1.05.2011

visioning: make a collage

the earliest work of art i remember making was a simple collage. it involved bits of yarn, seashells, and some dry macaroni.

i recently started making collages again as part of my vein of gold coursework with julia cameron...


{simple joys}


{change}


{create}


{time}


{abundance}


{journal pages}

julia uses collage frequently in her teaching. i believe it to be a wonderful tool for getting out of your intellect and into your subconscious feelings.

if you are stuck in your head lately (hello, new year!) or simply want to illuminate an idea you've been pondering, i recommend giving yourself the gift of a quick collage.

it's easy, fun, and you'll end up with a powerful message or at least some eye candy for your workspace.

the important thing about this kind of work is to move quickly. it's not a scrapbook page...let go of perfectionism and just tear, cut, and glue with abandon.

materials:
  • glue
  • scissors
  • a couple of old magazines
  • a small piece of poster board or a journal page
  • music
  • timer




instructions:
  • turn on some music that inspires or transports you...instrumental if possible.
  • set your timer for twenty minutes.
  • decide on your intention for the collage...a word? a question? an idea?
  • start the timer.
  • rip and tear as many images as possible that you feel relate to your intention...don't overthink this, just work quickly.
  • when the timer beeps, set it again for ten minutes.
  • trim, arrange, and glue your images until the timer beeps again.
  • step back and look at it. what do you see?
  • hang it on your wall, file it away, or burn it and let it go.
i plan to collage my word soon.

do any of you use collage as a creative visioning tool?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely collages. I did a lot of collage last January. I LOVE using old Nat Geo magazines. I am pretty sure you can use the photographs for your own personal/never to be sold/displayed work without copyright. So they are perfect for intention collages.

cb said...

i love the third one down. my mother in law does collage work and i love it! it is so much fun to tear up pieces of paper and glue them and make something fun and expressive!

xo,
cb

diane said...

mim...my best friend makes his own personal thank you cards by repurposing lots of nat geo images. so beautiful!

cb...thank you! yes, collage can be good fun indeed. <3

Anonymous said...

I like these a lot!! I do collage occasionally. Usually I make them because I find images in magazines that I just can't part with, but have no "real" use for, so I plop 'em all together into a collage. : )

Rebecca said...

I absolutely love collage! Thanks for the reminder about taking only 30 minutes to get down and dirty with our creative selves.

Some Korean Website Highjacker said...

so much to look at, i love it! what a rad artist you are. and i really like the create one, especially girl wondering with the chickens, so cute.

i found it so interesting to read your philosophy about it revealing the subconscious. makes a lot of sense but has never come to my mind. thanks for this enlightenment before bedtime draws near. gives me more to contemplate.

i haven't personally used it before but just may now thanks to your inspirational approach! ♥

diane said...

felicity...i have so many of those beloved images i can't part with but have never made them into a collage! great idea.

becca...you are a collage queen. let's get together and glue stuff like maniacs!

lynn...thank you for your sweet words! i can't take credit for the philosophy, as that was julia's great teaching. i'm just passing it along! i hope you do try it. it can be really powerful work/play. xo

Isabella Kiss said...

i love collages! so much fun to just chop of something and make something new and collectively inspiring out of it!

diane said...

isabella...me too! lovely to 'meet' you. :)

Some Korean Website Highjacker said...

hey Diane, just popping in again to say you inspired my post tomorrow. i'm linking to this one because it struck such a chord in me. thank you again for sharing Julia's teaching with us all. it's impacted me tremendously. i saved it to my desk top for the longest time, so appreciative of the insp! xo ♥

diane said...

lynn...oh, thank you dear friend! julia has had a profound impact on me and i am truly happy to be able to pass that on. i look forward to your post. big huge love from california! xo

Pink Sun Drops said...

Love the create collage! What an unique idea.