SYW345 – Making a Creative Comeback with Amanda Rowinski

Amanda Rowinski: [00:00:00] all these women are coming together with these supportive and positive vibes, and they're sharing their life through these albums they created with their hands." And like, it was magical to me, and it still is, like, every day. So since discovering that, you know, like all of us. It's just become such a part of my life. Like, it's just woven into the fabric of my life. Living life and then coming back to a room to make art about it.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper, and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 345. In this episode, I'm chatting with Amanda Rowinski about what it looks like to find your way back to memory keeping after a long pause.

Amanda shares how motherhood, junk journaling, and a refreshed craft room are all shaping her creative comeback.

Hey, Amanda. Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

Amanda Rowinski: Hey, Jennifer. Thank you so much for inviting me. I love this topic, and I've been binging the [00:01:00] podcast, so it's been giving me life, so I'm very excited to be a part of it.

Jennifer Wilson: Wonderful. I'm excited to just kind of see you getting back in your groove with scrapbooking, and we're gonna talk a lot about that today. Can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

Amanda Rowinski: Uh, sure. So I'm Amanda Rowinski. It's my married name. In the past decade plus, if you've seen me online, you've probably heard me be Amanda Ro- Zampelli. That's my maiden name, or I even had, like, a brief time where I was Amanda Rose Zampelli. 'cause it was important for me to, like, be like Jennifer Love Hewitt and have my middle name in there.

Um, but.

Jennifer Wilson: Especially if you have a cool middle name, so.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. Thanks. Uh, so right. So I've kind of erased all that, and I didn't wanna come back as Amanda Rowinski. so we'll talk a little bit about that later, but that's my name. Um, yeah, and I was born and raised in Queens, New York, uh, currently living on Long Island, New York. Which, if you're from New York, you know is a bit of the burbs.

So we moved out here. Um, yeah, and I've- the phrase that I've been using to [00:02:00] describe myself now is a modern-day memory keeping millennial mom. Like, all.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice.

Amanda Rowinski: Is just to kinda sum me up. Because at this point in time, I'm a stay-at-home mom. My son is three. My daughter is one and a half, so a lot going on minute to minute in my world.

Um, but you know, I've, I've dipped in and out of the scrapbooking industry. So I've, you know, designed two paper lines for We R Memory Keepers. I was there for the launch of the Happy Planner with Me and My Big Ideas. Um, yeah, so I, I mean, we'll go more into it, but I've taught classes on Big Picture. So my, a lot of my paying work the past two decades has been as an elementary special education teacher in a classroom. But I've dipped in and out of that to kind of pursue this creative passion I have to, like, be a part of the industry.

But at this point in time, like, my last paying jobs the past few years where I've kinda [00:03:00] had this pause from, you know, contributing creatively online, was as an elementary school teacher. So, so I'm a teacher and a creative, and I love this industry so much. But currently, you know, I'm doing my crafting thing in my office as much as I can and momming two littles. So that basically sums up what I'm doing.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, will you go back to a school in the fall, or is that not currently on your agenda?

Amanda Rowinski: There's no set foreseeable future of when I'll go back. I mean, we don't really have childcare. We're not interested in, in paying a daycare, so it's basically lying on me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: My daughter is old enough to go to school, like I'm definitely entertaining it. It's always there, which I appreciate. But I'm trying to see what I can make happen in the interim, you know, like what I can do from home and maybe tap back into my creative world.

So it's kind of where I'm at today.

Jennifer Wilson: I get it. yeah. I get it. I totally do. I mean, especially with the cost of childcare being [00:04:00] so incredibly, uh, you know, challenging these days.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness, yeah. Yeah. And I wanna be home for the kids, like I wanna be their first point of contact. I've heard that phrase and I loved it. I was like, "That's true, that's... I... If they need something, I want to be the one to, to attend to it." And thankfully my husband can support us right now while I do that.

So yeah. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: That's such an interesting phrase just because my kid is in the, you know, teen years with a cellphone, and so I definitely am that first point of contact with the cellphone. Like, "Mom, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." And then, "Mom! Why have you not responded yet? It's been three seconds."

Amanda Rowinski: It's such a, as we all know, motherhood is such a beautiful contradiction because you want to be that point of contact, but then you're like, "Leave me alone," like, at the same time. But.

Jennifer Wilson: Like I do other things. Other than respond to your messages.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So.

Amanda Rowinski: But what an honor to be the one, right? The chosen one to go to. Yeah. Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So do you have a favorite recent layout or project, something [00:05:00] that you've made recently that really kind of lights you up?

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. So I have started this year, I've been working in a Currently workbook. So I don't- if, if you go to my Instagram, you'll see a bunch of spreads that I've shared. Um, it's... She calls it a self-reflection workbook. So this is a created workbook by Tracy Benjamin, who on Instagram is Shutterbean. She's had her blog Shutterbean for, like, two decades. Um, and it's still up and running, and she has the Handwriting Club on Substack.

So she created, and it's in her Etsy shop, I don't know if you can get the 2026 one anymore, but I know toward the end of the year she releases it. She's done, like, six years of it so far. And it has been, like, this... It's been my favorite project this year. I mean, it's, it's part... Like, it taps into all the things I love, but being concise enough where I can dip into it when I have the time.

Like, it doesn't require big, long stretches of making. You know, I... So I've been kind of using it as, um, a [00:06:00] commonplace book, so any kind of inspiration I, I pull. What I'm noticing in my, in my seasonal life now is, like, a lot of my mental talk, I'm learning how to kind of, like, deal with a lot of my mental talk.

Like, if I'm trying to, to build something and do something business-wise, like, a lot of it is like, "But you've been gone for s- too long, and, and is it relevant, and are you relevant, and are..." You know, all that kind of talk. So I'm using the book a lot as, like, a way to pump myself up, all these inspirational quotes, and, like, when I do make a step toward the right direction in my head, I'll jot it down.

So it's been a bit of, like, look at all the steps you're making type book. And then she has a, a page for, like, all the good things that happened this month, and what I've been using it for is just, like, monthly dumping all the photos that I have from the month. So I'm talking like 70, 75 photos a month. That I'm just, like, putting in a flip-up on in, in one page of the book.

She has, like, a Currently section. So it's really hitting all my sweet spots of what I used [00:07:00] to do in, like, a planner or in, in an album in one book that, like, I can maintain, I guess. So.

Jennifer Wilson: That's so cool. We will definitely link.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: That up.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Both examples of yours as well as, um, from her shop. That sounds really, really awesome.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, and then she hosts, like if you pay for her subscription, um, monthly subscription on Substack, she hosts like twice monthly practice pages where she says, "Bring your book." And like she talks about how to fill in like your summer bucket list, and we share ideas. Like, so she's really making a nice experience around it too.

