There are a lot of reasons that people watch my YouTube channel. Often times, they are new to Bible journaling and tend to stumble across one of my videos. Sometimes they like my voice or they are a fan of the length of my projects. They might be a big fan of using all the colors like I do, or maybe they like playing with different types of journaling. But, probably the most mentioned reason that people watch my YouTube videos is because I often share the mistakes that I make when I am crafting. This surprised me!
We all make mistakes, all day long. I make parenting mistakes, cooking mistakes (all of the time!), schedule mistakes, and most definitely crafting mistakes. In fact, if you aren’t making mistakes, you are most likely not growing in many areas of your life. One of my daughter’s teachers always says, “Mistakes are where the learning goes”, and I think that is such a beautiful truth to hold on to. I used to be afraid of sharing my mistakes on Instagram or YouTube. I was afraid that if I showed myself messing up a project that people might realize that I am an imposter. I was afraid that people would see me as just another typical crafter, nothing special, no reason to watch.
But, do you want to know the truth? I am just another typical crafter. I make mistakes ALL the time in my crafting. I am not sure that you can even venture into art journaling if you are not willing to make mistakes. Truthfully, art journaling probably helped me get over my fear of mistakes more than any other craft I have tried. Art takes on a life of its own. Even in those projects where you are trying to follow step by step directions, you can’t help but add a little of your own flare…it’s only natural! But, with any flare, comes a little spark that might ignite a fire. A fire that could turn your project on its head. But, that is half the fun!
Sometimes, the mistakes come when I am just hurrying or when I am distracted by other thoughts. I appreciate those times as well. Crafting is a sort of therapy for me, so it is not uncommon for me to be lost in thought while I am creating a project. And, if that causes me to document on the wrong page of my planner or do a Bible journal entry in the wrong book of the Bible, so be it. The heart was always there even if my brain checked out for a few minutes.
Once I was a few months into my YouTube journey, I began to realize that people were not looking for some “perfect” crafter to watch online. Honestly, there are so many more creatives on YouTube that are much more artistically talented or more creative than I am. But, I enjoy watching people that I can relate to. And, I think others feel the same ways. Sharing our mistakes with the world is presenting a more authentic view of ourselves with the world. With the rise of social media, we are all searching for a bit more authenticity. The other thing I learned is when I share the mistakes I make, I also get to share how I over come those mistakes. It often just takes a tweak or two for a mistake to turn into a wonderful creative opportunity! There are certainly times when mistakes run so deep in a project that I have to scrap it and start over, but there are lessons to be learned in those times as well. Mistakes are truly where the learning goes!
Why am I sharing all of this? To continue to encourage you to not get down on yourself when you make mistakes in your art or in your crafting. They happen to the best of us. You don’t have to share them with thousands of people online, but you also don’t have to keep them a secret. Be authentic, bring them out of the dark, and overcome them! You might just find someone that really connects with that authentic version of you!
Keep it creative,
-The Scrappy Wife