'Real' Scrapbooking?

There's a thread at Veggieville asking if people prefer 'real' scrapbooking or digital scrapbooking (and no, I'm not going to link it because it appears completely innocent and it's just a question).

Some of the answers are rather interesting, as to what 'real' scrapbooking is. My personal favorite is the one that says that to a digital scrapbook, digital scrapbooking is real. Um- does that mean that paper scrapbooking isn't real to me? It gave me a giggle.

What is the point of scrapbooking? An interesting question. For some- it's to record memories and showcase them in a beautiful way. For others- it's an artistic endeavour, something to feed the creative monster in all of us (much like the people who knit hats, sweaters, blankets and scarves, and no- I have no problem with people like that, considering that I crocheted four scarves this winter because I felt like it). Am I missing another reason? I don't think so (and I hope that someone will enlighten me and yes this is me fishing for comments).

So if we take these two reasons- recording memories and something crafty/artsy to do- we should be able to figure out what is 'real' and what isn't 'real'.

But wait. There are so many different forms of art. Look at art museums, galleries, online, heck- go to your local high school's art fair and check out the pieces. You have paintings, ceramics, photography, sculptures, and- in some art museums and galleries- movies. Look at the paintings. Some are watercolor, some are acrylic, some are oils. Some are painted on wood, some on canvas, some on matte board. Some are teeny tiny, others are very large. The brush strokes might be short and thin, long and thick, millions upon millions of dots, swirly and loose, straight and tight, or even just paint splatters. The subject matter varies- from religious pieces, to portraits, to melting clocks, to Campbell's Soup cans. No style is better than the other. In the end, you have the same thing: a painting. Size, style, subject matter, the paint that it's painted with, what it is painted on- it's all personal preference.

The same goes for scrapbooking. Those that choose paper over digital aren't any better than those who choose digital over paper. Those who choose a shabby look aren't any better than those who choose a CM look. Those who buy the latest and greatest aren't any better than those who could care less. What matters is that in the end- they're all layouts. Digital or paper- it's all real to me.