So highly recommend.

Jennifer Wilson: It's like, it's just so focused around doing one thing rather than all the options out there in the world, because.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, yes.

Jennifer Wilson: We then have to make decisions amongst those options.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. I do love that about it too. Definitely.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, is there something in your, either in your hobby or in your everyday life, something new that you're excited to do, use, or try?

Amanda Rowinski: Uh, yes. So I'm having a bit of a creative comeback as I said, you know, from the dead. It feels like ... My One [00:08:00] Little Word this year is miracle. Um, but it might as well have been resurrection. Because a lot of, like, this year has been just, like, taking things out of the attic and, you know, like, this, like, renewed sense of showing up again or wanting to show up again.

So I'm really excited to embody being Amanda the memory keeper online. Which is kind of what I've changed all my handles to. Um, yeah. So I'm, I'm just treating my presence online as more of a business. Like, what problems can I solve in this paper crafting community I love so much, and what can I offer that's new and exciting?

So my head's been kind of there. It's been there since like January. And what was funny is, uh, you know, I'm working with a brand designer in July. So by the time this comes out my new website might be up, and I wanna grow my YouTube. It's just at the start of this year, um, it's the year of the fire horse, right?

The, the ... And I ... That was ... I didn't know this at the time, but [00:09:00] my, my daughter's birthday's on Christmas, so she turned one at the end of last year. And literally the turn of the calendar from 2025 to 2026, my thoughts, that was the exact metaphor for my like brain and my motivation. It was like a fire horse.

Like they were firing like crazy. Like, "Do this, do this, do this," or, "You could do this. You could do this." Like ... And I was like, I didn't even know it was the year of the fire horse, but when I heard that I was like, "That is so funny because my thoughts have been charging through my brain like a horse on fire" Like.

So, so yes, I don't know what that is, but I've heard that from a lot of moms that like once they know they're done having kids and, like, they got through that first tough year, it's like they jumped back in their body. And kind of like, "Oh, what am I, uh, what am I gonna do now that I'm myself again?" Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Amanda Rowinski: So yeah, so that was my experience, and I'm just excited to see what all that means. I don't even have a real definition to it yet. It's just I'm trying little things here and there and trying to come up with ideas here and there. Because once February hit, all that fire kind of like [00:10:00] sizzled out. And I was like, "All right, now let's organize all these thoughts on paper, and what do I wanna do moving forward?"

So, so yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Be a little more practical about it. I understand.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, for sure.

Jennifer Wilson: Back to that time and what, when my kid turned one, like, what, what shifted for me, and I definitely, that felt like, okay, like, they're walking.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: O- we're gonna be okay. Um, you know, I no longer have to just, like, throw some taquitos in the oven to survive. Because I'm not eating anything, and, um, the things felt a little bit more calm at that point. Um.

Amanda Rowinski: 100% Yeah. That's what I mean. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: So you've been, as we've mentioned, you've been sharing your creative, online for more than 15 years. Can you tell us a little bit more about your history and, and how that evolved maybe up until the time that you did have kids?

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. So I love talking about this, and I have a Substack post in my head called My Creative Career Thus Far... Does It [00:11:00] Even Matter? Right? Like, I, I think back to it, like, I think back to all the things that I've done creatively, but I've had such a long pause since, you know, going back to teaching and having kids, that does any of that even matter now today, right?

I'm sure, like, it does in experience-wise, but, like, everything's so new and I'm so different now. Anyway, so, so this is a, this is something I love talking about 'cause I love to explore that. But, um, history-wise, I feel like when I was in college, it was the start of, like, 2000s. I'm not as young as a lot of people think I am, but, um, yeah, like sharing pictures on Facebook albums was, to me, like the earliest form of online memory keeping.

Like, I remember this intense desire to do it and title each item, like, uh, title each album, like, April, April, you know, 28... 2008. Like, and I would, I would stylize the title picture and, like... So I always liked sharing online, and I didn't even know what that was. I'm like, "Who am I sharing for?" Like, you know? I didn't get it, but I knew I liked to [00:12:00] do it.

Um, and then in 2010, I started a blog, um, 'cause I found out that blogging was a thing, and I was like, "Oh, maybe this is why I like doing it, because I can write."

And then it was, like, more like writing my stories, and I blogged every day. Like, I was 25 years old with nothing really to do except, like, go to school, and I would, I would blog every day. But again, it didn't have to be this perfectly polished Pinterest-worthy blog. Like, it just had to be something you did and a little bit of words and, and I just love that time, that golden age of, like, online creation.

But, um, yeah, so I started a blog. I shared, like- planner pages where I would, like, buy a planner at Staples. And again, like, didn't understand it at the time, but, like, I had this urge to cut things that inspired me out of magazines and stick it in this planner around my plans, and I would just post this teeny-tiny picture on my blog.

And I remember just going like, "This is fun," but didn't get it. Like, why am I... I would always, every time I posted I'd be like, "Yes, why did I do that?" Like, [00:13:00] I never understood it. And then, um, and all this time, like, I was trying to become a classroom teacher. Like, I didn't have anything. I, I went to school for film and creative writing actually, which now looking back, like, I get it.

That was stuff I was interested in, and, like, making YouTube videos now makes sense why I would, like, fe- Like, it's so funny, like, things in your past definitely inform, like, what you like. I don't know. But I didn't know what to do with it at the time. Like, what do I do with this major? So my... I had two aunts that were in the education system.

My mom was a school secretary. Like, I had a lot of access into the education system, so I'm like, "Yeah, I would be a great teacher. Like, let me do that for money." So I was trying to become a teacher, trying to become a teacher. In 2011, I believe, I got my first classroom. I worked so hard. I was, like, subbing for two years, like, trying my hard.

And then once I got in the classroom, I was like, "Oh, is this really what I wanna do? I don't know." At the same time, in 2012, I tapped into Project Life and Becky Higgins, and I pretty much think Ali Edwards. That was [00:14:00] my first One Little Word, uh, year, so I probably was looking into what she was doing. And just like many of the people on your podcast say, like, something totally clicked, and my world cracked open, and I knew I had found my people.

I'm like, "Oh, all this stuff online. This is who I was supposed to find." Like, it really did feel like everything was building up to this moment of like, "Oh my God, these women do this for a living, and oh my God, there's people that like to do it too." The, I never knew anyone that did these weird little things, you know, in their, in their room.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, I feel like there's a lot of, all of us, a lot of us memory keepers have had that moment. Did you have that moment?

