For some time now, I have wanted to include some folks from the more visual worlds of storytelling in the Q&A series — scrapbooking, “scrapmoir,” art journaling, for example. I got my wish in Roben-Marie Smith, who hails from very near my former home in Central Florida. Delighted to introduce readers to a form of storytelling that may be unfamiliar to them. This Q&A will run over the next several days.
Bio: Roben-Marie is a little kooky in many ways and clearly OCD in others. 
She doesn’t like wearing shoes, is a loyal friend, would rather give than receive, is afraid of heights, is an introvert who works hard to be an extrovert, and her favorite color is green.
She has been married for more than 22 years, digs football, can converse on many subjects, is a God’s girl and a computer geek. Her favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice, she is a college graduate, likes to read historical fiction, embraces a variety of music genres, once rode a camel, and she makes amazing made-from-scratch brownies, or so she is told!
She is into a bunch of craft and art forms, including mixed media, art journaling, sewing, digi designing and more. She likes to laugh but sometimes take things too seriously and one day would like to say that “making things for others” is her job!
Paperbag Studios was formed seven years ago when mixed media artist Roben-Marie began designing rubber art stamps to reflect her distinct altered art voice. Featuring a collection ranging anywhere from children to doodles and houses to shoes, Paperbag Studios offers a unique mix that appeals to not only the rubber stamper but visual and altered artists alike.
In addition to designing products, Roben-Marie shares her love of mixed-media art, handmade journals and scrapbooking through her inspiring blog, Every Life Has a Story, offering video tutorials, step by step how-to’s, give-aways and workshops.
Q&A with Roben Marie Smith, Question 1:
Q: How did you initially become involved with story/storytelling/ narrative? What attracted you to this field? What do you love about it?
A: A spiral notebook and a pen were my beginnings into narrative. I was a teenager committed to recording my outfits each day which may sound a little silly, but I was all about making lists and maybe in some way that helped me feel in control during those difficult years. These notebooks evolved into a dumping ground where I expressed the frustrations of a teen missing her military father and dealing with the day-to-day life of a family under pressure.
The evolution continued throughout college as the notebooks became a collector of ticket stubs, photographs, and feelings. Memorabilia joined words and the pages began to express a fuller view of my life. During my early 20s, I took a break from journaling when I got married and began my career as public-relations consultant.
When I was introduced to art journaling, through the work of Kelly Kilmer and Kira Harding, a fire was ignited to learn as much as I could about combining artful expression with words. I researched art journaling, stamp making, and mixed-media artists and found a form of expression that was a great fit for me. I started my artsy stamp company, Paperbag Studios, began developing my art-journaling style and never looked back.