The collaging journey! From my first collage to now
Updated: Aug 16
I have been collaging since February 2022, so for over four years now. Depending on who you ask, this could be considered a very long or short period of time. For me it feels like both. I originally started collaging as an accompaniment to my photography practice at university, creating a parallel emotional narrative to support my images. However, photography was still the focus, and I would make my collages in a short three-week burst before my deadline. Not the smartest way of working, I know.
It was not until I moved far away from home to work in an art gallery, where I could no longer produce my bigger production shoots, that I sought out creative expression in collage: January 2025. I have grown a lot from those initial collages to now and wanted to share the stages of my progress.
Recently, I found my very first collage, an analogue piece I made during a workshop at university, which was my first introduction to collage as a creative medium. For the workshop, we had to bring in bits and pieces to photograph from which we would create works. Being a bit of an overachiever with a wardrobe full of props and costumes, I came in more than ready. I think this is what allowed me to connect with the medium so quickly; I was imbuing my creative taste into what I was making right from the start. While I do not think this is a good collage, I am still very proud of it, as I really gave it my best go and fell into the sense of play that collage encourages.
These are some of the collages I made the same year as part of my photography project, where I began by incorporating my own characters. While they lack some contrast and feel more like experiments rather than final pieces, there is a charm to them. During this time, I was printing the images out on the university's library printer and using blu tack to keep them in place rather than gluing them down. At the time I was very uncertain of my placements even though, due to the deadline, I rarely went back in to make tweaks after they were done.
‘Between Dog and Wolf’ is one of the collages I made for my final project where I began incorporating in other imagery other than my own photography, using images from old books and magazines. This was created in mid-2023, so roughly one year after I created my first collage. At this point collage wasn’t quite my main creative output more of a side thing: However, I began considering exploring the medium more when this collage was shortlisted for the ‘Hari Art Prize’ in 2023.
Upon moving to work in an art gallery in the Lake District in 2024/25 and having run out of photography work and no plans to make anything new, I began relying souly on found materials. This was the first point where my collages were created 100% from books I had collected in charity shops. These are some of those initial works. Excitingly, is the first point in my creative process where I was brave enough to glue down my collages rather than relying on blue tack!
Finally, some of my most recent pieces, which were made in 2026. I am still improving and growing, but I feel like I have really found my style and aesthetic, alongside the purpose for my work. My collages have always told a personal diaristic story and I have really enjoyed sharing my art and their little worlds with so many lovely people who have continuously pushed me to create, experiment, and improve!
I would love to know more about your own creative process: How long have you been making in your own medium? Tell me how you discovered it and what you enjoy most about it!
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