Jennifer Wilson: I, I did, and it's, it's so interesting to think about particularly that, those early days. I remember, like, the 2008, 2010 era, I was like, "I have to get online. Like, the, the world.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Is not offline anymore. I have to do this.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: 'Cause I had, I had done some stuff in the late '90s with, like, I had a website back then.

This is when I was in high school, and, like, [00:15:00] I was on AOL

creating, you know, zines and web zines with other girls my age, and a lot that were actually younger than me. And I felt like it was like, "I have to come back to this." I had stepped away for, you know, a good number of years, college and, you know, early career, and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, this world is, like, escaping me, and I have to jump in now to figure out what the heck is going on.

What is a blog, and, and what do we do with it, and why does it matter?"

Amanda Rowinski: 100%. And I feel like, like we really lived life never having it and then discovered it. Like, a lot of the kids growing up now have always seen it, always had it. I wonder, like, how would- how that moment differs for them, right? Like, it wasn't this brand-new thing. It's just like, oh, a brand-new person that they follow.

Like, I don't know, it- it- it's... The golden age is what I call it, thinking back then, to when the internet was really rising. Anyway, so I found these women, and I was like, "Oh my God, all these women are coming together with these supportive and positive vibes, and they're sharing [00:16:00] their life through these albums they created with their hands." And like, it was magical to me, and it still is, like, every day. So since discovering that, you know, like all of us. It's just become such a part of my life. Like, it's just woven into the fabric of my life. Living life and then coming back to a room to make art about it. Like, that just is what we do, right?

So something else, I had this deep desire when I found Becky Higgins and Ali Edwards to, like, do more than just memory keep as a hobby. Like, I've been thinking a lot about that now. Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: I danced Bachata and Salsa, and I loved it. Like, I did that for a few years, and I would go five times a week to the studio and, like...

But there is zero part of my life that wants that to be a job. Like, you know what I mean? I was like, "Oh, that really is a hobby," because I just wanna show up and dance and, like, have a good time. But there was always something about this where I'm like, "Oh, maybe this is what I could do for a living." And even to this day, I don't know what that means.

I'm trying to still figure out what that means. But I always had that, like, [00:17:00] pursuit part of it. It wasn't just, like, a fun, crafty thing. So yeah, so that, that was always very interesting to me that I was like, "I wanna create products to help others document their life. I wanna help other crafty, paper-loving ladies find this hobby."

Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: It was always a part of me. So, all right. So then, then now I'm teaching, and I re- had that realization. So in 2013, I stumbled upon Erin Condren and her life planner on Pinterest. So that, too, was another moment of like, "Oh my God, the gateway is open because here's a creative planner and a planner I've never seen."

And then I, I remember, like, ordering it and going to sleep, and until it was delivered, like, dreaming about this planner. Is that, was that weird? Like, do, do you have paper crafting dreams?

Jennifer Wilson: Um, yes?

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Even wanna admit to what I dream about.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I mean.

Amanda Rowinski: My goodness.

Jennifer Wilson: I was, I mean during the age of, like, I think 2014, when everyone was doing Project Life, and I'm like, "I can't figure this out for [00:18:00] me." I would go to sleep every night trying to figure out how can I make pocket pages work for me.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my God, I love it.

Jennifer Wilson: It took like, almost a year to kind of figure something out. Um, but yeah, I do definitely have those dreams.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, like as I'm falling asleep, I'm like, "Oh, I could put this on this, and this page could look like this." I'm like, I'm so grateful for it because I, I wonder what other crazy things I'd be thinking about going to bed with this world now. But like, I allow the, the, the love of paper and all that stuff to like light me up, you know?

I- it's been a... Yeah, it's great. So I remember going to sleep, and that was the first product I like really was dreaming about having in my hand. So loved it. So with that planner was the really my first time I wasn't just like collaging from magazines in it. I was printing photos, tiny, fitting them in the boxes.

I- it was, I didn't know it then, but like the first memory planning I had ever done or ever really seen. I had never saw people put pictures in a planner, and I was like, "Oh, this is kind of cool, and this is kind of [00:19:00] fun." And so I was posting that online, like, "Look what I'm doing with this planner." And then, um, oh, at the same time in 2013, I was...

I had left teaching. I decided like, "I'm gonna pursue this now that I wanna be... I, I'm gonna make scrapbooking paper." Like, I wanted to just be like Amy Tangerine and, and.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: uh, you know, all them. I was like, "I'm gonna make a scrapbook line." So I left teaching and found in New York City, it was called Shillington School of Graphic Design, and I believe they're still there now, but it's more virtual.

Like I was driving the car to the bus stop every day, getting on the bus, getting like an hour in... taking the bus an hour to go in the city, and like being dropped off at Bryant Park, walking the three blocks to the school, and like Monday through Friday sitting down for three months straight and just like- Like, I must've been smiling the whole time.

Like, I was like it was just a graphic des- I was like, I was like, "This is where I'm supposed to be." Again, like, just following that intuition and like, let's see what comes of this. [00:20:00] So that was from September 2013 to December 2013, and I came out of that program with, like, a little portfolio of stuff I had made.

And so yeah, so then I was like, "Okay, here I go." Come January 2014, I started pitching myself out to different... I, I contacted American Crafts, I contacted, like, all these different companies, and We R Memory Keepers actually got back to me, and I spoke to them, and they signed me on. So they, they signed me on to do, um, like, a line with them.

And I was like, "It could not have happened that quickly." Like, I couldn't believe that, like, all I did was just risk it, and take the leap, and get a little background, and reach out, like, cold email, and it happened. And I was like, "Okay, this is my dream come true." And yeah, so what ended up happening is I made two lines for them, and then American Crafts bought, um, We R Memory Keepers or something, and then I was kinda let go.

So I was like, "All right." I was like, "Well, at least I have these two things under my belt." And I was... I said, "Back to the drawing board" and I was [00:21:00] emailing, emailing, emailing. And I had emailed Stephanie Fleming from Me and My Big Ideas, and when I, she responded to me, she goes, "OMG, I recognized your name right away because I..."

She was looking on Pinterest and saw my Erin Condren spreads, and she's like, "I was looking into you because you did this thing in this planner." And so she hired me, but not to design, to be their social media coordinator. So, like- That was amazing too. I was like, "Wow, one company to the other company." And on my first day on the job she flew me out to California and she's like, "So we're making a planner."

And like that was literally the... Like, the rest is history. So she had seen my Erin Condren, and I guess she was in the works of making The Happy Planner, and she's like, "Well, I can sign this girl on 'cause she's worked with a planner creatively," and that's kinda what I guess happened. So that was it. So, so I was with that job two years.

