What scraps teach us about creativity

I bet you’ve got paper scraps.

You know the ones—the torn edge of a vintage receipt, the leftover corner of a book page, the tiny piece you just couldn’t throw away. If you’ve been working on collage, gluebooks, or junk journals for any length of time, you probably have a growing box (or two) of these interesting leftovers.

They’re easy to overlook. Easy to forget.
But I think scraps have something powerful to teach us—about collage and about creativity itself.

Scraps remind us that:

• The leftovers are still full of possibility.​
  Just because something wasn’t used the first time doesn’t mean it’s not valuable.

• Small pieces can have big impact.​
  Sometimes it’s the tiniest bit of color, texture, or handwriting that pulls the whole composition together.

• Creativity is about seeing potential in what already exists.​
  Scraps aren’t waste. They’re raw material for your next idea.

Now, does that mean you have to save everything? Definitely not.
Save what sparks curiosity. Let go of what no longer excites you. You’ll know the difference.

What's one thing that scraps really teach us?
​That you probably don’t need more to get started—it’s about making something from what you already have.

Our project in September

This month in the Vintage & Collage Club we are taking our scraps and making snippet rolls. What are they? They are strips of collaged scraps that are rolled up.

Click on the image to see a short 30-second video of a snippet roll

Click on the image to see a short 30-second video of a snippet roll

Yes, they certainly are cute when rolled up like that, but they're useful, too. You can tear off sections and use them in your art journals or to embellish pages. Keep them rolled up and they can decorate your creative space. Or store them flat and ready to be put to use.