Stacy Julian
You have to love Stacy Julian's 7 word bio -
teach awareness, gratitude, happiness, sprinkled with FUN.
Stacy Julian is a recognized leader in the scrapbooking industry and the visionary founder of Big Picture Scrapbooking (BPS). Launched in November 2005, BPS is the first dedicated online scrapbooking education program with members around the world. Offering a wide range of convenient on-demand projects and progressive multi-week courses, what differentiates BPS is Stacy's liberating philosophy and simple step-by-step thematic approach that unlocks a person's creativity and helps them to easily create stories out of life's special moments.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Stacy and learn a little more about her...it was a wonderful hour!
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A: I am the mother of 5 incredible children who I know will have far more influence on this world than I will. Although I was raised in Seattle, I now live in Spokane, Washington. I went to school and earned a degree in exercise physiology.
Q: Describe your style—both in scrapbooking and in your day-to-day life.
A: Intentional imperfection. It is not worth the time or effort to get hung up on details that do not matter. There is so much fun we can have in scrapbooking and life when it does not have to be perfect. Be colourful, spontaneous, and authentic! Be yourself.
Q: What is a priority for you when scrapbooking?
A: It is the freedom to make connections between pictures. The story is first.
Q: Tell us more about your new Stacy Julian Happy collection with Core’dinations?
One day I just got this notion that I needed a collection of cardstock in my happiest colors. I love words, especially descriptive, emotion-filled words--it just made sense to generate a list of words for each of my colors and emboss them on Core'dinations cardstock. I had met Anthony (the genius behind Core'dinations) and Mindy, Core'dinations Marketing Specialist at an event in Toronto and felt comfortable approaching them. I figured the worst thing they could say was "No, that's a dumb idea." I decided it was worth the risk -- and look what happened?
Q: Tell us a bit more about Big Picture Scrapbooking and your vision for it over the next while. Where would you recommend starting?
I'm so glad you brought up Big Picture Scrapbooking, because we have just recently changed our name to better reflect our ever-expanding vision for online creative learning. We are now Big Picture Classes and we specialize in online classes in scrapbooking (of course!) and photography, journaling, personal well-being and much more--coming soon! When you first visit our website I recommend clicking on the brown bar in the upper right corner that says, "New to the Site? Click HERE" this will take you to our "How it Works" page that is full of links to explore. Setting up an account is so easy from here. Once you're registered, you can take my free class, called Start Here with Stacy. This self-paced class is a good introduction to our classrooms and our philosophy.
Q: Share your top tips for organizing photos—both on the computer and for printed photos.
A: Digital:
• Sort and purge regularly in 15 minute chunks—set a timer!
• Separate highlights or favourites into folders (i.e. seasonal, event), focus on those, and then upload onto Shutterfly or some other photo processing company.
• Print photos—even digital scrapbookers should be printing 10% of photos
B: Printed photos:
• Slip photos into viewable storage albums in quasi-chronological order
• Organize aging photos thematically
Q: What changes do you see in the industry over the next year or two?
A: I see more people scrapbooking. I see a broader definition of scrapbooking and see people being less narrow-minded about the perfection and the outcome, and also being open to new ideas. I see more people telling stories with pictures. I also see a return to basic, core practices.
Q: If you could share a message with a new scrapbooker what would it be?
A: Tell me a story and keep taking pictures.
Q: Other than scrapbooking and photography, do you have additional hobbies?
A: I love to be outside, to jog, and to make brownies (all brownies)! I love interior design and planning. [Stacy is also a list maker—one of the reasons she loves Mondays!]
Q: What is your idea of a perfect day?
I have dealt with some health challenges this year, so I'm learning to accept whatever I have to give as enough. I'm also learning that I need to give my best to the people I am most accountable to--my husband and children. I guess what I'm trying to say is a perfect day for me is less "productive" than it used to be. I have a print in my office that says, "Live What You Love." A perfect day is any day that I can wake up and do something that I love and do it with grateful awareness.
Finally, here is a little excerpt from Stacy’s blog that I love...
“It was 1997. I was living in Salt Lake City, Utah. I telephoned a neighbor, who I was just getting to know. Her husband answered, I said "Hello, is so-and-so there?" He replied with the expected "Just a moment please" followed by an unexpected comment to his wife "Honey, it's that woman who's altogether too happy!"
A passionate and sought-after speaker, trainer and author, Stacy Julian regularly presents across the nation and abroad, including Japan, Australia and Europe. Author of four books, her recent title Photo Freedom is sold at local craft stores, CreatingKeepsakes.com and Amazon.com. She also has a popular blog and strong Twitter following. Her television appearances include the Discovery Channel's Home Matters and the PBS series More than Memories. Simple Scrapbooks Magazine, where Julian was the founding editor, has been mentioned in The Chicago Tribune and Woman's Day as a leading consumer publication for the scrapbooking industry.
Julian holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University. A certified professional teacher with the Craft and Hobby Association since 1997, Julian lives in Spokane, Washington and is a proud wife and energetic mother of five.
