Overcoming collage mindset blocks

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit stuck when it comes to my collage practice. I love collaging—it’s something that comes so naturally and intuitively to me, especially when I’m working on sketchbook covers.

But when it comes to creating collages inside my dedicated collage sketchbook, I hit a wall. I find myself hesitating, overthinking, and even avoiding the process altogether.

There are a few specific blocks that are holding me back, and it’s time I address them. In this blog, I’m going to explore these mindset challenges, understand why they are limiting my creativity, and share solutions that I believe will help me move forward and create more freely.

Fear of Using Up Collage Papers: This fear of exhausting your materials, even though you have plenty, could be connected to a sense of scarcity or a subconscious attachment to the potential of the papers. You might view the papers as having a greater value in their raw state.

Solution: Consider reframing your mindset around the papers. They are meant to be transformed, not preserved in their original form. You could even set an intention that once you use them, you’ll create more, which will further enhance your creativity.

Fear of Wasting Layers: The concern about hidden layers can feel like the effort you’ve put into a collage is going unnoticed, which can be frustrating.

Solution: Rather than seeing these layers as wasted, view them as part of the history and depth of your artwork. They contribute to the overall texture, mood, and meaning, even if they’re not fully visible. Experiment with slightly translucent or semi-visible materials to create layered effects where the underneath layer subtly shines through. Collaging is often about creating depth, not necessarily exposure.

Difficulty Creating Original Work: It’s natural to feel more comfortable copying, especially when starting out, because it gives you a sense of structure and familiarity. But creating your own pieces is where your voice comes through.

Solution: Start small. Try setting aside 10 minutes to create a simple collage in your sketchbook without thinking too much about the outcome. Consider working in series—making several small pieces at once—so you don’t feel all the pressure of getting one perfect. You could also start by abstracting something from nature or your environment, easing your way into more original forms.

Abstract Exploration: You’re drawn to abstract collage work, and that’s a powerful direction. Abstract work often comes from intuition, but it can also feel intimidating because of its open-endedness.
- Solution: You could set specific prompts for yourself, like using only certain colors or shapes, or making a piece that conveys an emotion, to help guide your creative process.

By acknowledging these blocks and giving yourself permission to experiment and make mistakes, you’ll likely find that your creative flow will come back in full force.

Emotional Collage Prompts

To create collages that convey emotions, think of how colors, shapes, and textures can embody feelings. Here are a few ideas for how you could approach this:

Create an Emotional Palette:
Start by assigning different colors to emotions. For example:
- Red for anger, passion, or energy.
- Blue for calmness, sadness, or introspection.
- Yellow for joy or optimism.
- Green for peace or growth.
Once you’ve established your emotional palette, create collages that visually explore these emotions. For instance, if you’re expressing calmness, you might use soft blues with smooth, flowing shapes or delicate torn edges. If you’re conveying anger, maybe you use jagged, sharp cuts and bolder reds.
Textured Emotions:
Play with textures to convey emotion. Think about how smooth, rough, jagged, or soft textures might represent different emotional states. For example:

For tension, use crumpled paper, rough fabric, or torn edges.
For serenity, you might layer soft, semi-transparent papers or fabrics that suggest airiness and lightness.

Symbolic Shapes:
Use shapes to symbolize emotions. Abstract collages give you freedom to break away from literal interpretations. For example:

Circles could represent unity, comfort, or continuity.
Sharp triangles or diagonals might convey conflict or struggle.
Organic shapes, like flowing waves or spirals, could suggest growth, change, or emotion in motion.

Movement and Flow:
Consider how the flow of your composition can convey emotions. For instance:
- A chaotic, scattered arrangement might reflect anxiety or stress.
- A more balanced, rhythmic composition can evoke peace or harmony.
- Overlapping and layering could suggest depth, complexity, or even confusion.

Specific Color/Shape Prompts

Limited Palette Challenge:
Pick only 3 colors (like red, white, and black) and create a collage where those colors dominate the composition. Focus on how the restrictions push you to make different decisions about form and layering.
Monochrome Mood:
Create a collage using only one color in different shades. For example, make an entirely blue collage, exploring how different hues and tones of blue can evoke varying emotions (e.g., dark blue = heavy, light blue = peaceful).
Shape Series:
Work on a series of collages, each focusing on a single shape:

One collage could be all circles, with different sizes and placements.
Another might use triangles to create tension and movement.
A third might focus on rectangles, giving you a more structured, grounded feel.

Contrast and Balance:
Create a collage where you work with opposites—sharp vs. soft shapes, dark vs. light colors, rough vs. smooth textures. This could help you explore complex emotions like inner conflict or balance.

Emotion-Based Prompts

Here are a few emotionally-driven prompts that you can use as a guide for your collages:

Express a Recent Emotion:
Think about a strong emotion you’ve felt recently (joy, frustration, hope, confusion) and create a collage that represents that experience.
Collage a Memory:
Pick a memory that evokes a particular emotion (e.g., nostalgia, sadness, excitement) and use colors, textures, and shapes to recreate that feeling visually.
Dreamscape Collage:
Collage your dreams or daydreams—explore the surreal, nonsensical, or abstract nature of dreams by using shapes, fragmented images, and ethereal colors.
Mood of the Day:
Each day, create a small collage based on your current mood. This could turn into a series that reflects the changing emotions you experience daily, using colors, shapes, and textures that match how you feel.

Steps to Explore These Prompts

Start with Intention: When you sit down to collage, set a specific intention for what you want to express or explore, whether it’s an emotion or a concept.
Gather Materials: Choose papers, textures, and colors that connect with your chosen emotion or prompt. Let this guide your selections without overthinking the process.
Experiment: Give yourself permission to explore and layer, even if it means covering up parts or “wasting” paper. You can think of it as building a story layer by layer.
Reflection: After creating, reflect on what you made. Did the collage convey the emotion you wanted? What new ideas or feelings emerged during the process?

Writing this has helped me identify the creative blocks that have been holding me back in my collage work. I’ve realized that by recognizing these fears—whether it’s the worry of using up materials, the anxiety over hidden layers, or the hesitation to create original pieces—I can begin to overcome them.

I’ve also come up with actionable solutions to help me shift my mindset and rediscover the joy in the creative process. Moving forward, I want to challenge myself to explore emotions through collage and embrace the unknown with curiosity rather than fear.

It’s time to fill that sketchbook with as many collages as I can, trusting that each piece, visible or not, contributes to my artistic journey.