I mean, I think a little less than two years, but I was a social media coordinator, so I f- I started their Instagram. We went from zero to 200,000 followers in, in my reign. You [00:22:00] know, I... That first blast of them. And, uh, yeah, I mean, the product was a home run, so that helped. But I'd like to think, like, my passion for, like, sharing with other people and like, "Look what we did.

You're fun too." Like, it was... I just think back to that girl that was in that room, like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Amanda Rowinski: With not knowing this existed to like, "Oh my gosh, this exists." So, so that was a great job, and I'm sad that it ended for me, but it had to. Um, yeah. And then, and then so that w- I was there till, till 2017, and then from 2017 to 2018 I was trying to make a lot of things happen for myself.

I was, I was like, "Okay, I saw how a product was launched. I could launch a product." And in my head I had this... I've always had this idea for, like, a behavior s- like a touch, a Velcro touchy, like, very graphic behavior system in a classroom, 'cause from my teaching years. And I was like, "Oh, I could develop that," and that never really went anywhere.

Like, I've always been trying to find a way to make product or get in the industry. But for that whole year I was trying to figure out, I was actually [00:23:00] waitressing. So, you know, here I am with a master's degree in education and like had this great creative job, and I'm just trying to make money while being creative.

It was a very, like... And I broke up with my boyfriend at the time, so it was a lot of, like, rough edges at that time. But I was doing the podcast with Kristin Tweedale. She reached out to me right after I left Happy Planner and was like, "Hey, if you need anything..." And I was like, "Well, I've always wanted to start a podcast."

And like that's how we kinda just had Crafty Ass Female be born. And yeah, we interviewed Ali, Ali Edwards twice, Lisa Congdon, Austin Kleon. Like, I remember just, like, being so, like, touch and go with everything that I c- like, now I look back and go, "What a great time that was." Like, I couldn't even really enjoy it in the moment. It was just produce an episode, produce an episode, find a person.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: So like it really was magic. Like, what you are doing is magic. Like, now when I think of podcasting I'm like, "I wish I never left it." I definitely had to leave it then, but I still... I'm like, could you imagine if I just kept going with it [00:24:00] and...

You know, it didn't make sense for my life then, but it was very fun, and so thankful that I had her in that year. Um, yeah. So then.

Jennifer Wilson: Thinking back to like Paperclipping Roundtable and how they were doing episodes, like they were doing it like we're gonna book it, we're gonna record it that week, edit it that week, and get it out that week. And I'm like I, I cannot operate that way.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh no.

Jennifer Wilson: Record in batches and we schedule things out. Because I can't be on that hamster wheel, uh, in this season of my life. It just would not work.

Amanda Rowinski: No. No. No. Now I understand that people that are doing that hamster wheel, they can't have much else going on.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Whether they show it or not, they are... They have an open schedule, you know? I don't know. But yes, I completely get it. I don't know how you're doing it solo. I mean, I'm so glad I had her. It was definitely something I needed to do with someone. Oh, good.

Jennifer Wilson: I have a lot of help. I am definitely not doing it solo. So I a lot of help both on the, the tech side, I have a podcast editor, and then I have folks on the community side, [00:25:00] um, some coordinators. Yeah, no, definitely not sol- totally alone.

Amanda Rowinski: That's so awesome. All right, yeah. So I did the Crafty Ass Female, and then, um, yeah, and then I went back to teaching. My aunt was like, "You know, I know a principal who's hiring for the new year." And I was like, "I cannot waitress anymore. Like, this is not working for me." And so I went on the interview. I cried on the way to the interview, and I knew that I did a good job on the interview, so I cried on the way home.

I really didn't wanna go back to teaching. But it was the best thing that could've happened to me because I, I, I was able to be grounded. And then I said, "You know what? You pursued the industry enough. Like, take a little break and find your footing and get a steady paycheck, and see what comes of that." So I really, like...

It was a humbling experience, and I was just like, yeah. And I was with that school for five years. In that five years, I, I got the right therapy, you know, which is important in someone's life. I met my husband and we dated for two years. We got married in 2022. By 2023 I had my son, and then 2024 I had my daughter.

[00:26:00] So all, you know, in all that time I was teaching and I really thought I was gonna go back to teaching. I still might, you know? Who knows? But, um, yeah. It was kind of like... And I met my best friend in that school, so, like, I needed to be there. It was definitely a pr- I really thought like, oh, I could totally do this now and, and craft on the side.

Like, that's what my life will be. And I'm so happy with that, and it might still end up that way, but that's what it was. And then my daughter turned one in December and I was like, "Well, I'm not going back this year, and I probably won't be going back next year, so what do I wanna try to do with this time?"

So that's where you leave me here. Yeah. Yeah

Jennifer Wilson: You've described this current season as uncharted territory. When, like when did you start figuring out that motherhood was shifting not just your overall identity, but your creative identity and how you wanted to express yourself?

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, so up until the start of this year, I hadn't really thought about creatively coming back. So I was just like, "Take care of your kids for now, and then you'll go back [00:27:00] to teaching when the time is right." Um, but now that I, like, am entertaining the fact that, like, maybe I do wanna come back and try to make money, you know, in this industry that I love so much, um, yeah, it's, it's uncharted territory.

It's like I don't... I, I'm so different than I was when I was doing this 10 years ago. Social media is so different than it was 10 years ago. And like, oh my God, this mom gig won't let up. Like, I ju- you know, like, I can't put it on pause and spend time doing, you know, creative stuff. So, so yeah. I'm someone new in this maker space, and, like, I'm trying to figure out what does that mean, and how do I navigate that?

And yeah, it's just... it really is, like, I've never been at this place before. Because I've had the ki- you know, my oldest is three, so I've... I'm not new, new, new to being a mom. But it's the first time I'm a mom trying to build something for myself, and I'm just like, it's impossible. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Do you feel like you're giving yourself [00:28:00] permission to be a beginner, or do you feel pressure because you have done some of this before? Like I can't be a beginner because I'm not but I am at the same time.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my God, that's exa- you just summed up exactly how I feel. Like, I'm trying to find how to position myself. 'Cause I, I feel like if enough time has gone by where a lot of the new makers might not know what I've done in the past, but I also have, like, a l- a really good thread of people that have always, like, messaged me, "Oh, I remember you from these days or those days".

Like, a lot of my audience still are those people who comment on the, me on the pod, "Oh, I loved you and Kristen", you know? So I don't really know. I'm kind of straddling both worlds where, like, I am a beginner and I have to position myself as so, but, oh, look at all the stuff I've done. I am, I am planning on doing, like, a let me reintroduce myself, trip down memory lane kind of post. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: I think any time I do a small little bit in the right direction of, [00:29:00] like, marketing myself or showing what I do, it, it does kind of make it clearer for me how to, how to navigate that. But, but the actual making part is uncharted territory. Like, there's hardly any time to make anything.

