Creative Collage

I wanted to share a collage that I did several years ago when I was in a graduate program in counseling psychology. Our assignment was to make a collage of who were were and to "be creative" in how we did it. We had a long time to prepare---several weeks. So I started working on mine right away, as I had never made a collage before.

I watched a Rosie O'Donnell show in which she demonstrated making a collage with Modge Podge by cutting pictures out of magazines, so that was what I did, adding words, since I love words. As I progressed, the collage took on a life of its own. Instead of reflecting who I was by sharing it as I composed my collage, I discovered who I really was in the process of doing the collage. There really was no composition process, as I just glued down pictures and words as I went, and they stayed where I put them.

I'm sharing this not because the collage is so beautiful or exemplifies anything well per se, but as an example of how amazing it was that the creative process took me over, and how wonderful what came out of it was, as a part of my creative journey.

I decided to start by using concentric suitcases that I bought at Costco. There were three of them. The outer suitcase would represent the "me" that everyone in my graduate class saw. The middle suitcase would represent the "me" that people who knew me intimately saw. The inner suitcase would represent the "me" that only I ever saw or knew about.

I collaged all the suitcase, inside and out, top and bottom. Here is how they looked with each one inside the other:



This is how they looked if you took them out:






This is how the outer one looked, the "me" that my colleagues and friends at school were familiar with:






This is how the middle one looked, the one that my husband and close friends were familiar with:





The inner one was the "me" that I truly discovered was inside as a part of this process. The inner one was my "Hawaiian soul". I put intensely personal images inside. I also added two dolls with my Hawaiian name on them, each meaning something special to me. I really hadn't known the inner one existed until I did the collage. I know that sounds weird, but it's hard to find the words to describe it. It still gives me shivers to remember it.





I way overdid the assignment. It took me hours and hours, each one pure delight. It was my first collage. I only recently began doing collage again. This collage was kind of like a "first love"---the experience can never be duplicated again---but that's okay---there is something about the process that I love so much, that I lose myself in, and that I enjoy irregardless of the finished product.

So I wanted to share this with you, my creative sisters in Finding Water, and my other blog readers. Aloha, and mahalo!

PS. I did my morning pages again today. Third day in a row. Whoo hoo! It's been great. Next goal: goodly walk or Artist Date.

~All pictures by Hubbie Mark