I have such mixed emotions with this announcement because, as you know, we loooooove our 2012 Creative Team. Love, love, love. This past year we have been utterly INSPIRED by their Project Life sharing and GRATEFUL for their willingness to show the world their pages so that we could all feel enlightened by their excellent life documenting, story-telling, use of product, and of course – love for Project Life. They’re not done yet. We still have a couple months worth of sharing from our remarkable 2012 Creative Team.
It’s hard to believe, but we are coming up on a new year soon, which means we are looking for an all-new Project Life Creative Team! Are you interested? Could YOU be on our new Creative Team?
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{ how we are building the new Creative Team }
A few Project Lifers have caught our attention lately (via social media and online galleries mostly) and we absolutely want to consider them for our Creative Team, so we are reaching out to those individuals. They may be interested, they may not. The majority of the 2013 Creative Team will come from submissions. YOU are invited to submit YOUR Project Life pages.
If being on a Creative Team is not of interest to you, but you know of someone else who really inspires you with their Project Life pages … please encourage them to check out this opportunity! Or you can even drop us a note and send us a link to someone who you think we would want to know about.
And by the way, we don’t care if you’re kind of a “known name” in scrapbooking circles or online communities – or not. You could be Jane Doe out of nowhere, that we’ve never heard of, and your chances are equal. Everyone has a fair chance as long as you meet the requirements as listed below.
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{ what it means to be on the Project Life Creative Team }
Creative Team members are asked to do what they normally do with Project Life, true to their own personal style, and they submit 2-3 layouts or projects each month (which they’re likely already be doing for themselves or their family anyway) so that we can share their awesomeness. Once in a while there is a “special assignment” but really, we don’t ask much … and it’s really just FUN and easy. Expectations will be more clearly defined with the final Creative Team when they are chosen.
Oh – and we hook you up with loads of Project Life goodies all year long while you sit on the Creative Team. ; )
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{ what are we looking for? }
We would love for our Project Life Creative Team to represent a variety of life scenarios. We know most scrapbookers/Project Lifers happen to be in their 20s to 40s with kids so naturally we’ll see lots of submissions from people in this boat. But we want to see teenagers, grandparents, young adults, married or not married, kids or no kids, world traveler or stay-at-home-mom, living in the city or in the middle of nowhere, or on the other side of the world. Heck – is it possible we’ll finally get a GUY on our Creative Team!?
We also want to represent different Project Life formats, meaning – some digital Project Lifers, and even those who do Project Life in the photo book format on Shutterfly. The majority of our team will naturally be made up of those using physical Project Life product.
Here’s what will get you noticed … no matter what your life circumstances, your nationality, or where you live. We are looking for:
1. Fantastic photography. You could be a fascinating person with a super interesting life, but if your pictures aren’t great, it’s not really the perfect fit for our Creative Team. We are looking for pictures that are clear, crisp, interesting, good lighting, excellent quality. You don’t have to be a professional photographer, but you need to have some skill behind the lens. And I know many of you do.
2. Great story-telling. I don’t mean you have to be a stellar writer. The little Journaling Cards are only so big, right? No – I am talking about the story-telling that happens with the way you document your life, primarily through your photographs. So not only do we want fantastic photography, but we would love to be inspired by how you photograph, what you take pictures of, and how well you illustrate experiences in your life through your lens. This doesn’t mean that your life itself needs to be perceived as anything but what it is. You could be a world traveler or a stay-at-home-mom and that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you capture our attention through how you document life.
3. Use of product. Naturally, we are looking for folks who make Project Life products look good. We celebrate the fact that there are so many styles out there and that lots of people love to embellish and get creative, and we hope to represent at least a little bit of variety. But MOST of our Creative Team will be comprised of folks who use Project Life products for how they are designed. In other words, we are looking for SIMPLICITY. Folks looking for more creative use of products in terms of embellishing and artistic touches will find loads of inspiration from other places, such as the Studio Calico Design Team. That’s their niche.
