. . . but the original article was critical of the generic, pre-fabricated stuff that people just thoughtlessly assemble as a substitute for something challenging and personal that you figure out for yourself.

Obviously, if a person had a personal collection of GENUINE souvenirs and a lifetime of "scraps" to pull together as a document, that is wonderful and commendable. I understand the importance of keeping a record of life and love.

But FAKE. MANUFACTURED "EPHEMERA" that has nothing to do with one's OWN experience, carries the implication that your "personal" scrapbook "should" look a certain way and that anything you have "for real" isn't good enough . . . the current commercial scrapbooking fad is just so CONFORMIST and COMMERCIAL, rather than INDIVIDUAL and PERSONAL. A lot of it is so . . . heartless I guess.

I KNOW that many people can and do elevate collage and "scrapbooking" and other graphic assembly techniques to an art form, but those people are brave, rare, CREATIVE individuals. Anyone I know who does scrapbooking spends far too much time worrying about what you are "allowed" to do and that's why as an artist, a craftsperson and a designer I hate it so much. It denigrates the meaning of "art" craft" and "design."

And I try not to be one of those people who takes offense to every little thing, but when someone goes "I am doing what you do at work!" well, yes, I guess I should just smile and say something nice . . .

Now that I think of it, the very things I dislike about commercial scrapbooking are the same things I hate about Photoshop and Quark Xpress so I guess that the design profession has a bunch of it's own constraints that should be thrown out the window.

YES! THAT'S IT!

Thank you, and thank you again for expressing so precisely and so eloquently exactly what I was attempting to express but failing to get across, in all my spitting and sputtering.

You've stated what bugs me so much about things like scrapbooking as Helfland describes.

Especially "the process of becoming a designer -- a real designer -- entails having your work exposed and criticized, often ruthlessly . . ." (Yes, it's a brutal process and clearly I have scars!)

and

"Creating good art and good design is a serious and intensive process, and the presence of pajamas and Twinkies are indicators that these scrapbookers are more engaged in a social event than in a serious creative expression. Which is perfectly fine, in and of itself, but let's not pretend the two are equivalent . . "

I am going to re-read that part again, calmly and reflectively, and keep it in mind whenever this "amateur vs professional" debate threatens to rile me up again. (And if I have to re-do the boss' niece's "project" again, I'll just smile and bill double time . . . )