Enjoying Life In Undisturbed Spaces | LMAC FreeStyle Collage No. 163

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	Hive account@justclickindiva	Link
Female with abstract clothing and headdress	Pixabay	Link
Red and White Lighthouse	Contributed to #LIL by Hive account@redheadpei	Link
Abstract blue wavy line	Pixabay	Link
Coffee	Pixabay	Link
Yellow Snail	Contributed to #LIL by Hive account@borjan	Link
Yellow feather	Contributed to #LIL by Hive account@rappler	Link
Purple bird	Hive account@justclickindiva	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.