But our Creative Team is different. We want to inspire people with simplicity – because that’s the whole nature of Project Life. Slip photos and cards into pockets and you’re done. Sticking with the Project Life Core Kit and our Photo Pocket Pages is all you need to get onto our Creative Team, as it will really be your photography and story-telling that will capture our attention the most. Please don’t feel like if you do a little embellishing here & there, your chances will be slim. That’s not the case. Like I said, we want to show a VARIETY of styles.
4. Layout photography. The actual photos of your Project Life layouts need to be excellent. Good lighting, very clean & clear, no flash, no distracting background. You see, we don’t require our Creative Team to part with their pages so that we can scan or photograph them. Instead we ask that they photograph the layouts and projects themselves – and that’s why it’s imperative that your layout photos are awesome. If you want to see how our current Creative Team photographs their layouts, check them out by clicking around on their various blogs.
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{ how to submit }
Email submissions to creativeteam@beckyhiggins.com and include the following with your email:
- name
- location (city, state, country)
- links to all things YOU (website, blog, shop, gallery, pinterest, facebook, twitter, instagram, whatever)
- Project Life format (physical product or digital or Shutterfly photo book)
- a little about you (single, married, kids, no kids, empty nester, teenager … whatever) – short + sweet, please.
- 3 to 5 images of layouts you have completed (remember – see #4 above as this will have a big impact on your first impression with us)
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The deadline for submissions in Monday, November 19.
Specifically, our cut-off will be at midnight Pacific time that day. If you are chosen to be on our Creative Team, you will be personally contacted by me before December 1. The 2013 Creative Team will be announced mid-December.
If you have any questions at all about submitting to be on our Creative Team, you can email kari@beckyhiggins.com. (Kari manages our Creative Team. She’s pretty amazing and so much fun!) If your question is GENERAL and something that perhaps others would likely want to know as well, simply leave a comment and we’ll do our best to answer questions here (publicly) also.
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We can’t wait to see your layouts!
WOOHOO DIGI PROJECT LIFERS!!!
This is AWESOME!!
THANK YOU 2012 Designers….You have been such an inspiration ♥♥
Hugs, T
Another amazing opportunity. You seriously are rocking it this week!
I wonder if Cleetus will submit his layouts! hahaha What a guy to have on the creative team!!!
Is there a date we need to submit by? Very excited!
The deadline for submissions in Monday, November 19.
This sounds so fun and exciting to me, but, I have a question…I know that in this day and age, everyone seems to be on some type of social media, but I am not on facebook, pinterest, twitter, I do not have a website, or any of those other things mentioned in the LINK to all things YOU section. Will I even be considered? I am willing to start a blog if necessary.
Hi Tiffany!
Sharing is a big part of how we use our creative team to inspire others. Most of that is done through team member’s blogs {which is typically where we send our readers}. It isn’t required for you to be on Facebook, etc. but it is important to remember that we will be sharing lots of work from our team {along with other opportunities like giveaways} so it is helpful for readers to be able to find you and your work online. I hope that helps answer your question
Yes, it does. Thanks so much for responding and in such a timely manner!!!!
Is it ok if we haven’t done Project Life previously and send photos of regular scrapbook pages instead?
It’s super helpful for us to see your Project Life pages but if you can’t complete any by the deadline, but you’re desperate to get on our radar, then yes – you can submit regular scrapbook pages and hopefully that will give us a sense of your photography and overall style and use of product.
That makes sense, thanks for the reply!
I wish everyone that submits GOOD LUCK! I was introduced to PL by Michelle Wooderson and I have to say that I absolutely LOVE what she does with it. Becky, this is won’t be the year for me, but I hope that by next year I can be the first guy on your creative team!
aww Trell… I would love to see that!
becky, i think it is great that you are opening up this opportunity to folks who aren’t necessarily in the industry. Looking forward to seeing the CT!
