Daily Collages

So back in December, when I stopped blogging, I had become paralyzed by feeling Not Good Enough. That's a rather simplistic explanation for what was going on, but it captures the gist of my reasons for not blogging. I was getting too hung up on comparing myself to others, usually professional artists, and--- surprise, surprise--- feeling that my work wasn't as good. I was having trouble expressing my own voice; instead, I imitated other artists, thinking subconsciously that I had to be like them in order to be "good".

Now, in an effort to just relax and enjoy playing artistically, I have started making a daily collage. I got the idea from iHanna, who does a daily art card every single day. Nothing fancy, just a quickie little exercise in creativity. My rules are that it has to be completed in the space of one day. I can't go back the next day and add something or rework it. It has to be from recycled materials, meaning, things I already have in my huge paper bits collection or from a magazine. I can't go out and buy something special. I have to do it in my watercolor Moleskine (which fills me with such anxiety because, what if I add something and ruin it? What if I go too far and can't erase something? agghh!). And lastly, I must remember that it doesn't have to be a masterpiece. It is just PLAY.

I'm really having fun with this and doing a pretty good job of not obsessing over the quality of my artwork. Sometimes, I even have to do them at work, which means I cut images from entertainment magazines or use the few bits of ephemera that I carry around with me in my purse. It's been good practice for helping me express what is in my own heart and head, instead of doing what is in someone else's.  Here's an example:

Comments

[iHanna]

I'm thrilled that I've inspired you to try the difficult but very inspiring practice of daily creativity collages! Happy happy! I hope it will help you overcome anst and heistation - you don't need those thoughts so just throw them out my dear!

Have fun with it!