Collaging: When you’re stuck in a creative rut
When I started this platform I’ve had a jolt of energy in wanting to produce something new. It’s a really exciting feeling having that sort of creative adrenaline to kickstart a creative process, however this feeling has been paired with frustration; a frustration with having nowhere to start. Do I want to start a painting? A drawing? Take some photos? I had no idea…
So I resorted to my old art journals for inspiration. Ones from last year all the way back to 2014. A great thing about being a hoarder with my journals and scraps is keeping all ideas and forgetting about them until I revisit them again. Flicking through one from 2016 I stumbled across collages I had made with fashion magazines and mixed media. Back in school I loved collecting Vogue and Russh issues, flip through the pages, collect images and try to understand the big world of fashion. Collaging has been a great brainstorming process as it’s a useful tool for sourcing inspiration, generating ideas and solidifying a concept for a particular project. On top of that, collaging is an amazing art form in itself by bringing multiple objects together to create a new, unified meaning.
‘The Nature of the Human Body’, 2016
20x40cm, digital diptych on satin paper
This collage above was from my 2016 exhibition, using watercolour to paint figures and excerpts from National Geographic.
Deciding to create a new collage, I flicked through fashion magazines I had collected throughout the years. When I flicked through the pages, I first looked for images that generally grab my attention, then I sift through those that tell an interesting story. It may be a large scale shoe, an interesting pose found in an editorial, an unusual colour or texture, usually something that “has the potential” to be combined with some other image. By having the potential I guess I’m looking for particular negative spaces, relationships between objects, similarities between two images and stark differences. In this searching process I rip out pages instinctually and place them on the ground or table in front (sorry Vogue Italia) and then mix and match images. The process then turns into a game of puzzle piecing, seeing which images would have an interesting relationship together and what would need to be cut out in order for two different images to relate.
I tried to mix match images and try out different layouts. While puzzle piecing and deconstructing images I kept an open mind about different approaches to collage. Trying out messy, discombobulated arrangements with many photos and then few, carefully placed arrangements that resemble a mood board design. These are by no means polished, substantial or complete, but a great exercise to get back to what I loved doing a few years ago: researching, hunting and gathering and feeling inspired.
For those artists who want to try a new technique, start a new project or revisit an old one, collaging is a great first step. You can use any mediums that grab your attention: books, catalogues, vinyl covers, textbooks, painted canvas, materials. Whatever your medium, it gives you the chance to discover new ideas and concepts.
take care,
The Scrapbook Edit.
