For my current freestyle collage, I wanted to share entails a theme of easy living, both physically and mentally. My style of collage is a Freestyle. Although I wasn't required to utilize any contest photo in my design, I often take advantage of the image if it fits within my theme. However, if you'd like to join in the regular contest, visit: Let's Make a Collage - A Contest for All Creatives on Hive - Round 250 - ✨38 HIVE in the Prize Pool!.
As a beginning student of minimalist lifestyle, I was continually in awe of my self-awareness of the reasons I overwhelmed my life with souvenirs and collectibles. Thirty years of collecting resulted in numerous treasures. It also resulted in an aura of discontent with the then cluttered environment I'd created in my physical universe.
Endless years of categorizing, storing, shifting from one place to the other, and every available space filled with items staring back at me desiring attention.
I can't remember exactly when my treasures began to take a toll on my mental state. I never considered myself a "hoarder" in the sense of extremes I heard and read about. However, my capacity to take on more felt absurd. Next came the cessation of purchasing. Finally, came the realization that I was existing within the confines of my material possessions.
Yes, they were beautiful. From hand blown European glass, to special event Barbie Dolls, to Hot Wheels, to Sports Cards, to snow globes, to coffee cups, to designer crystal and porcelain, if I happen to see them in an antique store, they had to come home with me.
I remember about twenty years ago thinking I needed more storage to house my items. After all, collectibles were meant to be seen and appreciated; not stacked away in boxes.
My husband refused.
I felt as though it were the end of my world.
Then a year later, I read about the minimalism. The article changed my life. I've been practicing the minimalist lifestyle ever since. It's taken me years to declutter. And, I'm still in the process.
Meanwhile, I've donated many items to charity groups, as well as given some away to family and friends as gifts.
Some items I refused to part with. My Barbie Doll collection and All God's Children.
During my minimalist journey, I understood that it's a mindset one has to acquire. Today, I've applied several techniques to aid in minimizing my work area and living space.
The joy I feel now is knowing others will enjoy and appreciate my antiques leaving me with a sense of airiness and space, both in my physical and mental arenas.
In preparing my design, I wanted to show outward calm in the midst of chaos and clutter. I located a free-sourced image of a female with tons of items burdening her. The snail and lighthouse signifies the outward calm. Using the lighthouse, I placed a cup of hot coffee on top beckoning one to seek it out and relax. One can watch the birds fly overhead and see the waves cresting upon the rocks. How serene.
Below are the images I included to complete my theme:
| Item | Contributor | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Abstract background | Link | |
| Female with abstract clothing and headdress | Pixabay | Link |
| Red and White Lighthouse | Contributed to #LIL by | Link |
| Abstract blue wavy line | Pixabay | Link |
| Coffee | Pixabay | Link |
| Yellow Snail | Contributed to #LIL by | Link |
| Yellow feather | Contributed to #LIL by | Link |
| Purple bird | Link | |
| Teal cloud watercolors | Pixabay | Link |
I utilized Canva to blend the different type images. Below are my steps in which I began with a blank, white canvas, then added layers of elements, removing backgrounds, detaching elements from their backgrounds, resizing, duplicating, colorizing, and repositioning items as needed incorporating the tools at my disposal in my Annual Pro Membership Subscription.
Below is my completed collage design:
Thanks for your visit. I appreciate it. I hope you like my freestyle collage theme.
CONTEST RULES
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
It is imperative that you read the post LMAC School - Public Domain Picture sources (Free Materials for creating collages) by , which discusses public domain issues. The post offers valuable information on images for commercial use. Links are included to sources that offer public domain images and other images that are free for commercial uses. Using public domain pictures and free pictures for commercial use are requirements for all collages that are submitted as entries in the LMAC contest and the LMAC Image Library (LIL).
Good luck everyone with whatever your endeavors.
SUPPORTS THESE COMMUNITIES:
SOURCES:
a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines
f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Canva.
g) "Flames." What is Apophysis 2.09. https://flam3.com/
English is my native language.
If translation included, I use DeepL to assist my readers.
Thanks for your patience an understanding.