Gold Star – Julie

Julie has been with us since 2019, but joined as a DIAMOND member in 2022.  She loves to participate in our various activities, workshops, and challenges. You probably saw her post in the forum already! Let's discover more about our fellow Canadian member.

Tell us a bit about you

I grew up in a very small town (Merlin) at a time when kids were free-range and prowled around at will. I feel so fortunate for that. Our high school had no more than 200 students from the surrounding area, but we were good at what we did, sports-wise and academically, and the school spirit was outstanding. That school was closed and torn down in the ‘80s.

I left home to attend university in Toronto and basically stayed there for most of my adult life. I had a wonderful career as a teacher, both at high school and community college. The death of both my parents kept me away from the home town for a long time. I have an older sister who had four children, so I said that averaged out to two each for us which meant I never had any. A niece and three nephews and their families have always been enough in my life.

When I retired, I felt the need to return to my home area, but not the home town. The small-town girl in me was still alive and well, and it was a good decision to leave the city.

How did you start working with PSP and the Campus?

Retirement, however, did not mean idleness or boredom. With my computer skills, I began holding classes for seniors and making tech house calls to help them deal with their devices. I also got involved with writing and research and have produced six years’ worth of monthly historical articles on the people and events in my home town which are published in two books so far. Family history also became very important to me, for myself and for others. I volunteer for genealogy and heritage groups to keep up to date in research.

It was because of those articles that I was looking for software that would allow me to edit and improve photos that were being loaned to me from days gone by. I chose PSP in about 2018 and luckily found the Campus (I think through google searches). I don’t do traditional scrapbooking, but I have become hooked on creating layouts and learning about the tools and techniques within the app. Learning new skills has been part of my life for a long time. Being a Diamond Member for a couple of years has helped with that, having access to so much information and support.

My whole life has been about books, words, reading, writing, research – I find PSP and its possibilities to be a different kind of creative outlet that is very satisfying and makes me reach beyond my usual abilities. I feel at loose ends when I am not contemplating the challenge of another layout.

I live with my fur family members (the number is dwindling sadly) who keep me active with all the walking we do. I usually have both cats (at least one) and dogs (mostly long-term fosters) but currently the house is quieter with only two pooches. I will no doubt find another family member when that changes. I can’t imagine life without them.

The Campus and its members have been welcoming and supportive. We share so much more than just our layouts. It’s a lovely community of like-minded folks who bring their points of view, their humour, their many talents ,and their unwavering support of each other.  And the fact that Carole is a Canadian makes it even better. So much of our content online comes from elsewhere. Her teaching style is outstanding, and we are all in good hands.

Can you share some projects you have created?

I agree that it’s important to share our early layouts/designs with other beginners. I still call myself a “learner” since there is so much I still don’t know about PSP and design concepts in general. I am proud to show some of my early stuff which make me laugh now. But, the saying “everything is difficult until it becomes easy” resonates with me. And that applies to everything in life, doesn’t it?

As someone who is not a scrapbooker, I can say that Julie is doing fantastic with layouts, don't you think?

If you want to join as a DIAMOND member and access all sorts of classes and tutorials for PaintShop Pro, you can check out this page.