 |
| |
MSW: Please tell us something about yourself.
BH: I was born and raised in a rural town outside of Washington, D.C. I have fabulous parents and 5 brothers and a wonderful, happy childhood. I attended college at Brigham Young University in Utah, where I earned my degree in Family Science. During college, I married David (we’re going on 12 years this summer). It was also around that time that Creating Keepsakes magazine was launched and I began working for them within a few issues. Before that, I was a full-time student and a “Mother’s Helper” (dream job for a college student; I loved it!). I love to spend time with my family, first and foremost. David and I have two little ones right now – Porter (4) and Claire (1 ½). We love hanging out with friends and extended family and going on walks together. Of course my favorite hobby is scrapbooking. Outside of that and making cards, I enjoy organizing, hosting get-togethers in our home, cooking and baking, and decorating our home. |
 |
| |
MSW: How and when did you get into scrapbooking?
BH: Even as a young girl, I had in interest in personal history. I did audio diary entries on my tape recorder and I have volumes of handwritten personal journals. Just like everyone else, I loved taking pictures and I kept these in albums. It was when I graduated from high school that I developed a strong interest in preserving my memories creatively, and in a more organized format. So, at the age of 17, I spread stuff out on my bed – pictures, rubber cement (yikes!), bright colors of cardstock, stickers – and I went to town. I carried my hobby with me to the dorms in college and spent many, many hours creating layouts and preserving my college experience and other life happenings. Fast-forward a couple years. The first issue of Creating Keepsakes was Nov/Dec 1996. I was ELATED that there was an entire magazine devoted to the hobby that I loved! I actually met Lisa Bearnson’s mother in church one day and that’s how I ended up in the CK family. (Anj: True and funny story - Lisa Bearnson said in Becky’s book Scrapbooking Secrets that her mom’s claim to fame is that she is the one who discovered Becky Higgins.) My first article (in the Creative Lettering column) was published in the May/June 1997 issue of Creating Keepsakes, and everything just snowballed from there. |
 |
| |
MSW: How would you describe your scrapping style now?
BH: I would describe my style as fairly simple with a little flair. I love being creative, but I do it in small doses. I appreciate being able to see my pictures first and foremost, being able to read the stories behind the pictures, and then the embellishing comes later.
MSW: Is there a process or formula you follow when you start working on a layout?
BH: I do tend to follow a process when I begin a layout. First of all, I look at the set of digital pictures that I’m working with, sketch out my layout (or work off of a sketch I’ve already done), and then digitally edit my pictures. This is where I do my cropping too, so that I can get whatever size prints I want to work with. Then when I have my printed pictures in front of me, I look for papers and products that will nicely compliment my pictures and story. With everything in front of me, and my sketch to guide me, I start laying things around on the cardstock. It’s in this stage that I either type & print out my journaling or handwrite my journaling to incorporate on the page. When it’s “all good”, I adhere everything down and then add any finishing touches.
MSW: Who or what inspires you to scrap?
BH: My main source of inspiration is the theory I have about beginning with the end in mind. What topics do I need to get in my scrapbook (or our child’s scrapbook) to tell our story, to preserve our history, to represent our life? What layouts will really matter in 5, 10, 50, 100 years? I feel inspired when I see other scrapbookers’ pages with interesting or enlightening topics. This really gets the wheels in my head turning about how I want to prioritize the layouts that I do.
MSW: What are the tools you can't scrap without?
BH: I don’t scrapbook without my Genesis trimmer, Fiskars scissors, C-Thru ruler, and Bazzill Basics cardstock. My current favorite adhesive is a tape runner from Duck brand. I also consider my computer (particularly the Adobe Photoshop program for photo editing) an essential tool for scrapbooking. Some of my favorite non-essentials are circle punches, Colorbox Liquid Chalk (small ink pads for more subtle inking), mini brads, letter stickers, patterned paper (I like too many companies to mention), and flowers (paper, silk, felt, foam … all kinds).
MSW: Is there a particular technique or style you haven't tried yet?
BH: I have dabbled in a lot of styles (I like to think that I have a fairly consistent style, but with a bit of eclecticism) but I haven’t done too much with the shabby chic look. Love to look at it, but can’t really pull it off.
