When you no longer feel creative

I've been going through such a slow and unproductive time creatively. Honestly, most days after I get home from my 8-5 I'd rather just watch mind-numbing television than try and throw myself into a creative frenzy. That probably makes me sound lazy but at least I can be honest with myself about it now. I often used to push myself way too hard because I was afraid of being labeled as lazy when, in actuality, I just needed rest. Anyway, those days are over and I'm down to indulge in some trashy reality television shows whenever my brain just needs a break.

Today wasn't one of those days though. I found myself thinking about some collages I made a while ago and I remembered how I had planned to expand on those digitally. I really love working with collages, but it's always nice to give your X-Acto blade a break and be able to Command+Z some ish when you need to. I found a few images that emphasized texture and manipulated them using shape and color.


 I've been really interested in texture and shape lately. I've found that sticking to monochromatic color themes often helps me to unify the final product. I've always loved variations of magenta so that was a no brainer for me. Below are detail shots of the two original collages that inspired me today.

The original collages are made from found photography books, thread, and some colored transparent paper. I love that collages sometimes force you to work with what you have and in that way push you out of your comfort zone. 

 I have a couple of other collages that have been "in progress" for like months now but I'm planning on wrapping them up soon! Here's a dope collage artist that my friend introduced me to. Their work is just as intimidating as it is inspiring. I've definitely noticed myself developing a pattern of using collage to jump start my creative process. I'm curious to know what mediums encourage creativity for you all after being in a rut? Also if you know of any awesome collage artists let me know!

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