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Art journal pages on index cards

Is there a purpose for creating collage art?

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March 17, 2020 By //  by Margarete Miller 54 Comments

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Recently, a person in my Vintage Gluebooks and Pages Facebook group posed a question about the purpose of creating. She said that it was very clear to her the purpose of creating scrapbooks, for example, but wasn’t clear about junk journals and gluebooks. She wanted to know “if something doesn’t have a purpose, why make it?” So I’ve been thinking about it: is there a purpose for creating collage art and gluebooks?
 

Telling a story

I completely understand about scrapbooking and a purpose — scrapbooks tell a story. It is also possible to create a gluebook with a purpose — memory keeping over a set period of time. For example, you could collage with bits of papers you come across your day or your week. I did that in one gluebook and quite enjoyed the experience. I simply kept an eye open for bits that were colorful and/or somehow reflected the date or season around me. 
 
A collage made from present-day papers
It can be a fun challenge to look for papers that have a date, or can relay a particular time of year.
 
Just for fun, imagine what it would have been like if your grandmother liked to create gluebooks while she was still single, as a young woman. Imagine you open one of her books to a spread, what would you see? For my grandmother growing up in Los Angeles in the 1930s, I could imagine seeing a receipt from Woolworths, the little piece of black DMC paper tape that holds embroidery thread together. Maybe a piece of recipe, or a swatch of pretty wallpaper. Maybe something from a Sears and Roebuck’s catalog or some other advertisement.
 
Now think about what someone might find in a gluebook that you make, but 80 years from now. What kinds of random papers from your time would they see? A tag from the dry cleaners? A pretty image from a magazine? A favorite quote? An illustration of herbs from the cover of a tea box? It doesn’t need to have the structure of a scrapbook. You don’t need to tell a specific story or create a narrative. You are just curating images that speak to you on some level, and collaging them in a gluebook. 
 
A page from a Restoration Hardware catalog is incorporated into a junk journal.
I don’t know why I chose these pieces. There is no definite relationship between anything, other than the fact that I think they look good together.
 

What collage can do for you

Collage can do a couple of things: First, it can help you appreciate the physical properties of papers and what’s on them. In the example I gave above, I talked about using modern-day papers, but many of us like to use vintage papers. We like the qualities of older papers; handling them and looking at the texts, illustrations, whatever, and appreciating that they have survived as long as they have, to be able to use in making art. We like making something that celebrates these papers, and it’s great when others can appreciate these materials too.
 
Collage can also help you be creative in working with design and placement, which is a mental exercise that many people find pleasure in. Just as there is a satisfaction in finding the perfect rug for the living room that compliments the couch and lampshades, there is a satisfaction in finding the perfect piece of pattern paper that compliments a vintage photo and a piece of hand-written note. It’s fun, it’s rewarding, and it feels good to fill a book that once is complete, you can look back through and admire, and it will spur even more creative ideas in you to work on something new.
 
a vintage photo of a house, collaged with pattern paper and other vintage papers
Often it’s not possible to put into words why one paper works better than another in a collage. It’s just a feeling.

The question

Back to the question: Do you need a purpose to do collage art? Only you can answer that question. Do you really? Would you be ok with making art just for the sake of it, even if no one else around you really cared for it? Do you need to have the validation of others? Maybe the support of an art group online is enough. Would you be okay making art only because you are able to reach that place of mindfulness where you can tune everything else out and simply enjoy that you are creating? 

I hope you decide that it’s enough to create because of the joy it brings you without there being a defined purpose. You will notice after a while of looking at the collage art pieces posted in the group that you can actually see or feel the joy in a composition by the choices and arrangements of papers. Remember though, that the journey is just as important (sometimes more so) than the destination itself. The act of creating is at least as powerful as what you create.

Paper collage

What do you think? Is there a purpose for creating collage art and gluebooks?

 
 

Filed Under: collage art, featured, gluebook

Previous Post: « Canvas Art – French Papers
Next Post: My article in Art Journaling »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. PamelaArtsinSF

    March 17, 2020 at 6:44 pm

    Lovely post!