MSW: Which companies/publications do you currently work for? Any future plans/projects?
BH: I have been with Creating Keepsakes magazine for over 10 years now. My ninth book is coming out this fall (stay tuned – I think you’ll like it!) and I have also recently launched a product line with Lisa Bearnson and Cropper Hopper/Advantus. It’s home décor and organization for scrapbookers and you can check it out on www.lisabecky.com We’ve been working on a lot of ideas for that. I’m also continuing my presence at CKU and CKC (conventions) events this year, where I’ll be teaching. |
 |
| |
MSW: You have mentored numerous scrappers who have established successful careers in the scrapping industry. How do you spot the ones who truly have the potential to transform the craft into a flourishing career?
What are the things/qualities that you don't normally see but would
like to see more of?
BH: I meet incredible scrapbookers from all over, but more importantly – these are incredible individuals. I think when people (mostly women in our industry) are living their lives to the fullest and prioritizing the best they can, they tend to have a healthy balance in life. When we see scrapbooking as a hobby, and not the primary thing that we focus on day in and day out, we’re more balanced and able to see how this wonderful hobby fits into a much larger picture. It’s when we really “get that”, that great ideas tend to come – at least that’s what I’ve noticed. We all have it in us, no doubt. It’s been really neat to see so many individuals beautifully share their ideas and concepts with all of us. That’s what’s so cool about this industry – we’re all sharing and learning from each other. You and I might look at the same layout and maybe I’m greatly inspired by the composition of a photo that beautifully tells a story. But perhaps you are inspired by the example of the experience shared in that artists’ journaling. Someone else might be empowered by the ultra simplicity of the design. I love that. |
 |
| |
MSW: Any tips you can give on how we can improve on our craft and on how we can develop our own style?
BH: When it comes to developing your own style, I think it’s really helpful to flip though idea books and magazines and look at layout after layout. Tag the ones that really “speak” to you in some way. Then as you go back and study those a little closer, you’ll be able to pinpoint what it is about those layouts that you love. Incorporate those details and concepts into your own layouts and soon enough, your style will fall into place and be uniquely yours, and ever evolving. Let this hobby be your hobby in the way that you want it to be. In other words, if it doesn’t feel natural for you to do messy pages, then keep your product use to a minimum and your design clean. If you feel inclined to create pages in chronological order, that’s totally fine. If you really want to do a childhood page one day and a recent birthday the next day and a random favorite photo of your child the next day … well, that’s entirely up to you. You can get inspiration by looking at other layouts, reading articles, and talking to your scrapbooking buddies. But find your own groove and do your own thing and be happy about it. Celebrate the fact that you are preserving your family’s history, and for that – you are a gem! |
|
| Footnote: On behalf of the entire team of MyScrapWorks, we would like to thank Ms. Becky Higgins for her generosity with her time and talents to inspire us scrappers from this side of the world... and to our Web Editor Ms. Angela Lauchengco, kudos for a job well done (considering she did this in her "sick bed!") - Mabelle |
|
| Watch out for the launching of beckyhiggins.com |
|
 |
 |
|
| MSW Exclusive! One of Becky's early layouts! |
 |
| Click to zoom! |
 |
| MSW Exclusive: One of Becky;s MOST RECENT layouts! Click to zoom! |
|
 |
Some of Becky Higgins's top-selling books. Go grab your copy from Creating Keepsakes now! Some more "books" by Becky Higgins:
Our Family Scrapbooks by Lisa Bearnson and Becky Higgins
You are the link between your family's past and future.
My Creative Companion by Becky Higgins
Do you ever sit down and find yourself at a loss for ideas? are you tired of using the same approaches over and over again?
"Creative Clips & Fonts by Becky Higgins" CD
Get that signature "becky higgins look" at the click of a button!
Our Family Scrapbooks by Lisa Bearnson and Becky Higgins
You are the link between your past and the future.
"Art of Creative Lettering" CD
Creating keepsakes creative editor becky higgins shares her unique lettering styles in the art of creative lettering book. |
|
Some of Becky Higgin's INSPIRATIONAL published layouts in Creating Keepsakes. Subscribe to CK now! Click to zoom. |
 |
| July 2006 |
 |
| December 2006 |
 |
| January 2007 |
 |
| February 2007 |
 |
|
