Collage, Creativity, and Coming Full Circle
In college, I first became obsessed with mixed media and collage. I loved the process of painting textures, cutting, layering, and assembling elements in new and unexpected ways. But no matter how much I enjoyed the journey, I struggled with the final product. I was never quite satisfied with how my collage pieces came together, and in the structured environment of art school—particularly within the illustration department—I felt an overwhelming pressure to develop a single, cohesive aesthetic.
It was explicitly emphasized that your art had to look one way, that it had to be instantly recognizable as yours. It was an immediate response to any piece turned in: "How does this fit in your style?" and "How will your style stand out in the industry?" I internalized that belief, convinced that I needed to refine my style into a single, cohesive approach—one that I am still actively working to unlearn more than a decade later. After some feedback from professors and peers, I gradually stepped away from collage techniques and leaned more into digital art. Eventually, that path led me to where I am today: traditional watercolor painting.
Even though I let go of collage, I never stopped loving it. I continued to admire mixed media artists who seamlessly incorporated collage into their work, marveling at the way they made it their own.
It stayed in the back of my mind, like an old dream waiting to be revisited.
Over the past year, I’ve slowly dipped my toe back into the world of mixed media. It started with creating pressed flower pieces in double glass frames. Combining my drawings and paintings with vibrant, delicate pieces of nature felt like magic. Not only did I love making them, but they also resonated with people at markets and shows. Their reception gave me the encouragement I needed to explore further.
I ordered a few shadow boxes and started experimenting with larger-scale collage pieces, assembling entire works from elements I created separately and then brought together in a layered composition. It felt like coming home to a part of myself I had left behind.
I’ve heard the saying that in your 30s, you unapologetically reclaim the things you loved as your younger self, and that sentiment fully resonates with me. This era of my life is about embracing the art I once dreamed of making, free from the constraints of expectation and artistic “shoulds.”
And the most beautiful part? The support and love these pieces have received. It reminds me that creativity is an evolving journey—one where we often find our way back to the things that set our hearts on fire in the first place.
If you’ve ever set aside a creative passion because you felt like it didn’t fit, I encourage you to revisit it. You might just find that it still has a place in your story.
