Experimenting Forwards and Backwards
Lately, I’ve been simultaneously experimenting forwards and backwards.
Let me explain -
Experimenting Forwards
Though I’ve been designing digitally for years, there has always been a clear distinction between this work and what I’ve considered my artwork. Digital programs like Procreate have always felt more like tools than mediums to me - a means to an end rather than a way to express myself. However, in an effort to spend less time scrolling and more time creating during those pockets of downtime that are too short for much else, I’ve been experimenting with multimedia collage!
As a designer, my digital work is often rooted in precision; but much like when my painting style transitioned from representational to abstract, I’ve discovered a space for bold, editable, low stakes creative play and it’s been liberating. While the process of layering and manipulating collage elements doesn’t yet feel as intimate to me as traditional mediums, it has shifted my perspective, blurring the lines between my art and design work in new and interesting ways.
Backwards
At the same time, and maybe because I’m searching for deeper meaning in my collage work, I’ve been pulled backwards in time, closer to my first creative love: writing.
Growing up, whenever my thoughts were to heavy to hold, I could always pour them into notebook pages for safe keeping. The words would often flow faster than my hand could write and, when I was finished, I felt lighter. While poetry will always be my literary home, copywriting has become my bread and butter. But lately, the words have started flowing again - and who am I to stop it from bubbling over onto the page? Maybe, after years of coupling digital designs with writing copy, my multimedia work feels incomplete without written companions.
I’m still exploring where these works will lead me and am excited to share the journey with you. I recently added my multimedia collages to my portfolio - check them out here!
