years in elementary school science class testing whether plant growth was affected by different types of music and whether there was a direct correlation between playing video games and different forms of "intelligence".