Jennifer Wilson: So what are you seeing, like yourself, you know, you already mentioned, you know, your currently notebook. Like, what are the things that you're interested in now versus, know, 10 years ago?

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, so, um, I feel like when I tapped into Becky Higgins and Ali Edwards, that was my gateway, right? It was my gateway of like what memory keeping is and what it could be. Um, and I feel like a lot of my self-imposed limitations have been because I tell myself like, "Memory keeping has to look like that."

Like, even now, like I feel like, "Well, that's memory keeping, and this other stuff is something else." Um, even when I was memory planning in the Happy Planner with all this free product from them and, and 1 million thousand stickers from them, I still was like fighting with myself [00:30:00] where like, "Well, is this memory keeping?

I don't know. Is it something new?" I'm just in like, I view it so differently now where like to me, modern-day memory keeping just encompasses so many different things. And like I stand to defend that like a scribble on a blank white paper with a date stamp underneath is memory keeping, right? Like, if you date it and it's like this is the mark you made, you slip it in a pocket page, pop it in your binder, and like who's to say it isn't memory keeping?

That's like my new stance on it. So yeah, I don't know if that answered the question, but like I, I've, I've been junk journaling, and I just have been putting that under the umbrella of, of memory keeping and keeping like a creative journal, um, in my Hobonichi. And I still have my memory book, but it's my memory album with the bi- with the binder rings, and it's still contributed to very s- briefly, but it's there.

And I'm like, I'm kind of thinking up a way I can combine all these things into one book.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: But yeah, there's, there's been a movement toward like bad art is still art, but I think the [00:31:00] shift in my mind is bad art is still memory keeping. Like, I've just been just like umbrellaing it under that. Uh, and that's worth creating.

Like, I love a good clean, polished finis- finished memory book, which is what I used to do in the past, and like hardly any of my handwriting. Because I don't like my handwriting, so every, all the journaling was typed up. But like.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: In the end, the meat and potatoes is like the moment of your life you documented and what that documenting did for your soul.

Like, that's kind of where I'm at now. So like I am right at this Currently workbook in the Handwriting Club. Like, I love that she calls herself that because I am just writing. You know? It's, it's, it's what I've needed. So, so yeah. That's been the shift, I think.

Jennifer Wilson: I'd love to talk about how kind of your creative space and, like, feeling comfortable in it again has kind of factored all, into all of this. 'Cause I know a lot of our listeners understand, like, walking past your craft room or if it's a multi- multipurpose room and just kind of not going in because you feel like, "I'm not ready for that.

It's, it's not ready [00:32:00] for me. It's not organized enough." What was that like for you?

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my God, it's very hard and triggering. Like, in my, in my house, it's a split level, so I purposely made my craft room the room that's, like, at the tip of the triangle. So like, from anywhere in the house really, I could see my craft room. Like, the original plan behind that was, like, if my kids are playing in the playroom, I could sit down and, like, have a straight shot view of them.

But it's also, when I'm in the playroom, I have a straight shot view of my craft room. So like, I see it kind of beckoning me. And it's so funny because in, in my 2023 December Daily, my story 13 was this just, like, picture of, I have, like, a velvet pink chair that I purposely put, like, in, in the doorway shot of the room 'cause it's cute.

But like, I just see this chair from my bedroom in the dark. I'm, like, rocking my kid at 12:00 midnight, and I just see the pink chair and I'm like, "One day," like, [00:33:00] "I'll be. Come back."

Jennifer Wilson: One day I'll sit there again.

Amanda Rowinski: Sarah Jessica Parker said that New York City was like a fifth character in Sex and the City, and I really do feel like my craft room in this house, like, it's a character.

But it's, like, one of those, like, happy, like, "Don't worry, I'm here." Like, sh- she's a reassuring lady, my craft room. Um, and, and that's how I feel you should think about it. Like, it'll, it will beckon you home, I guess.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes

Amanda Rowinski: So yeah, that's how I thought about her.

Jennifer Wilson: And you recent- well, yeah, it's just so interesting to think about, like, I did so much with my kid on one arm and sitting at the computer. I remember even I was in a recliner, I was pumping on one side, I had a kid with a bottle on the other side, and then I had my laptop in front of me. I'm like, what, what were you thinking?

Amanda Rowinski: It's like you're a fly on my wall, Jennifer. That's, that's my reality lately. Yeah, yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Um, w- but you recently did a refresh of your office space. Like, what, what did you [00:34:00] change to make it more fit, like, what you're interested now and, and who you feel like as a person and a creative?

Amanda Rowinski: Oh yeah. I, I plan to do a video tour and post it to my YouTube as like a comeback video. But I wrote a Substack post called In the Waiting. Because I'm embodying that phrase. It's just, I'm like, I'm just in the waiting to do all this stuff that needs big, uninterrupted, quiet time. Um, but now that we have time and I can talk about it , um, I've, I think it's part of my creative comeback, right?

Like to make this space more mine and to make the office like the headquarters of the business, right? That's really, like, it was a lot of intentional placement and stuff I put in here to kinda do that. So f- the first thing was like, like three years ago when we moved in this house and I had my son on my arm, like pumping, like you said.

Like, I was on a folding table. Things were all around. It was so chaotic, but I still sat and I still journaled.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, yeah. [00:35:00] Folding table in front of the, in front of the recliner. Yes.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, yes. Yeah. So like, when I think about how far I've come, like it really makes me proud. Like, it just does take like slow little steps. And one of the first things, I had a rug in here, and my rolling chair just like kept m- kept, uh, like nicking it every time I'd roll somewhere.

I would have to t- I'd took the rug with me, and I'd have to readjust it with like a grunt. So the first thing I did was like shift the rug, you know, like a little thing like that in your craft room. Like, just make everything comfortable and easy. So I shifted the rug. My husband installed some shelves, and like just that vertical like focal point.

I'm like, "Oh my God, the room feels so much bigger." And I have like pic- like my late grandmother's pictures there, and I always feel like they're kind of my little cheerleaders like egging me on. I, um, propped up my two paper lines from We R Memory Keepers, so like they're on display. I'd always kind of like, "Oh, I made these," and like tuck them away.

I'm like, "I'm not gonna use them. I'm not..." But I'm like, there's something [00:36:00] to just like seeing them proudly propped up. It's like, you did that a long time ago. You c- and that was so hard. Like I didn't mention that, but like they were the h- that was the hardest two assignments I ever had in my life. I'm like , "Oh my God."

So I said, "But you did it. They're imperfect, but they were made." And it just like serves as a little beacon for me, like then you can do other hard things, right?

