What Inspires Me?

At the post office yesterday I did not find my package of Gina K stamps as I expected, but instead it was a box from Amazon. This was a bit of a surprise given that the expected date of delivery on my Amazon order was Feb 13, but it was exciting to say the least. You see, after reading Nancy's review on Scrapbook Update, I decided that "The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker" by Wendy Smedley & Aby Garvey would be a must read for me. My scrap area is disorganized to say the least (except for my awesome 12x12 paper storage cabinet - see it here), and I've been finding lately that the disorganization was hampering me. I am spending far too much time looking for tools, accessories and other page elements that I know are here somewhere, but just don't know exactly where. So I have started reading -- and I am so far NOT disappointed. But, it has (already) led me to ask myself a very serious question. "What Inspires Me to Scrapbook?" At the beginning of Chapter 2, Inspiration is defined as: "...ultimately what motivates each of us to scrapbook. Your big-picture inspiration is the grand idea or philosophy or spark that inspired you to begin scrapbooking in the first place - and that keeps you going today." So here's my dilemna. I truly believe that 'inspiration' for me, is not a static concept. As I think back to when I began scrapbooking (about 13 years ago I would guess) and why I did it, I think, like many people, my inspiration was to protect my photographs, place them in a 'safe' environment & to tell the stories behind the images so that my children, and their children would know from who and whence they came. Today, these objectives are still important to me yes, but I think that it is more of a 'me' force that is driving me right now. What I mean is, that the creative process makes 'me' feel fulfilled. Creating a page is more about expressing 'myself', than it is about leaving stories for the future. I can and do recognize that I was always intrigued by the creative aspect of scrapbooking else I never would have started, and that today the protection or preservation of my memories is still important, but I think that my focus has shifted significantly from one to the other. In looking back at this page that I did over a year ago, I can see clearly where my focus or 'inspiration' was then, and it is the same today (so the evolution is not particularly recent). The very first point on the page is that I scrapbook for MYSELF. Yes, there are references to the stories and leaving them behind, but I think it is clear that for me it is the desire to create which drives me. (Also, note that this what you see is not an 'organized' space by any means, it is somewhat tidy yes, but not organized in a functional way, which is why I need this book.) With that said, I don't think that this 'dilemna' will stop me from using the information presented in the book, but it has indeed made me stop and think, and recognize that as a craft, my inspiration has evolved and in all likelihood will continue to do so. This can also partly explain why when I look back at the first pages that I created that they are so different in style than the ones I create today. My scrapbooking style has clearly evolved over time which I'm sure in part is a result of my shift in focus. I think what will be important for me as I work through the exercises in the book and attempt to organize, will be to use my current point of 'inspiration' as the driving force behind how and why I do things. Am I wrong?