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 17, 2020 at 7:38 pm

      Thank you, Pamela 🙂 Thanks for stopping by 😉

      Reply
    • Sue

      March 25, 2020 at 9:59 pm

      I’m 74 and have always wanted Ted to do this sort of thing. I still have the first scrapbook I ever made age 8. My mother gave me some fabric that I glued to cardboard to make the book. I cut pics from the few magazines we had. Then I. High school I made scrapbooks of newspaper clippings about myself and friends. Pics of Homecoming and prom dances a d of course the pressed corsages. Those are about to fall apart. It saddens me that I have no family to look at them with me or leave them to. So, I enjoyed reading why do we do this”

      Reply
      • Laura Feltham

        July 2, 2020 at 10:16 am

        Would it be possible to show us? Maybe you could photograph the books and Margarete could share them? Alternatively, when you are able to visit again, a museum might be interested in collecting such a lovely snapshot of time.

        Reply
      • Cat

        July 5, 2020 at 11:18 am

        Sue, we would love to see them.

        Reply
    • Heather Doucet

      April 1, 2020 at 12:25 am

      Thank You
      I now feel inspired again

      Reply
  2. Becca

    March 17, 2020 at 7:02 pm

    Awesome post! Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 17, 2020 at 7:39 pm

      Great question for us to ponder, Becca 😉

      Reply
      • Karen

        March 18, 2020 at 4:38 am

        This post is well written Margarete, and everyone’s reason will be different and that’s ok. For me it is for the pure joy of creating, its therapy for me.
        Kind Regards
        Karen 💕

        Reply
        • Margarete Miller

          March 19, 2020 at 6:13 pm

          Thanks, Karen. That joy of creating is pure zen. It’s such a wonderful thing when others can find it in this kind of art, too.

          Reply
  3. Kimberly W.

    March 17, 2020 at 8:33 pm

    You covered this topic so well. It’s really the joy it brings the maker that matters today, but as you said, generations to come will also learn and appreciate the work too.

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 19, 2020 at 6:18 pm

      Thanks, Kimberly. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Jacqui Chimes

    March 17, 2020 at 11:53 pm

    Making ‘art’ and crafting ’ – glue books, collage, mixed media, journals, crochet etc etc is, for me, purely about the process and the pleasure I get from making something. If the finished item is good and someone wants it – great – if not that’s equally great – you put it beautifully Margarete 🤗

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 19, 2020 at 6:17 pm

      Thanks, Jacqui. It can be hard when you want all of your art to be lovely masterpieces and are disappointed when you’re not that satisfied with what you create. It’s so great that you have reached that place where you value all of your creative time, no matter the outcome. That to me is the purpose that I’d like others to find and be happy with: to find happiness simply from the act of creating.

      Reply
  5. Julie

    March 18, 2020 at 6:25 am

    I think if one does collage in order to get affirmation from others they may be setting themselves up for disappointment. Your focus on living in the moment, the meditative aspects, challenging the brain to bring some kind of order to the chaos of elements you have at hand are what draw me to this art form. Thanks for covering this topic so eloquently – and of course your examples are always inspiring…

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 19, 2020 at 6:12 pm

      Very well put, Julie. I hadn’t thought of it that way: the challenge of bringing order to the chaos of elements. That’s definitely what keeps me coming back to it!

      Reply
      • Becky Haynes

        March 23, 2020 at 8:40 am

        What a beautifully written and thoughtful post. Each of us creates for very personal reasons, but we continue to create for the joy and soul satisfaction it brings. That said, I can’t wait for the next postcard exchange because sharing art is also a pleasure!

        Reply
        • Margarete Miller

          March 27, 2020 at 9:17 pm

          Awesome, Becky. I’m glad you’re looking forward to the next exchange 😉

          Reply
    • Tammy

      March 23, 2020 at 4:20 am

      So true!

      Reply
  6. Marilyn

    March 18, 2020 at 8:08 am

    Thank you for the thoughtful words. I feel I always have to create something. The weekly collages have helped me to develop a personal style and an eye for colors and layouts. I also make quilts, mixed media and some watercolor painting and what I learn from collage carries over into other art and in my life.

