Scraps of paper and open magazines litter my bedroom floor, forcing me to carefully tiptoe my way around. It’s messy and disorganized and I might step on some scissors, but the end result is so euphoric that it’s saving my semester.
In August, I started making collages as a fun and cheap way to decorate my room. It was a small project that I could complete within an hour that kept me busy. It took one collage for me to completely and utterly fall in love with the art form.Since I can remember, I’ve loved art. The problem is, I’m awful at it. My drawings of dogs are always deformed and when I tried a Bob Ross painting tutorial, I almost cried. I know what I want the art to look like and am left disappointed when it looks nothing like the vision.
But collaging is a whole other beast.It’s impossible to imagine the finished product because you never know what materials you’ll use. Each magazine is different, even if they’re from the same publication. Once you use one photograph, you can’t use it again. My technical skills don’t matter with a collage because I get to reimagine the work of others.
So, how is collaging saving my semester?
I get to forget about all of my responsibilities for a small moment of time. Something as simple as cutting out a star allows me to forget about the pile of assignments waiting for me or the internships I really should start applying for. Additionally, it’s one of the few moments when my brain goes silent. With a paper mere inches from my face and a look of fierce concentration, I can defy physics with the little spaceships I cut out. During this time, nothing can distract me from the task at hand, which I can confidently say is the only time this happens.
It’s a form of meditation I’ve desperately been searching for
Mental health blogs such as Diversus Health support creativity as a means of helping depression and anxiety. It’s a way of expressing ourselves without constraints, which can be quite therapeutic. Diversus Health says “Creativity can put us in a flow state, meaning we become focused withoptimal attention on a task or activity.” Being “in the zone” when facing the burden of burnout is something I am forever grateful for.
Creativity doesn’t mean actually creating art. You don’t have to be a talented visual artist, singer, or writer to do a creative task. Sabrina Ishanyan, a junior History and Economics double major at UMass, plays music while solving logic puzzles as a creative outlet. Our creative outlets are completely different, and yet they serve the same purpose.They instantly relieve stress and help us be more present with ourselves.
As the semester trucks on and my glue sticks are running out, I’ve been more in tune with myself than I ever have, and collages are to thank for that. So if you’re feeling like you’re falling apart and nothing will fix this semester, grab some scissors and a piece of paper, and get to work. You just might find a new hobby to save your semester.
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