Here's some food for thought about PSP'ers and their designs.

Some people listen to music, sing it, play it, or write it for mental therapy. Some people plant flowers in their gardens when something is on their mind. Some people will volunteer their time to a worthy cause they pick for a very personal reason, and some people devote their time to their families and pets. Some people will read books, write poetry, scribble thoughts in a journal, call a friend, drink some coffee (or tea), smoke a cigarette, exercise, cook, cry, scream, laugh, draw, drive, eat, go to church or even see a therapist. Whatever it takes to feel OK again, it's not to be forgotten or counted out. And maybe we all do one or more of these things at times, or maybe it depends on the "situation", but our fall back (even if it's not always first choice) usually ends up being Paint Shop Pro and the creations that we make within. The most fascinating thing that I've really noticed in the PSP communities I've been in through out the years is a similarity in all the people within this community and yet a uniqueness all at once as well. How can this be? How can you be similar but unique at the same time? It's easy, we all create with feeling, but what we feel at the time of creating is what makes us so unique from one another.

When things get rough, uncertain, demanding, and down-right hard to deal with, we seem to turn to the one thing (Or perhaps one of the many things) that makes us feel better; our PSP programs. Often, we design out of inspiration. Something on TV gave us a good idea, or we were flipping through a magazine and thought, "Wow ... I can make that in my graphics program!" Those are the happy inspirations we get from day to day life. Then there are the serious inspirations, the ones that drive us to design for therapy and for sanity. I often wondered when coming across a person's masterpiece, what exactly made them design in that moment? What were they thinking, feeling, doing, experiencing in life at that time? When someone we love falls ill, or passes away .. we get quiet, but sit creating works of art to express our feelings and thoughts whether we know it or not. We create just like a painter at a canvas with his paint pallet and brushes. Sometimes I will look back on my work from years past, and I can almost SEE my thoughts and emotions in my own work, just like going back and reading a journal. I can see that the tag I created for friends to request about 4 years ago was the same day I found out my grandfather passed on. Or the tag I created 5 months ago was when I heard I was going to be an aunt for the first time. The tag I made when I heard my grandfather passed isn't a dark one, but a bright one, and I stopped and thought to myself today when looking back at it - why would I choose bright colors for such a dark day? Then it hit me. As I studied the way I had placed my pieces, and the items I created from my mind - I was reflecting back on all the happiest memories I had of my grandfather when I was a little girl. All the joys, good thoughts, memories, feelings, emotions and love I had for him poured out of me and into my work like someone had turned on a faucet inside of my head. These things we make - these creations ... they are so much more than just "graphics" in our virtual world. They are pieces of our thoughts, hearts, souls, feelings, and emotions .... they are personal. They are to be valued, and respected.

The PSP community passes on personal pieces of their heart from one person to the next, freely, trustingly, lovingly, and happily. THIS is what makes our community so special and wonderful to be a part of. What other community does this? What other community in this world will sit for hours to create something so personal (even if we don't realize we're reflecting our emotions in our work) and hand it out to the rest of the world happily and proudly? I'm sure there's a community like ours out there, but I really just cannot think of one, (and I've sat for a while thinking now). LOL This is what makes us so unique and proud to be a part of.

The next time someone offers you a freebie kit, tag offer, stationary, tube, or whatever the mind can create from PSP - remember that what you are accepting is part of someone else's emotional canvas. Each piece is different. Some people have been "Expressing" themselves for years, while others are new at "expressing" themselves in this manner. No matter how good the creation though, if you look hard enough and long enough, you can certainly see what that person was feeling at the time of their creation. It's like peeking into their personal diary at times. What amazing trust we have within each other to allow the world to have a glimpse into our souls! Don't you agree?

I'm happy to say I'm part of this community, and I'm happy to share my feelings each and every time I send on my creations. So, what are you feeling today? Go back to your past creations, look at the dates you created the files and try to see if you can remember what happened during that time. Can you see your feelings in your work? When we go back to our past creations, we are usually so critical of our own work. Thinking to ourselves, "I don't really like how that turned out, but at the time I was so proud of myself. I can do so much better today!" But have you ever considered that you are criticizing your own feelings and emotions? It's quiet an eye opener when you look at it this way. I know it was for me.

Well ... that's all of my thought. I just felt like sharing it. It was too interesting not to share. Feel free to share it with your other PSP communities. Maybe they too will want to go back and look at their work and see if they can "read" their journals through art and creation.

Hugs,
Stephanie (EyeSpyDesigns)