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 19, 2020 at 6:10 pm

      That’s so neat, Marilyn, that you are always creating. I am not. Sometimes I need to come to a complete halt and not even think about creating anything for weeks. I’ll read books or focus on other things. But when I’m ready, I jump back into collage and I’m charmed all over again. It never fails, thank goodness!

      Reply
      • Linda

        April 27, 2020 at 5:47 am

        Hi Margarete: all of us who love to create are so fortunate, especially during these times of social isolation. I joke that the abundance of craft supplies I have is more than enough for the rest of my life. This time of isolation is what “I’ve been training for all my life”. lol. I am fortunate to have my sister living with me through this period and we spur each other on creatively, passing many hours at my dining room table, totally surrounded by paper, glue and ephemera. We try and balance the time we spend between paper crafts and quilting. So grateful for this desire to create. Bless you. Lindianna

        Reply
        • Margarete Miller

          April 28, 2020 at 12:58 pm

          Wow! How lovely that you have your sister to share a home with, and that you share creative interests! Lucky you💙 Continued creativity and inspiration to the both of you ❣️

          Reply
  7. Shelly Lucas

    March 18, 2020 at 12:42 pm

    This is beautifully and thoughtfully written, Margarete. The purpose and possibilities of gluebooks are just endless, as you’ve mentioned. Capturing a small moment in time or a feeling or a memory….or just the simple joy of making something…anything….sometimes that’s the purpose.

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 19, 2020 at 6:08 pm

      I suppose it’s possible to justify any kind of reason to collage. I agree with you that there are endless purposes and possibilities. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Jennifer Westerman

    March 18, 2020 at 5:47 pm

    What a great post Margarete! I think art speaks to all of us differently, and we need to listen to our own voice not others. Collage is a very relaxing to me, because it requires me to shut down all those random thoughts running through my head. And just focus on my paper and glue. Thanks for hosting such a great group, where we feel okay with throwing all of our art there for all to see.
    Jenny

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 19, 2020 at 6:04 pm

      I so agree with you, Jennifer. Art means something a little different to each person. Listening to the voice we hear inside to find our way, and our own style is really the key.

      Reply
  9. joy meadows

    March 19, 2020 at 4:44 pm

    Just found your blog through Somerset Studio’s April May June 2020 issue! Your thoughts on creating collage are spot on – I love the process and finding just the right piece to finish a piece is so satisfactory to me. Thanks for reminding us that each one of us is unique and will take away our own feelings and emotions in our collages.

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 19, 2020 at 6:03 pm

      Awesome, Joy! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

      Reply
  10. Tammy k

    March 23, 2020 at 4:25 am

    I have done art all my life-from fine art to watercolor to now junk journals & collage art -I have often pondered this question -is it enough to do it for the pleasure of doing it? It has to be -if you don’t enjoy doing it why do it? I will say some of my art, junk journals were created with someone in mind (for a gift) which was not a bad reason because they were created out of love
    I’m trying to practice just creating because I enjoy nowadays 😄

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 25, 2020 at 10:22 pm

      Yep, that’s exactly it, Tammy. It’s enough to make art for the pleasure it brings us. Thanks for stating that.

      Reply
  11. Cynthia Chisholm

    March 23, 2020 at 4:48 am

    This question was posed to me by my ex-husband. He would ask if I was going to sell the peices that I made. I had to explain that it was a hobby and not all hobbies were done to make money. I collage for the process and pleasure, for the thrill of seeking out paper of various kinds and for pushing boundaries on what kind of art I can create with my ephemera.
    For me my collage art is like true play; it’s fun, it’s voluntary and I can leave it and come back to it at anytime.
    PS I’ve given gift bags of my extra peices to friends at Christmas time. I also gave some bags to strangers in restaurants.
    Cynthia

    Reply
    • Linda

      March 23, 2020 at 7:11 am

      love your reasoning, I love to play with all sorts of medium–paper and fabric are two of my fav’s. Linda

      Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 25, 2020 at 10:44 pm

      I, too, love that I can leave and come back to it whenever I want. That’s probably the thing I appreciate most about it 😉

