How to use collage and reflection to uncover new insights.
One of my favorite ways to get myself unstuck is to set a timer and make a collage. I start with a question to hold, and then I set a timer for 10 minutes and search through my stash of images.
Here is an example – I started with the questions, “What is a Creative Practice?” And this is the collage I created in response:
When I reflected on the collage I created here, I wrote the following:
What is a Creative Practice?
- it is a doorway
- a map
- a gentle sentinel, full of warmth and love, eagerly waiting for you to arrive and accompany you into yourself
- it is a key, unlocking your own wisdom, previously hidden from you.
Using both collage and writing allows me to discover meaningful metaphors and connections that might not have surfaced through freewriting alone.
In this case. I was especially touched by the image of my creative practice as a dog, the gentle sentinel, waiting to accompany me as I journey into my unconscious self.
Try this for yourself the next time you are feeling stuck and needing fresh insights:
- Grab a magazine, scissors, and glue.
- State your main question.
- Set a timer, collect images, and create your collage.
- After you finish your collage, you want to take a few minutes to reflect on what you created. What connections do you see between the images you chose? Journal for a few minutes about your image and see what additional thoughts come.
