The Collage As Story

The collage as story first was revealed to me in 2003. As I recall – there was an ad in the “want ads”* section of my local newspaper. A person (woman) was having a class in her condo about collage making. For a fee, of course. I thought why not? Because at the time I was adrift, having just shuttered my bookstore, and was wondering what was next for me.

The class, I found, was so much fun! Additionally, the teacher turned into a friend and friendship that lasted years. Here’s that story.

My First Collage

was a doozy, as it turned out. Looking back now I see it as a door into my unconscious. Moreover, a message to me as what I wanted in the pursuit of happiness. (Bang that drum.) All that unbeknownst to me at the time.

The short version is that that collage led me to the Oregon coast, and subsequently to love and romance, serious writing, teaching, and psychotherapy. Which is how I’ve spent the rest of my life leading up to today.

I fell in love with the process and started making them, and have continued to this day. Here’s one of the first, not the first. (It’s in storage, for now. As is the one below.)

Look closely and you’ll see Donald Trump* in the center of the shot. It’s amazing – the story it tells and how relevant it is to the world we live in today. Additionally, how it foreshadowed my own story. All of which makes me wonder about the whole, true, real story. You know the one: Who or what is really in charge?

The Oregon Coast

The Oregon coast adventure led me (five years later) to teaching a class in Writing Creatively at FRCC in Westminster, Colorado.

Because I’d volunteered to teach an art class, Collage Making, at the local high school in Lincoln City. The person (woman) who hired me to teach the collage art class, I’d met at a political meet-up to help defeat George W. Bush in the 2004 election.

Colorado is my home

Colorado is my home, I think. However I’m now in effing Kansas. Anyways, I did return to Colorado and as it turned out the above mentioned person wrote me a reference that helped persuade the administration at FRCC to hire me. Despite having never before taught at the college level – much less a writing class. Above is one of many Colorado collages’ I’ve made.

The Christmas Collage

The Christmas collage as Christmas card is a thing my brother starting doing around 2000, I think. Before that he’d always sent out the dreaded “Christmas Letter”. And now that he’s passed. my niece is continuing his tradition. Which led to a conversation about collages and therapy and the unconscious. Go figure!

Maybe, I thought, we could make a collage of the 20 some collages my brother sent out at Christmas. It’d be huge! Five feet by seven, maybe. 🙂

Be Forewarned

Be forewarned however, the collage is a door to the unconscious. Notwithstanding that I have forewarned you. Because there are forces at work that we humans haven’t as yet figured out.

Send out a Christmas collage card at your own risk. You never know how (or by who) it will be received. Times have changed.

In Conclusion

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Whatever winds your clock. My Psych Girl is super busy this time of year. It’s a really stressful time for most people. Go figure.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve made a collage. Or taken a class. How’d that work for you?

• “Want ads” – I’m not sure that’s the right term for what used to be the way people communicated about services and products for sale. Some readers may be baffled by the way things were – back-in-the-day. Pre Internet and social media.
• At the time (2004) I hardly knew who Donald Trump was. I’d never watched The Apprentice, nor read anything about him. However, how on point was the collage? Trump firing all those politicians and generals?