      Reply
  12. Kelly

    March 23, 2020 at 5:56 am

    Hello Margarete, I read and commented on this post in FB page. Which by the way I love this group. I’m learning again that my art is first off for me. This group as some others has been a conduit for my journals, glue books, scrapbooks. I’m freely creating, cutting, pasting, coloring, painting, searching threw my stash of goodies or when I’m out, remembering good and some bad times. Then I’ve collected supplies, and scraps, bits and pieces and put them into one of my “journals” . It’s a release for me. Of emotions some of them have purpose even if I didn’t have that thought it mind when creating it. I’m a rhyme or reason person either I’ve got it or not. It’s ensuring and releasing. I tried to answer the posted question with my way of scrapbook and journaling. That it’s a individual progress do what pleases you. If you need it to have purpose or not. 😊

    Reply
  13. Carolyn

    March 23, 2020 at 6:24 am

    I can’t flow art creativity all the time either. In fact I’m coming back from an almost year break. I focused my creativity and drive in fashion and shopping! ☺ Really, it helped me learn and feel more comfortable with color combinations since I was a wear black all the time girl. I felt a need to come back to my art which I was greatly missing. I tried to pick up where I left off a year ago but was left with unfinished projects. I like the comradery. I like challenges and prompts so I joined groups that have inspired me and kept me focused. I love playing with paper. I like to document and take notes. I like secret hiding places. I like color and trying new things. So you see, I collage and journal for multiple reasons and will continue to do so because it’s fun! Thank you for all you do Margarete. Be gentle with yourself as you maneuver through our new reality♥ Carolyn

    Reply
  14. Cynthia Agee

    March 23, 2020 at 6:28 am

    Very well said! We each need to find our own reason or purpose for creating. Creating collage for me brings joy and a peacefulness that I enjoy, especially during these trying times. I hope you get your creative energy back and it will bring you joy again. Take care and thank you for your thought provoking post.

    Reply
  15. Linda

    March 23, 2020 at 7:16 am

    Right now during self-distancing, creating is keeping me sane. It is something I enjoy immensely and allows me to “leave” the day-to-day worries surrounding covid-19—I can get in the zone and relax in it. Normally I live alone but my sister is living with me at the moment and she is equally creative and we like the same things/activities. What a bonus to have her here right now. Started my third quilt top and have my dining room table covered in fabric at one end and paper ephemera at the other. Not much chance of visitors right now so it’s just cook and craft, clean when necessary. I love making things especially if I can take items that appear to be no longer beautiful and make something lovely from them. Creating satisifes an urge in me to make things better. All the best Margrete, be well. Linda

    Reply
  16. Elke

    March 23, 2020 at 7:27 am

    I create because it is fun . I do not need to tell a story, but I never made a gluebook though. I only made Junk Journals, Collages and I made some Art Journals. I try to let things fall in place, if you know what I mean. Nowadays in the time of crisis it keeps me distracted and it keep kind of telling me that is a Silverlining somewhere.

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 27, 2020 at 9:18 pm

      Yes. Silver lining, indeed. I am going to think about this time like that. 🙂

      Reply
  17. Trudy

    March 23, 2020 at 7:34 am

    While I was always very attracted to collage once I discovered it (through Pinterest), I resisted trying it for a long time because my art had to have a purpose! Junk journals made sense to me because I use them after I make them. But collage? What do you DO with them? Then I realized that it was pure joy and creativity and challenge and using what I have (which is big for me) and that I just plain loved it. I’m not always happy with my results but the pleasure of creating is enough. Plus, I do love going back and just looking at them. And actually, I AM slowly working on an album – using family photos, memorabilia and other images that correspond to the eras of each page – to use what I have inherited. It hits all the spots: using what I have, memory keeping, collaging. Thank you for this great post and all your inspiration!

