We continued the discussion on gratitude and scrapbooking at our recent Simple Scrapper Community Chat, just this past Thursday. In previous emails, I have shared how gratitude can make personal storytelling easier as well as help you conquer fear and insecurity. 

At one point in Thursday's conversation, I asked a question about feeling down and losing your mojo, that creative spark. The consensus was that most scrapbookers have trouble telling their stories when the world isn't so rosy.

Well we all know that's just life; there are ups and downs and lots of 'em. The thing is, it can really impact your ability to scrapbook. Now, what if I told you there was a secret antidote?

Scientific studies show that gratitude can flip on the sunshine switch in your brain. What this means for memory keepers is pretty cool: You already have one of the best cures for the blues in your hands - your photos and your stories.

Thus spending time practicing gratitude can not only make scrapbooking easier and more meaningful, but it is also a surefire way to find that spark again. Consider your lost mojo found!

But wait, just thinking good thoughts is not enough. The science shows that expressing that gratitude, especially through writing and art, is the action that flips that switch and erases those gremlins in our brains. 

In practical terms this means that spending time in reflection and focused on your stories (such as in journal-keeping), is one of the simplest paths to feeling energized about your scrapbooking. Do you know any busy picture-takers and life-documenters that could use an easy boost like this?

Next week is a big week for Simple Scrapper, expressing gratitude and boosting your mojo. In addition to our regular Monday newsletter, there will be three consecutive days of shop announcements with something new each day. This will be our biggest shop update yet!

P.S. Registration opens on Monday, February 4 for 30 Days of Lists. I'm thrilled to be an Ambassador for this journaling challenge, an easy and fun way to practice writing about what matters to you. Make sure you're on the mailing list so that you hear first about signing up and get the first look at the Simple Scrapper companion kit.