When’s the last time you dreamed? Collaging on a Budget

Hi I’m Zariah, your creative library baddie, and if you’re new here, I help you reclaim joy back in your pocket and your inner child as we explore all the amazing things the library has to offer through creative play. 

Someone I know recently asked me, ‘When was the last time that you dreamed?’ And it stunned me, sending me into deep reflection, because, if  I'm honest, I haven’t been dreaming. I’ve allowed myself to be stuck in survival mode for so long I forgot what it felt like to hold that optimistic and starry-eyed feeling. Remembering what it felt like to be hopeful, and live out that hope. And if I’m being real, I missed that feeling, but if I’m being really honest, I didn’t know how to get back to it. I felt like I had lost it. 

And maybe that’s been the story for you too. Maybe you’re in need of a nudge, a push to start dreaming again. Consider this your first nudge. My first nudge was on a library creative adventure at an Artist Talk event. I created my own “Circle of Dreams” collage curated by the artist Monique Luck, based on her “Circle of Dreams" mural installed in the South Blvd Public Library. 

Join me on this reflective experience as I dream through collaging and learn how you too can create your own “Circle of Dreams" collage, so that we can all keep dreaming together.

Y'all I saw a Black Woman and art and I was immediately sold. Clicked register without hesitation. 

This artist talk was a series curated by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library to spotlight specific artists that created mural art installations in particular libraries around the county. This one intrigued me the most because it was not only a talk, but it was also an art-making session inspired by the featured artist’s style. 

What I loved about Monique‘s talk is that it felt very intimate. It have space for connection between the audience and her art. Her work wasn’t just about herself, but also about creating an openness, about bringing the community along in the process and allowing them to be a part of the artwork itself. What I loved the most, is that the journey that led her into collage muraling started off with her taking a chance on her dream. 

Monique Luck launched her career in corporate but stepped into the unknown by entering a mural competition and surprised herself by winning. And it took her down the path of becoming a complete art boss babe. 

She now designs murals encompassing soulful figures textured with colorful and lyrical stories, using fragments to create the features of the figures and natural forms. Her models and collaging is unique in style and highlights the beauty and rawness that life has to offer.

Now, what we all came here for, collaging! 

As I mentioned earlier, we were able to craft an original collage piece inspired by Monique’s own “Circle of Dreams”, collage mural. {a photo of the collage and description of it is below}

“A "Circle of Dreams" invites viewers to step into a vibrant world where libraries transform into portals of limitless imagination. This artwork weaves together images and words gathered from community workshops, creating a colorful tapestry that sparks a sense of adventure and discovery. Inspired by the dynamic community of the South Mecklenburg Library in Charlotte, it showcases floating circles in a distinctive fractured collage painting style “

This time was truly so therapeutic for me, no therapist payment required. I loved how she left us ample time to really create, so that we didn’t feel rushed to finish, which I think helped create a beautiful fluidity in the crafting process. The tables were set up with collage materials laid out in a more family style, allowing us to commune with the other people there.

It’s something about working with your hands creatively that seems to awaken the senses in such unexpected powerful ways. It bridges the gap between what feels clogged and scrambled in the brain and the physical creative materials to bring something magical to life on paper. 

I saw a quote recently that said “art is a performance of self love”. And that’s how I felt through the process of creating my collage. I felt as though I was offering myself a form of love that I needed in that moment. It felt natural, it felt raw without me overthinking and at the same time felt communal. Not only was I able to be inspired by the original piece but also be inspired by the other people I was crafting with.

My project is still a work in progress, but I think it’s a beautiful nod to how real life is. We're always constantly evolving. l call my piece “Embracing regal girlhood in my womanhood”. It explores the navigation of me seeking to bring back this little girl version of me, into my womanhood, who enjoyed making every day a fashion show, and captivating that “Hollywood Starlet” energy. It’s the part of me that feels the most authentic, feels the most sure and deserves to be shown more.

I had so much fun with this collage. I think it was probably the first time that I wasn’t stressed about a collage having to look and be a certain way. I just flowed with what it could be. And I think it turned out better than I expected. 

So, here’s to dreaming a bit more and living with a bit more hope in our eyes.

Until next time, my creative baddies 💕,

Create Your Own Circle of Dreams

Materials

1. Magazines 
2. Construction paper 
3. Scissors ✂️ 
4. Glue 
5. Marker or pencil 
6. 2 circular objects to create one big circle & one smaller circle to fit inside 

Instructions

1. Choose 2 sheets of paper to create your big and small circle. This is what you use to place all your designs on. The paper can be construction paper, white paper or a page from the magazine
2. Next, using your writing utensil, create your first circle on your chosen paper. (I used a paper plate.)
3. Using your scissors cut your first circle out
4. Using a different sheet of paper, create your second smaller circle (I used a storage container top)
5. Cut your second circle out
6. Pace your smaller circle on top of the larger circle
7. What are your current dreams, for yourself as a person? For who you wanna be? Or how you wanna show up? How does that transpire on paper?
8. Next, Choose a word, a place, an object, an image, a color, or anything that speaks to you as your guiding point.
9. Finally, don’t overthink it and just let it flow ✨.