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Amanda Rowinski: So, it, it's stuff like that. Like I made the craft room speak to me in a way. Like I said, that chara- the craft room is the main character in my life, main character energy.

Like it talks to me. I made things talk to me . And, uh, yeah. And then, you know, practical stuff is like I took a lot of, I resurrected a lot of my old teacher storage. Like I have like a mailbox system that now houses a lot of my stuff. Um, little compartments. Uh, and yeah. So like little drawers and compartments that I was like, "Why am I saving this for a classroom that I don't know that I'll ever be back in?" I'm like, "Let's pull it out. Let's make this the room."

Jennifer Wilson: The, the Target [00:37:00] dollar spot will still be there with new organizational things.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So.

Amanda Rowinski: Okay, good. Right, that's what I mean. So, uh, yeah. And then I got these really great... I can't wait to share them on YouTube and... 'cause they, they fit perfectly under the IKEA desk. It's like this under desk 12 by 12 little pull-out drawers, and I've labeled all of them on my Dymo They're, they're amazing. And.

Jennifer Wilson: Can, you share a link with that to us so that we can put that in the show notes.

Amanda Rowinski: For sure. They come with wheels. Yes, they come with wheels, and even with the wheels, they, they, um, they fit under the desk. And then I don't have them with wheels 'cause they're stationary. And they came, it, they come with, they came with two in the pack. So, like, they were, I think they were $60, and I was like, "That's kind of expensive for, like, a shelf, like a, a storage."

But there was two, so I ordered two, so I got four. It was, like, all very exciting. I was like, I was like, "Oh, okay, so they were $30 each. That's reasonable." And like, now I have four and so I love them. I will definitely link them. And, um, I got a new [00:38:00] standing desk from Facebook Marketplace. He was asking 50, and I got him down to 30, so I'm proud of that little bargain.

Um, but I love it too. I, I, it's just, yeah, yeah. Thrift and I've... This room, I thought I was gonna do my two kids' rooms before this room, but I was like, "Screw that." I'm gonna do my office. Um, so yeah. And, and the shades. The shades was a big obstacle. I was like, "How am I... I need window coverings because the sun is beaming."

And I, I'll link to you too. I, I got these custom shades off Amazon. And they are like butter. That's how I describe them. They're pull-down shades.

Jennifer Wilson: We only have shades in one room of my house. It's the office.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Front of the house, and.

Amanda Rowinski: Yep.

Jennifer Wilson: Certain times of the year, like the sun is just like bursting in my eyes, and it makes it either too hot or too cold in here, so.

Amanda Rowinski: That's so funny. Yeah, that's, I'm in the front of the house too. My desk sits in front of the two double windows, so I'm like, "Ooh, mama needs a shade."

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: But I, I could send the link too, because they're great. I highly, highly recommend them.

Jennifer Wilson: So you were talking earlier about how [00:39:00] when you were dancing, like that was the one thing, like you didn't, you never wanted to make that a job. And.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: How do you think that like having been in industry and, and wanting to be in part of the industry again, how does that complicate the relationship you have with crafting as a personal practice versus doing it for, as part of your job? I mean.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: I understand this because I have monetized my hobby and sometimes it makes it hard to want to do my hobby as a hobby.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my gosh, that's so... It's such a good question, and it's, it's something I go back and forth with all the time. But how I... Like, again, like, once I found this world, just something inside me said, like, "I wanna be a part of it."

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: In that way. So, like, even when I was teaching for five years and not at all making content to, to creatively try anything, I still felt the value and was called to post it and share it.

I don't... Again, like, I don't know why, 'cause in that time I wasn't... I, I thought I would teach for the next 25 years. I said [00:40:00] I could do this while, you know, crafting on the side. But then what was that... Like, then why did I feel the need to share it? You know? I, I didn't understand that part of it. But how I personally craft versus what I made for the industry was always very close, so I think that helps.

Like, I, I think I did a design team back in the day. I don't remember whose it was for. Um, and I got like... I, I got a few months of assignments done and was like, "Oh, I cannot... I have a really hard time crafting just to show how the product should be used." Like, I really do make a personal connection to my crafting.

So like, so when I do that, it's a lot easier. So even when I'm doing things, um, you know, for the industry, it's still very personal. Like, I was on Ali's creative team for December Daily, uh, in 2021, and I contributed to her product play workshop. And I remember thinking like, "I can't just use this product to show people what the product do.

Like, it has to be attached to a [00:41:00] thing I'm going to actually do in my life, in my December Daily." So once I changed that and realized that that's important to me, then it really... there really... It doesn't feel like two distinct things, you know? Um, but I do think a lot now that I'm trying to get back into the industry again, like, "Is there a market?"

Like, that phrase in my head happens a lot. Like, I'm doing this creative thing. Is there a market for it? I'm doing this. Is there a market? Like, you know. So that, that gets in the way a little bit. Because I am trying to create something that people will desire to learn from or have or, you know. So yeah. So, so yeah.

H- Can I package my personal practice in a way that shows off how it could help others tap into their creativity and turn it into their personal practice? So yeah, it kind of blurs the line there. But for the most part, it is all very personal. But I also memory keep in a lot of ways now. So like, I do have, like, I...

J- my junk journal I, journal I've been [00:42:00] sharing, my Currently book I've been sharing. Um, but I, my Hobonichi, not really. So if you have, like, a lot of different avenues to memory keep, you can keep one a little more personal, I guess. That helps, too. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: You don't have to share everything that you do.

Amanda Rowinski: Right. Yeah. That helps.

Jennifer Wilson: Now is there anything, um, maybe the way you created in the past, like did you ever, were you ever making layouts or did you do mostly Project Life small albums?

Amanda Rowinski: Um, I ha- i- in the early stages, I did make a few 12 by 12s. I look back at them now and go, "Whew, that was not your format." Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay, yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: They're, they're still... I still love them for what they are, but I really struggled with that big page. Um, December Daily is, like, non-negotiable for me. I do that every year, and I do that in, in, like, Ali style with the pocket pages and the some out of the pocket pages and very, very, uh, different mediums.

And I love that year she did texture paste. That was, like, my favorite post of hers. And I whip out the sewing [00:43:00] machine for December Daily. So Dec- I always say, like, if no other memory keeping gets done all year, December Daily is enough for me. Because then I'll use some pages to look back, like, if something happened that I didn't like.

So December Daily is, like, non-negotiable. I'm doing it. I'm sharing it. And then m- like, my 2025 is still not done. It's open on my desk over there. But, like, I know it will... I usually finish it around the time she launches for the new, uh, season. And then that gets me motivated and, uh, and then I sh- I finish it and post the flip through to YouTube and other people get motivated to see it because they're thinking about theirs.

