5 Lessons from My 2024 Study on Collage & Emotional Intimacy

“Let everything happen to you—
Beauty and terror.
Just keep going,
No feeling is final.”
Rainer Maria Rilke

In my 2024 study, I explored the significant relationship between artistic practice and emotional intimacy. My chosen medium was mixed media collage, rooted in autobiographical creative practice. The research was shaped by an analysis of key artists, theoretical contexts and the act of collecting unique ephemera. By using collage as a method, the study emphasises how the medium can express emotional depth and personal narratives, illustrating its enduring relevance in facilitating intuitive expression and communicating complex, layered experiences.

Here are 5 of the key lessons I have learned that I believe are worth sharing.

1. Collage Allows Us to Reconnect with Our Human Need to Express Emotions

We are often taught by caregivers, teachers, coworkers and society to suppress or control our emotions, as though they are something to avoid or keep in check. However, expecting to stop emotions is like asking your stomach to stop digesting food or your heart to stop beating. Trying to control or eliminate them is not physiologically realistic—and should not be the aim (Magsamen and Ross, 2023). Collage allows us to do the opposite—to express our emotions. It encourages us to listen to our emotions instead of burying them. To transform how we feel, we must first give ourselves permission to experience those emotions. It is not about unleashing chaos; it is about recognizing that our emotions are valuable signals. By granting ourselves permission to feel, we are investing in our emotional health. Suppressing emotions can lead to outbursts or unresolved tension (Kanyer et al., 2021).

Giving ourselves permission to pay attention to our emotions helps us make clearer, more informed decisions (Brackett, 2019). Collage can be a tool to process and express what we are going through. ‘As you offer yourself permission to feel and make collages, you will be tending to your psychological well-being and making a contribution to your sense of self-worth in a respectful and honouring manner’ (Kanyer et al., 2021, p. 62). Collage is a tool to become more self-aware and vigilant to emotional signals—and a reminder that we are worthy of expressing them.

2. Collage Supports Intuition

Attributed to Albert Einstein is the statement: “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Collage offers a way to reconnect with that “sacred gift.”

Many are familiar with the idea of being “left-brained” (logical) or “right-brained” (creative), but modern neuroscience reveals that this concept is a myth. Both hemispheres of the brain work together, enabling us to engage in both analytical and intuitive thinking (Cherry, 2020). Creating a collage integrates both creative and logical thinking, helping to affirm your intuitive insights and guide action. It translates emotions into visual language, allowing you to better understand and articulate your intuition. As you refine your intuition through the collage process, vague hunches transform into clearer insights, empowering you to make more informed decisions (Kanyer, 2021). Collage doesn’t just help us tap into our intuition—it strengthens our ability to trust it.

3. Collage Boosts Playfulness and Helps Us Hold Emotions Lightly

Play is just as vital for adults as it is for children. It enhances creativity, strengthens your sense of humour, and improves your ability to manage stress (Des Marais, 2022). Beyond this, play shapes the brain, ignites imagination, and invigorates the soul (Brown, 2009). Collage provides an ideal avenue for reconnecting with your inner child, creating space for carefree play and exploration. By experimenting with images, colours, and textures, collage invites curiosity and spontaneity, fostering a joyful and light-hearted approach to self-expression. This process not only reduces stress but also encourages creative problem-solving and emotional resilience, making it a valuable tool for cultivating well-being.

Playful experimentation often leads to breakthroughs. It’s through a balance of intention and spontaneity that we uncover insights that transform both our art and our understanding of ourselves.

4. Collage Nurtures Our Brokenness

Life and emotions can be very messy. Kanyer asserts, “There are deep psychological benefits to the messes that come with making a collage” (Kanyer et al., 2021, p. 72). Through my weekly collage experiments in 2024, I discovered how the visual process affirmed what I was experiencing and illuminated areas of my life that needed attention.

Collage has become a sanctuary for me to allow myself a safe, non-judgmental space... this took time to cultivate. Collage encouraged me to sit with my emotions, embrace their complexity, and practice emotional accountability. Every messy start to a collage teaches me to utilize the imperfect broken-offcuts of paper and trimmings I have to hand. It’s a gentle reminder that each mess leads to a collage made from these scraps, demonstrating that positive things can come from bad situations. It reinforces my self-empowerment and helps me find comfort in knowing that the other messes in life will pass too, reminding me that growth often comes from embracing the chaos and imperfections that make life authentic and meaningful.

5. Collage Celebrates Authenticity

As Gary Vaynerchuk highlights, “The people that really lean into themselves, that don’t try to put other things on a pedestal, other people, other opinions and just get really comfortable with the purest form of them? Yeah. Those are the people that have impact, because that’s where the uniqueness—the way you say things, the analogies, the stories, the interpretations, the subtle observations that are unique to you—come out” (Holiday, 2024). Collage thrives on individuality and emotions. No one else can combine fragments the way you can, because no one else shares your unique emotional experiences and perspective. When you lean into your true self and embrace your emotions, the creative process of collage helps you express your authenticity. By tapping into and honouring your emotions, you produce work that is not only irreplaceable and resonant, but deeply meaningful. In this way, collage allows you to celebrate the essence of who you are, showcasing the beauty of your individuality and emotional depth.

Reference list

BRACKETT, M.A., 2019. Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our kids, ourselves, and Our Society Thrive. New York: Celadon Books

BROWN, S., 2009. Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. National Institute for Play. Penguin Random House

CHERRY, K., 2020. Left Brain vs. Right Brain: The Surprising Truth [viewed 31 December 2024]. Available from:
https://www.verywellmind.com/left-brain-vs-right-brain-2795005

DES MARAIS, S., 2022. The Importance of Play for Adults: Tips for Being More Playful [viewed 31 December 2024]. Available from: https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-importance-of-play-for-adults

HOLIDAY, R., 2024. The Key Media Strategies for Maximum Impact | Gary Vaynerchuck. Daily Stoic

KANYER, L.A. et al., 2021. Collage care : transforming emotions and life experiences with collage. Yakima, Washington, Usa: Kanyer Publishing

MAGSAMEN, S. and I. ROSS, 2023. Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. [S.l.]: Random House