Lain Ehmann Asks: Is Scrapbooking Dying? Answer: NO!

So yesterday I sat it on a video chat with scrapbooker Lain Ehmann. The title of her talk was “Is Scrapbooking Dead?” Compelling title—because these days we see a lot of scrapbook stores and magazines closing. Those of us who love scrapbooking have our hearts in our mouths. But, those of us who love scrapbooking also know this: It is not dying, it’s just changing.

I don’t really know Lain—though we’ve had a few email conversations, but I loved her chat yesterday. This is a woman with passion. If it’s one thing I find most attractive in folks—it is passion. Here are the five things she’s noticed about the industry that tell us it is not dying:

1. So many new ways exist to document our memories.
2. Technique is still important enough that people are signing up for classes and wanting to learn more about it.
3. Stories are still important. People still want to document them. (I think this will always be the case.)
4. There’s been a shift to allow scrapbooking into busy lives. (You can do it on your phone, if you want and there are classes you can take on quick scrapbooking techniques and so on.)
5. Boundaries are disappearing. Bloggers become authors. Paper scrapbookers go digital. Bricks and mortar stores go online. And so on.

I think it’s an exciting time to be a scrapbooker. All of the changes in the industry point to it relevance–standing the test of time often means rolling with the changes. If you want to learn a new technique or learn about some of the changes, you can find a lot of information online or attend classes. Lain is having an online  conference next weekend called True Scrap. If you have a decent computer, you should check that out. It looks like loads of fun.

The hobby is not going away, just changing. I, for one, plan to embrace the changes. Some of characters in my scrapbooking-themed mysteries are embracing the new ways of scrapbooking. Vera loves digital scrapbooking and Annie has started art journaling. How about you?