So that's usually the timeline of that guy. But.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I mean, it is such a fun project, and I think, uh, as you said, there's so much possibility to combine both what is happening related to the season as well as reflecting back on the whole year. To, to make it, you know, kind of a wrap-up for your year. And if

that's all you do, that's still so amazing.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. It feels, it [00:44:00] always felt like enough, which I was so grateful for. I'm like, yeah, this, this shows the kids how old they are, and this tells where my head's at, and yeah, it'll do.

Jennifer Wilson: So you mentioned, I think maybe this was in an Instagram caption or maybe on your Substack, I'm not sure, but your, your interest in junk journaling felt primal. Why do you think that had been calling to you so much and so strongly?

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my gosh, Jennifer, primal is the word. Like, you nailed it. Like, primal. It, it was... I, I, Instagram showed me junk journaling on my feed toward the end of last year. I don't know what I said or what I did to make the algorithm think I needed it, but it was right. Um, and I think the ASMR spoke to me as, like, a mom of two, very overstimulated, like, "Ah!"

Like, that energy of over- that of overstimulation where you're, like, grinding your teeth and need to, like, scream. I think came out in the junk journal. Like, I was watching these women, like... So I think that's what sparked it [00:45:00] initially, like, the crunchiness, the ripping. Like, I used to do it a little bit in cooking.

Like, when I'd chop, if I was mad at something, like, I used to- the chopping motion for me really got that out. But I can't find time to cook anymore with the kids, so I guess that was missing from it. So yeah, so I bought this, like... I saw this girl on junk- so then I went down the junk journaling rabbit hole, and the more ASMR it was, the more I was, like, drooling.

And then I saw this girl with, like, this giant glue stick in her hand, and so I was like, "Oh my God, I gotta buy that." So, like, it wasn't enough for me to just have a junk journal. It had to feel like, like I was a caveman. So primal, perfect. Like, perfect word. I, I, I have this giant glue stick in my hand, and I'm like, you know, just like a caveman with my club.

Like, and then rummaging through garbage and, and making my own little stash like a feral raccoon. Like, very s- funny imagery, but that's really what was calling to me at the time. And I also think, [00:46:00] like, being a stay-at-home mom and I stopped a lot of my subscriptions, right? Like, I'm not having income, so I need to really, like, pare down on what I can use for supplies.

I mean, I have decades' worth of scrapbooking supplies, but I wasn't- I'm not doing these memory books that need the beautiful sticker, right? So I was like, "All right, let me just..." It just really reframed how I thought even about junk. Like, so much things as you're a mom going through your day, like, "Oh, don't throw out that Gerber baby food, you know, pull-off lid.

Keep it for your junk journal." It just felt like I was being creative when I really had no time to be creative. Be- like, even my husband, like, he goes to the laundromat, and he gets these little, like, purple, yellow tags that come on his, his clothes right around the hanger, and.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Pu- he would pull them off and leave them all over my bedroom, right?

And every time I'd see one, it'd be another source of over- overstimulation. Like, "Why don't you just throw these out?" But then I started junk journaling, and I was like, [00:47:00] "Ooh, look what I found." Like, even the way that it... Yeah, even the way that it, like, transformed how I looked at clutter in my house was something I needed.

Like, a lot of youngins treat junk journaling like a scrapbook. Like, they do their stickers and papers and photos and, um, they... I've seen a lot, like, use a piece of junk as a jumping-off point for, like, a paper craft. Like, I saw one, one girl, she's in her 20s, so cute, like, living life, and she, she took her favorite, like, chip bag, and then she folded yellow paper to look like the chip.

Like, I'm like, "I get it. There's a piece of junk in there. I love what you do. I get the season of life you're in." Lots of travel ephemera, right? People go on these big, lofty vacations, and they're like, "Oh, I went to Mexico." And I'm like, "Good for you." I, I think stay- I'm like, stay-at-home moms, I almost wanna, like, start a group that just says, Stay-at-home moms who junk journal. Because I think it is such a important, easy way, cheap way for you to be [00:48:00] creative, like, express yourself creatively.

Like, I'm doing it on my kitchen counter while watching the kids. Like, I'll peel a fruit stick or off a fruit and, like, run up to my office and, and open that page in my journal and stick it down. Like, is it memory keeping the way that I know it? No. But I think it's informing an art practice that could definitely be channeled in that way, and it kind of is memory keeping, right?

Like, "Oh, look at the sticker I had back then." And I've, I've... Like, I have an idea for one to, like, I'm done pump- breast pumping, so I.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: Kept the breast pump wire, and I have just an idea for a spread to, like, journal behind it, like, what it means to me to not have to pump anymore, and then put that guy on top.

Like, like, that's memory keeping. It's messy, and it's, it's cuckoo to some people, but it totally is memory keeping, and in this season of life, it's what I can, what I can sh- do and what I can share and what I think other people need, too. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I, I love the, the point you made about kind of the clutter around the house 'cause [00:49:00] similar to yours, my husband will take a tag off of something he purchased and leave it on the dresser, and it will be there forever until the end of time unless I move it and throw it away.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my gosh, what is that? What is that? I don't know either. But like, like as a mom, you- I really can see a lot of baby stuff being great to like junk journal with. Like, even their little newborn diaper, like it fits in the journal 'cause it's so little. Like, so I really, I, I think that's kinda where... I know I wanna make like a free six, um, lesson kinda like freebie coming soon of like just how to fill the junk journal.

Just really easy ideas of like if you've never crafted before or even if you have a junk journal, like here's how you can make like 20 different pages in one shot kinda thing. Um, so I think I'm gonna create that and offer that at some point. Because I- it's just been, yeah, it's just been an important part of where I'm at now.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and I think that this like the idea you had about like stay-at-home moms [00:50:00] who do junk journaling, that sounds like there's a very specific and different, it's a different season of life than, you know, the 20-something going to Mexico on a fun vacation. Um, and that deeper need, like, "I have to do something with my hands that's not wiping," uh, you know, "a rear end."

So.

Amanda Rowinski: Yep. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: So kind of stepping back, like what would it look and feel like to you to say like, "I found my way back to this"?

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. a good question.

Yeah, I, I don't, I... That's, it's such a good question. I'm, I'm definitely here showing up every day, looking around going, "What can I creatively do?" Um, would I... Am I back or... I'm definitely not back to the kind of memory keeping I was doing 10 years ago. Um, and another thing that shifted for me too is, like, when I started memory keeping, it was really to tell my story, right?

This is kinda obvious, but, like, with my kids now, I really [00:51:00] feel responsible to help them be able to take a peek into their childhood. So that's also been something I'm trying to figure out. Because I do still love that personal m- like, 'cause I think, like, memory keeping for me has always been rooted in, like, my two grandmothers and my mother. Because I...