Freshness is GOOD. : )
I have no doubt you have seen my friend, Kelly Mobley’s, Project Life. It’s wonderful and inspiring!
http://www.capturingandcreating.com/gallery/project-life
Love her pages. Thanks for sharing.
Really nice pages…I hope someone takes notice of her!
Amazing- I love how the photos + words tell an inspirational story, just like PL is meant to!
Oh, I wish. Maybe I’ll apply for the 2014 team. I should have some work to show off by then.
I’m not currently doing PL, but have planned to officially start in January. Like a previous poster, I’m wondering if layouts that are sent must be PL or whether traditional layouts are welcomed, also.
Becky commented earlier – It’s super helpful for us to see your Project Life pages but if you can’t complete any by the deadline, but you’re desperate to get on our radar, then yes – you can submit regular scrapbook pages and hopefully that will give us a sense of your photography and overall style and use of product.
Hope that helps
Wow, what a great opportunity! How exciting! I’m looking to it
I am definitely up for submitting this year, I love Project Life and can’t wait to start again in January. My question is if we blur peoples faces on our blog (since some like to be less visible on the internet than others) will that hurt our chances on our submission? Or should we not worry about it?
I’m actually really appreciative that you’re cautious about that. You can absolutely blur faces on occasion when trying to protect others and no, it will not hurt your chances. Great question.
YAY I submitted my layouts – thanks for such an amazing opportunity – whether or not I make the cut, can’t wait to see what the new Creative Team will be!
So excited! Thank you for the opportunity to apply!
Wow, wow!! That’s exciting!! I had been hoping for something like this fantastic opportunity. Now I just need to get my pages on track & ready for their closeup =) I just started Project Life this year and have been loving it. A little behind on my layouts but have been enjoying scrapbooking so much more since doing Project Life.
I agree.. I enjoy scrapbooking more the Project Life way too..
Having DIGITAL PROJECT LIFE represented would be AWESOME!!
I’m excited for some international creative team members! Being from Australia I’d live to see how people create their project life in my home country!
Argh! Someone else from Australia. Would love to see your stuff.
Just when I was feeling underwhelmed and unsure of the PL new direction, I went over to Ali Edwards blog and was re- inspired. For me, she just really gets what it was all about initially. Great photos, journaling, documenting real life everyday without every bell and whistle. I’m so thankful shes been part of the creative team and has been so inspirational.
I should add kudos to her and the whole team for great inspiration! Its been so nice to see a variety of styles
Please please please have digital team members! The few you had this year were amazing. Hope there will be more next year.
Thanks Jen! That means a lot to me
Yes, digital representation is always good! Good luck to everyone who applies!
Hgjphotography.blogspot.com. Absolutely amazing. My favorite digital pl by far!!!
This link doesn’t seem to be working for me to check it out ….
I think This is the site she meant:
http://hgjphotography.com/
I’m excited to submit my layouts too. I’m coming back from vacation on Sat. Only a few days ago did I decide to be fully committed to project life because my daughter is changing so fast. Being on the creative team would definitely be awesome!
I’m a digital project lifer as well…
Aloha!
Hi Kari–the link is http://www.hgjphotography.com and as luck would have it, I actually submitted yesterday:) I adore Project Life!
Thank you so much Jen! I wish you could have seen my face when I saw my name on here….I about fell out of my chair!!! I had no idea anyone really looked at my stuff:)
Heather, I just checked out your work and WOW!! Love it!! Becky & team would be very lucky to have you! Good luck!!
I agree – stunning work and yet achievable too!
I agree – stunning work and yet achievable too
Thanks Becky for such an amazing opportunity. It would be a dream come true. I’m loving my Project Life! I’m so happy I started it this year. There is a lot of amazing girls out there.
Tara
I’d love to see more creative team members who do things simply. I hope this will be the case. I have not been inspired by the add this and add that of current members. it’s too overwhelming and not what I want this project to be about for me.
