Four Years Later

COVID:2 Collage 

Four years ago today we all came home for the lock down. Middle school classes conducted by zoom on the deck, college courses attended in childhood bedrooms, a corner of the living room as my office away from office. It is a blurry and fraught memory, those days. We made the best of it (cue Shizazz Time) but they are fraught and blurry nonetheless. 

 It was very shortly after we were working from home that I began to collage. A few times a week I was required to attend zoom meetings, but I was able to listen and cut out pictures and words and suddenly I had an enormous collection of options. I began doing one collage a day and filled journal after journal. I began buying glue sticks in bulk.

Throughout the pages I can trace the ups and downs of COVID days, witness my growing anxiety and frustration with my job, and see the freedom that came from choosing a different line of work. There's silliness, pep talks and attempts at inspiration.

I have always loved the idea of art journaling, but when I attempted to fill pages with sketches and paintings, I found it weirdly stressful. It poked at my perfectionistic dark side, and I would end up tabling the creative outlet almost before I got started. Collage is different. It is like a breath of fresh air of creativity. There is no plan, no expectations. I just grab a stack of images, pour out a pile of words and wait for something to emerge. 

It always does. And there is something incredibly relaxing and invigorating about the process. Remember, the early days of filling these journals were lock down days. Life was all about doing without. There was something extra sweet about finding creativity within limits and it continues to be so.

I've kept my collages pretty close to my chest, sharing only with my small, safe inner circle. But slowly but surely I am venturing out. I recently created a grid of them to display in our living room, and they make me ridiculously happy every day to see them on the wall.  I enjoy seeing what resonates for people, how some see the pictures and others grab onto the words. Some pages make folks laugh and others reach deeper. 

I'm going to start sharing some of my favorites here. I hope you enjoy.