Find Contentment in Collage Art

Collage art is one of Cylestea's go-to's when it comes to art therapy -- or any art, for that matter. The art in this article was created by her (aka Yvonne) for an upcoming oracle deck. It was created using a photo she took and some free pictures online from Pixabay, all put together using PicMonkey.

Why collage art? It's fun. It's cathartic. It can be done without anything but a computer in front of you. And it's a great way to express emotion, deal with trauma, share inspiration, and so much more.

But, what is collage art?

Collage art, in layman's terms, is a form of art that collages things together. It's been an art form since the early 1900s, its name coming from the glue used to make it. Before computers and tablets, collage art was done using paper, decorative napkins, dried flowers, and anything else you could find to glue to a canvas or piece of paper. This type of collage is now referred to as analog. Digital collage, on the other hand, uses computers instead of glue (though you can combine digital and analog collage if you have a scanner!).

If you want to do some analog collages, you'll need some glue -- Mod Podge works great and can easily be spread on a canvas with a sponge brush. Grab up some newspapers, magazines, catalogs, old books, and anything paper-ish that has a word or design on it you are attracted to. You can even use photos or print stuff from the internet. You may want to use coins, faux or real flowers, stickers, patches, and other random trinkets. For heavier items, you'll want a glue that is a bit more industrial in strength (so be prepared). What you do with all of this stuff is up to you. You can make a dream board to help use the Law of Attraction and visualization to bring something into your life, like your dream home. You can use it for art therapy to express anger, pain, joy -- whatever you're feeling. Or, you can just be creative.

For digital collage, you just need someplace to put things together, whether you do it in a word document or use a site like PicMonkey. Using Canva and PicMonkey are great, but you get more benefits from them if you have a paid account. You can upload your own digital files, from photos to vector images you find that are free to use. Lay things out the way you want them, add text, change colors and textures ... the sky's the limit.

The benefits of collage art

What can you do with collage art? Here are some ideas:

Vision Boarding: As mentioned earlier, collage art is a great way to use the universal energy to call in what you want in your life, whether it be riches, love, or something completely different.

Creating Unique Art: No two pieces of collage art will ever be exactly the same -- not the original work anyway (you can always make print copies, of course). Digitally, you can even take your same work and make all sorts of versions of it -- perhaps a darker version when you're feeling down and a lighter version when you're happier.

Art Therapy: And, of course, collage art is an excellent way to practice art therapy. Design works that fit your feelings and the time, which can help you process them. Whether you're feeling grief or fighting through seasonal affective disorder, this form of art has a way of allowing you to dig deep in your mind and soul.