The Art within Me

"Leggy Louise frolicked in the garden"

The other day I made the move to share my recent collages publicly and set up a dedicated Instagram account. I am making art, just for it's own sake, after being all about "utilitarian-art-you-can-use" for a very long time. I have no idea where it's going to take me, and right now, that is perfect! I am making hand-cut collages using found images from vintage books and magazines.

"Great Minds... (Hers & His)"

I waited longer than I usually do to share any of this new work because I didn't want to be distracted or influenced by other peoples' voices. Now I'm at the point where it's important to engage with other creatives because after a while it's not helpful to keep it all in one's own head.

"Ursula tried to structure her thoughts"

I debated over the wisdom of linking my Instagram SaraSmedleyArt feed to this blog, because it's terribly out of date and I don't want to distract myself at this stage trying to keep up with it. That's why I prefer Instagram, the images can speak for themselves and I can spend my time making more of them. Maybe one day a new website is in order but that's not today. In the meantime, this post is my attempt at making this blog somewhat relevant.

"Hazel dipped her toes into Spring"

It's interesting to me to scroll back through earlier posts. On one hand, I feel like cringing a bit as I see the "New Me" posts announcing my latest new direction, and the large gaps in between. At the same time, it's pretty cool to see how things have evolved and brought me to where I am now. I had a yoga teacher who would say that if you've ever done yoga, even if you are away from it for a long time "yoga will always be within you." I feel the same way about my art. Without going into the details today, so much of what I have done before (even as a kid) is finally coming together for me in collage. I'm still new to it, still developing my voice, all I want to do right now is see where it takes me.

If you'd also like to see where it takes me you can find me on Instagram for more current posts!