What I learned by doing MOC 6

I have learnt sooo much, explored new styles but most importantly I’ve been creative again.

 

I've learned that I can get a lot of stories told in a small amount of time. No matter what the challenge, I can tell my story with pictures, words or colors.

 

I loved every single challenge - some were outside my comfort zone but I learned a lot - so I only can say THANK YOU.

 

WOW! I am sitting here with tears in my eyes!!! You gals are AWESOME!!!!! I read every post!
OK, so-----my third MOC and I have been digi scrapping for about 10 years. So when I can come on here and say "I learned a LOT!" you know that's exciting!!! As I said , this is my 3rd MOC, but for whatever reason, I feel like I learned more this year than ever before.
I re-learned the dispersion, which I will now keep doing, so I don't forget again.
I learned to be better at journaling, and that 150 words is NOT a lot of words.
I learned that using different alphas on a page really gives it a punch.
I learned how to make a geometric design with filters---LOVED that one!!!
I learned how much more interesting photos can be when you change your view.
I learned from looking at all the wonderful layouts that there are many ways to add a large number of photos to a page.
I learned that whether its a filled layout or a simple 5 elements, I can DO it and really enjoy it!!
I learned that although I am usually a one kit person, it really not that hard to use many designers on your layout.
I learned that layouts don't always have to be square.
But most of all----I learned the meaning of love, support, friendship, all those warm fuzzy thingys that make this such a fabulous place to be!!!!

Oh!! And @mommyish --- I LEARNED HOW TO USE A STYLE!!!!!! WOOT!! WOOT!!

 

I just thought of a fantastic idea. I suppose Feburary's challenges have already been planned so it's too late. But I think all of the MOC technique challenges should be repeated in the regular February challenges, so we get them reinforced, when we have more time to study and practice them. Maybe they could come up again in March and April. Repetition is good for learning!

I know, I could just set that requirement on myself. I follow rules other people set better than rules I set for myself though.

 

@bonnenuit You summed it all up so wonderfully!

This is my 3rd year for MOC, and I am caught-up with tomorrow's challenge for 1/31 left to do. For years, I would create digitally, but there would NEVER be photographs on my page. I remember the 2016 MOC and how it forced me to use some of those photos. And so it continued, on to 2018, where if I had my druthers, I wouldn't include a photo, but hey, I can create with photos too!

I used to be pathetically slow in creating my artwork. And sometimes I still am. And that is okay, but for MOC, I have learned to be quick, to not agonize on the placement and the perfect element. And it works. Some of those mad-dash, put together layouts have been some of my favorites. That proves something about intuition...

I have had tons of fun with the technique challenges. They forced me to create pages that I wouldn't necessarily create. One thing always on my mind is having someone look at my layouts after I'm long gone and be bored to tears with every page looking EXACTLY like the previous page. Nope, not so. At least I've accomplished that with MOC and monthly challenges to thank. Would I incorporate dispersion into every layout? I doubt it, but now I know I can resurrect the technique if the mood (and photo) strikes me. And I definitely will have to play with the mosaic technique. I've pulled over the directions on both of these so that I can give it another try in the future.

One of my fav's was the user name challenge, (Thank you @bestcee) not necessarily mine, but reading everyone's page. I feel as I've gotten to know each and everyone of you a bit better.

I thoroughly enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) seeing everyone's take on the triangle challenge. Just seeing those filled triangles with white space puts a smile on my face. And the same with art dolls. They hold a special place in my heart, and it was so much fun to see non-art journal folks put together fantastic art journal pages.

Playing with alphas. Something I NEVER do. Give me a font any day, it is quick, it is easy. If I want to be "creative", I'll use a number of fonts. But alpha? They end up at the bottom of my digital stash, figuratively. So when forced to use alpha, that was definitely a stretch for me. Clipping a photo to an alpha, I've done before, but not in the same context as the challenge directions. And the use of 5+ alpha in a layout? Impossible! But I woke up early yesterday and put together my layout in record time, and I love it. And my word had 11 letters in it, with 11 different alpha!

And I find myself marveling and attempting some clean & simple layouts. Me, with my go-to of having an explosion on a page do clean & simple??? Yes, miracles do happen.

Have I enjoyed the MOC6, for sure! Have I learned a lot, yep! Have I grown as an artist, maybe? Whatever it is about TLP, I seem to have made this place my home.

A big thanks to TLP and all of the Pollys in making this event happen.

 

This thread is so full of awesome and happy and I'm just grinning ear to ear reading about how much you guys have learned (and me too!) and THAT makes all the planning and thinking and prepping ahead of time SO worth it for us! I just love this community so much!

 

I thought that too so I turned my triangle in to a complex layout. I kept the focus of the triangle but filled in the other areas and pulled out some of the elements withing the triangle on to the layout. That one is one of my favorites. But I also scrapped my daughters art and I love showing off her talent and preserving it forever!

 

This is my first MOC, and I've learned a lot.

-I've learned that I have a very specific style, and I ADORE that. My work is consistent.
-With that being said, I've tackled the challenges that maybe don't fit my style completely...and done my best to fit them to my style as well, while still accomplishing the rules.
-I did learn to finish the challenge, follow the rules & save that as a JPEG...then go back in & change it around to fit my style more. That is what will go in my albums! Lol.
-I've always been a journaler - it's one of the main reasons I memory keep. I've allocated some of these challenges to document my feelings about losing my babies, and it has been extremely cathartic for me. I want them to be remembered, and I want people to understand that life isn't always perfect or great. We need to document all of it.
-I've also learned that this is a really fun place to hang out online, and I plan to keep hanging out here from now on! Thank you for all the fun!!