We've had so many instances with them where, like, we've sat around a table and looked at a photo album and just talked and laughed and shared stories because of the photo album. So that's definitely where all this has come from, I think. But I, I really want to have that for my kids, so I feel this responsibility to, like, make sure they know who I was.

Like, I also morbidly picture my funeral with, like, all my craft books around me. Like, it's just, it's just, this is to- That's, uh, the value is there. Like, I never feel like I should be memory keeping or, like, I'm a bad memory keeper 'cause I'm not making a book or [00:52:00] anything. It's more like I value so much that, that there will be something that I can grab and show my kids or grandkids or that they can remember me by.

So it's more of like, oh man, I really need to keep this up because this is so valuable in my opinion. Um, but yeah, I, finding my way back, I think we're always there or I think I'm there, it just looks very different. And I'm, I don't really know where to land yet, so I'm trying a bunch of different things.

But it's, it's all adding up to, like, stuff my kids can grab, you know?

Jennifer Wilson: Well and even as your kids grow and they're involved in different things, and the photos you take are different, and there's different things coming home, you know, it's, that will shift for you too, uh, in terms of how you wanna document it and, and how you feel like, you need to both creatively and for the, the actual memory portion of it.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. And I, I think like because I'm trying to build something, but what is that something? Like, there's, there's definitely a [00:53:00] pressure to niche down and say like, "This is my thing." But right now it's kind of all over the place and I'm trying to find like, you know, what is the, what is the thing I can say is my thing in the memory keeping place? But.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. But it's all, it's all informing it, you know what I mean? Like, nothing is wasted if you're having a good time and doing something you feel there's value in.

Jennifer Wilson: So do you feel like during, at any point, were you actually ever creatively paused, or were there things you were keeping up with even when you weren't sharing online about them at all?

Amanda Rowinski: Um, that's a good question. Like, creatively paused, definitely when I was... The past few years since Crafty Ass Female, when I went back to teaching, there definitely was a pause in, like, sharing so much. Like, the Happy Planner job, I was posting, like, two, three times a day for them, even on [00:54:00] weekends. Like, it was a big demand to create content.

So I was paused in that way, where, like, there was no pressure to create content. But I always, I always was creating. I still was, like, making books and, and, like, even this past year I made, like, a little mini May memory book. Like, one picture a day in May kind of thing. Like, it's always on my mind to have something.

You know, I, I, I don't know how people go through life without this hobby because, like, even now as a mom, like, the kids'll sleep, my husband might be working late, and I'm alone for a second. Like, I'm never bored. Like, I don't understand boredom. I'm always coming to the room and, like , "Oh, I can make something in this time, or write something down, or print a photo."

Like, I don't understand boredom. So even when there's even a pause, you know? Like, it doesn't ever feel like a pause. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I get it. I get it. I don't, I don't, I don't understand boredom definitely in, from the terms of I easily feel overwhelmed by I [00:55:00] have too many things I want and need to do, and how can I possibly do all of them, because I can't.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: I- I'm curious what advice you might give to someone who kind of is in their own uncharted territory. Like, they feel like, "I'm not the same person that I was before, and I, I, I still love this hobby and I've been touching it, but I don't feel like I've figured my thing out yet. And, and I really wanna find that again." And maybe it's just joining the journey with you because you're, you're very much in that place.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, that's a good question. S- just like what advice do I have for, for someone else? I just, I just... definitely something new for me this year in reframing, like, my creativity and stuff is I've always kind of been a loner in this practice where, like...

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: I mean, y- whenever I did join a group or try to create, 'cause when I was doing The Happy Planner too, I would do a lot of, like, planner meetups at local Michaels, or [00:56:00] I'd be at a trade show and, like, talk someone through a product.

But it was always hard for me to tap into that, like, process of how I create, 'cause it's always such a quiet... I have to listen inside. So that's always been kinda how it is for me. Like, "What do you wanna make, Amanda? What's inspiring you? Oh, well..." So, like, when I'm around other people, like I never understood crops, because it would distract me from doing the crafting.

So, so now I kind of... I understand the importance of connection, and I'm kinda craving it now. Uh, so that's been a little bit of a shift, and I think, I think that will help a lot of people. I guess in the beginning, my connection was just from finding these things and watching , YouTube videos that people create.

But now I really do feel like it's a peeking next to you and seeing what someone else is making. You know, I think that helps. Or like, yeah, just like sh- [00:57:00] s- I guess there's so much sharing online that you can really see other people's techniques and stuff, and I think that helps. Like, you tap into your thing and, yeah, like I took an art journal class this year, and I did a junk journaling class this year.

Like it's... That would be something I'd be like, "Eh, I don't need to. I know how to do that." But I really love now, like, opening up my world to other people's crafting, and I think that, yeah, it's... There's something to community and other people that like to do this and being in their presence. I never... It always distracted me more than helped me make, but now I, I see the value in that too.

Jennifer Wilson: I also see, like, from the professional standpoint of being a student and putting that hat on helps you.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Um, learn things in a new way, learn techniques that you never learned yourself, and it just really kind of expands your horizons in ways that, like, I didn't know it was possible until I really started doing it again, like, during the pandemic era and [00:58:00] since.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. Yeah. And, and I think 10 years ago and when I first thought of being in the industry, I really felt like, "Oh, I have to prove that I'm an authority on making," right? But like now I really... That all that was so naive, and it's so erased from my brain. Like, I definitely picture it more as like we're linking arms with each other.

You know what I mean? And like s- it... I think, I think in this world we need that more too. Like, just like we are like together in this. You know? Like we'll all learn from each other. No one is more versed than someone else. It just everyone is bringing so much to the table, and it's all so awesome. Like everyone is so creative.

Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Amanda, thank you so much for spending time with me. Can you share where our listeners can follow you online and anything else you might have newer coming up in the second half of 2026?

Amanda Rowinski: Sure. Um, thank you so much for having me. I'm, I'm so appreciative of this invite. Um, yeah, I'm [00:59:00] now AmandaTheMemoryKeeper on Instagram, on YouTube, on Substack, and by the time this comes out, I feel like my website might already be up, but amandathememorykeeper.com, and that'll have a bunch of goodies where to find me.

I'm not sure exactly what I want to offer in the next, in the next part of the year, um, the rest of this year. But I'm working on stuff, a bunch of stuff, and yeah. And hopefully I'll be able to share, and people will like it, and all good things.

Jennifer Wilson: Wonderful. Yeah, we will include all the links to your places as well as everything you mentioned in the show notes for this episode. This was fun. I appreciate it

Amanda Rowinski: So fun. Thank you so much.

Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.