Hello all and welcome to Masters Monday!  Hope your new year has been off to a great start.

I first started digiscrapping about 5 years ago.  It took me quite a few months to get into the swing of things and figure out Photoshop Elements. A few months in, my friend told me I should try and get on a CT.  I had no idea what she was talking about!  I didn’t even know what it stood for.  So I thought I’d take a second, especially for those of you new to digiscrapping, and explain the ins and outs of being on a Creative Team (CT).

Designers recruit people to be on a Creative Team in order to grow their business.  You help in many ways to accomplish that goal.  Here are some things a designer may require:

1. Create several layouts using their products each month.
2. Post these layouts in various locations where others can see them. You basically advertise with your layouts.  These locations could be the designer’s stores, facebook, blogs, etc.
3. Help with blog posts for your designer.
4. Give lots of praise to others who have used your designer’s products.
5. Make freebies to help draw in customers.

This may seem like a lot of work but it comes with perks!

1. You typically will receive the products you work with for free or at a very discounted rate.
2. You constantly have motivation and products to document your family history.
3. You get to associate with others on the creative team and learn from and socialize with them.
4. It’s fun!

So what does applying for a CT entail?

If you are used to shopping at a certain digital scrapbooking store, go into their forum and see if there is a thread for Creative Team Calls.  In this thread, designers will post when they are having calls for new members and what their specific requirements are.  You can also follow the blogs of designers that you love (like Trixie Scraps!) and they will usually post on their blogs when they are looking for new CT members.They usually want you to email them with a little info about yourself, your time constraints, the number of CT’s you are currently on, and a link to one of your most current galleries so they can take a look at your scrapbooking style.  Be creative in what you say and give them a taste of your real personality!
One thing you should remember is not to take rejection personally.  Even if they don’t take you on as a permanent team member, you often times get to be a guest CT member for a month which is really fun too!
Most importantly, being on a Creative Team requires commitment.  It is a lot of fun but it takes time and your designer depends on you so make sure that you are able to fit it into your schedule.
Clear as mud?? It took me a while to figure this whole CT business out but I’m very grateful to work with Tracy and all the other girls on her Creative Team.  Hope this helps in your CT endeavors!

All Trixie Scraps Designs products can be found in the following online stores:
Trixie Scraps Shop * My Memories * Gotta Pixel * Scrapbook Bytes