“I feel like when I’m in the process of making something, I just wanna lay out everything and try not to be strict about being organized and neat. For some people, the messy environment might distract and overwhelm them, for me it inspires me.“
Interview
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m an aspiring web designer/front-end dev. I like music, I play a few instruments like the drums, guitar, and ukulele. I also like to play games.
How much experience do you have with collage?
I make collage posters sometimes but I always do it in Photoshop. I’ve never done a serious collage with the use of books, magazines, so this was my first time doing something like that.
Collage artists tend to be picky when it comes to their source material. Can you talk about your approach for selecting your images and/or publications?
We had magazines and books at home but I didn’t like the content so I had to go to our local store that sells second hand comic books, magazines, books, and cds. I had to spend time browsing magazines and pick stuff that I like—most of the magazines I used were fashion magazines and nature magazines.
Were there any large themes you intended to explore or unpack before you began with this series of work? Did you stay on theme, or did things change as you began physically cutting and pasting images?
It was easy picking a theme for me. I’ve noticed that I get more creative if my art is personal—so in my project, my collages consist of themes like fear, anxiety, change, and positivity (which all I’ve experienced the past few months). Moreover, it was easy for me to stay and be consistent with my theme.
How did your background and life experiences inform your collages?
A lot of the ideas/themes of my collages are inspired by my own challenges and internal struggles. I figured that every time I try to make art or create something, it’s easier for me to get really creative and all out when the theme relates to my own experiences.
What was your environment and set-up like when making the work? Did you listen to music? Did you work in isolation, or were you surrounded by distraction? Do you think this influenced the work you made?
My environment was messy and loud. I was listening to music and literally my room was filled with magazine pages and trimmed papers everywhere—I like it that way tho. I feel like when I’m in the process of making something, I just wanna lay out everything and try not to be strict about being organized and neat. For some people, the messy environment might distract and overwhelm them, for me it inspires me. When I was surrounded by magazine pages and trimmed papers everywhere, I felt like so many new ideas emerge in my head when I look at them.
Scissors or X-Acto?
I used scissors for some parts but most of the time, I just tore the pages using my hands because I liked the rough edges and I felt like the rough edges suited the theme and aesthetic I was going for.
Was there anything unexpected that emerged while creating your work? Any new epiphanies?
I think I enjoyed the experience more than I expected. I didn’t really pay that much attention to collages before but now, I think I’m going to do more of them—for me, it helped me calm and relax my thoughts somehow and it’s a nice way to practice and get creative.
Looking at your work again, has your understanding of your collages changed over time? Has any hidden meaning emerged?
I didn’t really think that much about collages before but now I have appreciated the art of making collages much more; I think there’s something beautiful about being able to create different stories/narratives out of a combination of pictures.
Many artists are using the pandemic as a moment to pause and reflect. Do you think Covid-19 informed your work in any way?
Definitely, I went through a lot during the pandemic and those experiences definitely helped me shape and become who I am today. I think it influenced me more about the anxiety/fear theme that I was going for in some of my collages.