Hopefully a really good mix will do the trick!
This is very exciting!! Out of curiosity, how many members do you plan on having on the new CT?
Wow, very cool opportunity!
I too would love to see some more international representation on the Creative Team. This year was my first year doing Project Life, and next year my family and I are moving from northern Canada to Johannesburg, South Africa to work with a missions organization. I’m looking forward to documenting our big and small changes through Project Life, now that I’ve had a year to document what to me is “everyday”. 
Seeing “everyday” from another part of the world would be really helpful for me, as I work on documenting our “new” everyday. 
Carmen.
Hi! I am sorry this may be silly but can someone tell me the best way to submit your layouts? Scanning? Thank you!!!!!
))
I think most people photograph the finished layouts inside the page protectors. Best way would be to put them on a plain background on the floor and get high up (on a chair?) so you can look straight down at it. You need good even natural light. No flash. You may need to do minor cropping/editing begore sending…of course if you have a large scanner, that might work too…
This is great!!! Could be some single women, because not everyone that does PL is married with children!
We would love that, Camile!
I would LOVE to see someone single or at least with no kids. SOMEONE WITHOUT KIDS PLEASE!!! *Fingers crossed* Thanks!
We would love that, too! Of course, the more of those in that particular demographic that submit their work, the easier that will be
I just sent in my submission! So excited for this opportunity. Choosing which images to submit was tough!
What a great opportunity !
Oh this is so exciting. I bought the papge protectoirs the second they came into stock in the UK this last Feb but I didn’t get hold of a kit they sold out so fast. There are some in stock at the mo but I’m holding out for Seafoam! So my pages don’t use the cards from a kit. I use the page protectors but make my own cards. Will this mean I can’t be considered?
Thanks.
Hi Mel!
All entries will be considered whether they use our Core Kits or not … we hope to see your entry soon
I’m excited to submit! I have two years of digital project life layouts to sort through…lol. I hope I can find the best ones to showcase myself.
I am a digital Project Lifer (yay)… and sometimes we digital users tend to go crazy with embellishments on our layouts. That’s why I love Project Life. It lets me be SUPER SIMPLE to get the layouts done and in a book! 
Yay! I better get sorting…. 
Could I do my journaling in my native language (Dutch), or would I have to do my journaling in English?
Hi,
Silly question…..
How do I link to all things ME? Is that just sending our user names (for instagram & Pinterest) and our Facebook & Blog URL?
Cheers
Just sent in my entry! Thanks for the exciting opportunity!
whoop whoop – just submitted. Can’t wait to see the new folks. Really enjoyed the 2012 team.
just sent my submission! thank you for giving us Jane doe’s a chance.
I am so glad I found PL. I started this year and am so so glad I did. My family actually looks through my book and I have stuck with it(my major worry). They never did that when I did layouts, which took so much longer. That’s why I applied for the team because it’s something I back 100%
I think everyone should give it a try so I bought it for my sister -in-law who is expecting any day now. I know how long she used to fret over doing a layout and now with a baby coming and the new baby edition this was prefect. Just need to get the baby edition now. Becky you are so awesome thank you for Project Life.
Yay I just submitted!
Fingers way crossed!
[...] a while! read one of the best books I’ve read in a while. submitted some pictures for the Project Life creative team…fingers [...]
Oh, I am sad I flunked this superb occasion… I would have so much liked to be able to bring something in this project, with this team!
Boo hoo.
Will you announce when the emails have gone out so i can quit obsessively checking my email?
[...] Thanksgiving I submitted layouts to be on the official Project Life creative Team. Crossing my fingers. I should know tomorrow. Below are some closeups that I took of some of [...]
[...] little light in my year. it even showed up for me in a way i didn’t expect. as i was reading becky higgins’ blog post calling for submissions for the 2013 project life creative team, i was starting to think i might [...]