Junk Mail Collage for Self-Discovery

Service Description

The Junk Mail Collage Class is a 90 minute creative exercise where participants can learn about collage basics and themselves using low stakes materials and a relaxed enviroment that allows for a sense of fun and play. This class is best for people with little to no experience in art making, who want to increase their creativity skills, learn techniques for collage, and get to know themselves better. ORIGINS OF THE CLASS When I returned to art after a 30 year hiatus, I would often get creatively stifled by thoughts and pressures to "produce." To free me up from these thoughts I sought a regular creative activity with extremely low stakes, but even a sketchbook felt like too much pressure. At the time I was also working on a mindfulness practice of seeing joy and beauty in the ordinary. So, one day while taking in the (always mostly junk) mail it dawned on me that instead of tossing it all in the recycle bin, I might think of it as free art material with no expectations attached. I started doing daily junk mail collages and soon began to realize my understanding of self was developing in new ways through creating "art" with the scrap paper. In addition, I began to see my mixed media work and paintings grow in new directions as a result. I still create junk mail collages on a regular basis and they always provide me with a "judgement free creative zone" which often yields new insights into myself and my art practice. I decided to develop the class to share this fun and accessible practice with others. CLASS OBJECTIVES This class will focus on collage basics and introduce the practice of self-discovery through art. Specifically, participants will learn fundamental techniques and concepts in collage art, such as layering and integrating, as well as the importance of play, non-judgement, and exploration to increase self-awareness and self-understanding.