 

I've learned that I'm 22 pages closer to finishing my 2016 book! WOW!!! Thank you, thank you MOC!

 

Where do I begin....
I have learnt a lot over this month.
The first thing to come to my mind is Leah @mommyish with her videos using her styles. There were things I did not know I could do with my program that I learnt through what she was doing.

The Mosaic technique I really enjoyed learning how to do and plan on creating more background papers with that technique.

Just remembered an outstanding things I learnt through some of the sharing in the forum : changing the icons on my folders. I am doing this gradually and I find it is a lot better when I open up a folder of a designer and see all the kit previews making it easier to find what I want to use.
The thread where I learnt this is HERE

 

Totally agree - I have already changed the background paper to a neat print and that helped me feel better about that "wasteful" space. It would have been an one photo page anyway for me and the shape just makes it all fun and quirky. So I am okay with that.

 

I learned to relax! Last year was my first MOC and I think I freaked the entire month that I was going to get something wrong and miss the prize. This time around I relaxed and enjoyed the challenges of making the pages.

I was (am) sad to see that some of my favorite techniques did not repeat this year. But on the other hand, I used several of those techniques through out the year and have added them to my "bag'o tricks". I even started making the monthly ATCs after the ATC MOC challenge, entered a set in the state fair, and won Second place. FYI - First place was a set of ATC with hand-painted watercolor foxes that totally deserved first-place.

I am always amazed to see how my style, which will always be eclectic, has changed as a result of MOC. That is a good thing. And I always seem to find a "new" designer to become one of my favorites.

As someone else mentioned, some of the long journaling challenges have really been insightful and helpful in releasing tension. I have come to understand that my best art journal type pages happen when I explore my feelings. And hey, they have even helped me sort them out and "move on" - always a good thing.

I look forward to many more MOC-- and hey, Designers -- can't wait to see what you create in the upcoming month(s) while we wait on our gift certificates - because, yeah, I need more choices on my Wish List.

 

I haven't read the whole thread yet & I wish I had more time to keep scrolling now but This! makes my heart happy!

 

Just thought of something else I’ve learnt (by not doing it this year) Keep on top of the challenges better. That was my original idea but starting I think 5 days in then taking days off here and there has forced me into creating 3-4 layouts a day now which had been hard. I think next time I’d try and stay maybe 2-3 days behind max rather than 10-12 but I was also scrapping challenges as they inspired me. I also think that I need to either a) simplify my scrapping process or b) be more willing to accept “done to challenge specs” layouts rather than creative layouts that meet challenge specs but have taken me 3+ hours to complete especially as all things going well I’ll be working full time next year which will eat up 40-50 hours a week so won’t have 6+ hours 5-7 days a week to scrap without sacrificing something whether it be sleep or cleaning or my health.

 

I learned that all the reasons that I've been using for not scrapbooking these past few years were not true. Or maybe that they are not true anymore. I have always thought this month was what I needed to get back into scrapbooking; we'll have to see if it sticks!

I learned that even though I'm entirely a Cut-and-Paste scrapbooker, learning app techniques and using templates do not take as much time during scrapbooking as I thought they would! I've used templates in the past, and they took three times longer than just doing it myself, but this time it didn't seem to be that much longer. Maybe I'm better at them from using the Project Life app so much! And dispersion was fun, although I don't expect to do it again on my own.

I only wish I was able to start sooner and finish more challenges -- I'm sure there is a lot more I could learn from the remaining challenges! (Not that I couldn't finish them later, but the momentum and the "doing it all together" aspect will make it less urgent. I am good at procrastinating.)

 

I loved the technique challenges this year - dispersion and the geometric mosaic are definitely going to make a reappearance in a future page! The point of view and off-centerd photography reminded me that I can't always be taking the same style photos. And the details matter too, take more close up shots not just wide ones. The journaling pushed me to write about topics I might never have approached.
So thank you everyone for an awesome month of challenges! I've enjoyed all the inspiration from the gallery as well! I'll be cruising through there for weeks to see what I've missed while trying to keep up with scrapping!

This was me last year. I'd been lurking around a little bit before MOC, but participating helped me refine my style. Also, because I work with templates a lot, I learned that I can make them work for me instead of only putting things in place of the designers' objects.

Yes, this! Though I think it could also be later in the year too. Last year I found myself looking for directions from one of the challenges around May so I could use the technique again. A "refresher course" in the form of a new challenge would be awesome!

 

@bonnenuit I could not have said it better! I echo all you said. MOC is always fun and challenging - this is my 3rd one. I LOVED all the new challenges this year and the fact that the team here really stretched to bring some new things to the table to get the creativity flowing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the entire Lilypad team for all of the time and effort you put into this fabulous event! You guys rock!! That's what makes this such an awesome place to hang out.

 

Before MOC started I feared the technique challenges. I was not looking forward to them. But they ended up being my favorite challenges the past month. I really loved the dispersion and the mosaic. I didn't knew these techniques but I'm glad to know them now. They were really fun.
Other than that, MOC got me really scrapping out of my comfort zone. I'm not much of an art journaler, but I did some art journal pages which I ended up LOVING.

 

I love seeing what you guys think and reading what you have learned - the best part is the positivity! It makes me want to do more, share more, and learn more! Thank you for that!

Seeing you all trying, working to meet the guidelines, helping each other, making beautiful creations, recording moments and being a supportive member of our community - whether you accomplish all of the layouts or not - is what this thread shows me! You all rock!