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 27, 2020 at 9:21 pm

      It really says something about how you’ve evolved as an artist, Trudy, when you can say “I’m not always happy with my results, but the pleasure of creating is enough.” That’s what I want for everyone to experience when working in their art, whatever form that is. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  18. Angela

    March 23, 2020 at 7:59 am

    I don’t think art has to have any purpose other than the enjoyment of creating. At the moment I am enjoying creating books, which may be used for glue books, art journals or tryouts of techniques. At the moment I am learning , experimenting, I may always be learning and experimenting, but that’s okay. My husband spends hours on a jigsaw, when it is complete, I look at it and then he packs it away to go to the charity shop. I never ask him what is it for? – a question he is always asking me! Creating is a way of life to some, a way to occupy the time to others and to others a therapeutic way of de-stressing. It fulfills a need, and that is a good thing. I think I might have run on a bit🙄

    Reply
  19. Karol L Massey

    March 23, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    My purpose is to enjoy the escape and challenges of making collages. It feels like putting together a puzzle that I create. And it feels good when others like it or when I really like the finished product. Also, you can frame it and put it on your walls.

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 27, 2020 at 9:16 pm

      Yes! It does feel like it’s like “putting together a puzzle”. On some days it comes so easily — this goes here, along with that. Other days it’s as if nothing works. Funny how that is 🙂

      Reply
  20. Cheryl

    March 23, 2020 at 1:48 pm

    I love making journals using old envelopes, old paper, new paper. And making a collage is the same thing. “I just want to make something pretty – even if no one cares” To me it’s therapeutic – letting our thoughts go to a simple piece of paper and glue it down, then another piece until you have made a beautiful creation. Thanks for sharing this, Margarete. Love seeing all your creations.

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 27, 2020 at 9:14 pm

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Cheryl. It is therapeutic, but I find that I’ve had to work to get to that point. For a long time I was so frustrated with what I was creating and didn’t like how things turned out. Only after doing things for a while did I realize how to become comfortable with the assembling. Only then it became therapeutic 😉

      Reply
  21. Edie Pasquini

    March 27, 2020 at 4:51 am

    I decided to do small 4×5 mat boards. I also cut some art paper the same size. The mat boards I thought could be used as post cards,because I have bought post cards made of wood with an artist watercolor painting printed on the front. So it was a way I could put my creations to use. Then I started running out of mat board and thought I could make fronts for my homemade cards I send out. I have been a painter all my life and did realistic paintings. It is hard for me to go from replicating reality to just making a pleasing piece of non related images together in a pleasing way. I have to train myself to be free in expresson. Almost a modern art expression and since I am new to collageing I am more comfortable working in a smaller area. I really don’t need more books so this works for me.

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 27, 2020 at 9:10 pm

      How wonderful, Edie, that you have figured out what substrates work best for you. I love it that since you have a background in painting, you are happy with mat boards, and that works best for you, rather than books and journals. You send out a lot, but do you keep some for yourself? I’d love to know how you store those.

      Reply
  22. Sandi M

    March 28, 2020 at 9:10 am

    So well said Margarete. Not only do you “art” well but you write well! I remember when I first started seeing glue books on you tube, I thought “I used to glue images from magazines in a binder when I was in grade school and now adults are doing it!” So I started gluing again and what fun I’ve had. Gretchen Rubin once said that if you’re looking for what brings you happiness go back to some of the things you did as a child. And for me that was gluing images. The purpose is in the creating and just putting a page together or card. You said it best: “The act of creating is at least as powerful as what you create.”
    Thank you for your wonderful blogs and inspiring artwork.

    Reply
    • Margarete Miller

      March 28, 2020 at 10:50 am

      Thanks for your kind words about my writing, Sandi! I used to be a technical writer, once upon a time, so I’m glad I’m still able to put my writing skills to good use 😉 Funny about finding happiness in things you used to do as a child. I don’t remember doing any kind of collaging, but I remember being obsessed with office supplies as a kid. I wonder if that counts? 😉

      Reply
  23. Barbara Edelman

    March 31, 2020 at 5:58 am

    i removed the word “collage” from your blog post title so that it reads “is there a reason for creating art?” van gogh, diane arbus & i say “yes!”

    Reply
    • Pam

      December 22, 2020 at 4:57 pm

      Well said!

      Reply
  24. Pam

    December 22, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    Inspiration – just what I needed. That and “permission “ just to do it. There are no collage police. Thank you.

    Reply

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