We all have them...a box of old photos, a drawer with ticket stubs and dated birthday cards, a yellowed envelope with a faded address...mementos of past events.
What to do with them...how to save them...what's important...who will care...when will I have the time...
I have been working on a project for a friend over the last couple of months...she had lots of "stuff" that she wanted preserved somehow...would I be willing to make a collage using her "stuff"...it certainly seemed right up my alley...I said yes.
There was a lot of stuff...just sorting through all of it took some time. And as I sorted, I developed a plan...it wasn't going to be possible to have just one collage...so instead I opted for several collages, each with its own mini-theme and composition. The finished collages could all be hung together or in whatever groupings the friend wanted.
As is my style, I've been incorporating more than just paper into the collages...I think that there's more depth and interest when other objects are included...
I encourage you to take out those old photos and dig up those dated birthday cards and do something with them...it doesn't need to be a grand work of art. As I was sorting through the piles of my friend's stuff, I found it made sense to organize by theme and by color. You can't go wrong if you use at least one of these elements as a commonality - form, function, color or theme. Then put your collage together...I used inexpensive canvas frames for the foundation and primarily used Elmer's glue as the adhesive.
But why wait until you have a boxful of memories...start today with an art journal that blends your everyday ephemera with your thoughts and reflections in the present moment. I've recently picked up a copy of The Journal Junkies Workshop/Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict by Eric M. Scott and David R. Modler. Its a very basic approach to starting a daily journal that marries the visual image with the written expression - and you don't need to be an artist - you just need to be yourself.
