• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Gallery
  • Shop
  • Resources
  • Being an Artist
    • Real Talk
    • Interviews (Coming Soon)

AZ Finch

digital mixed media collage & scrapbooking

Going digital – why I’m dumping my paper ephemera collection

AZ Finch| Inspiration+ Real Talk

Being stuck indoors for the last three months has changed my thinking on hoarding art supplies. Pre-pandemic, it was totally fine to have stacks and stacks of books, papers, and ephemera– because I (basically) had everything in boxes and semi-organized, and eventually I’d use them. Who cares if they took up literally 1/3 of my (tiny) room, were impossible to sort through, and kept falling over at the worst times?

But THEN I had to stay next to those piles of junk all day, every day. Navigating around them 24/7 for 90+ days sucked a lot of the joy of having vintage ephemera, and now they don’t feel that important. In fact, my ephemera collection feels confining.

Making a big artistic decision

So I’m switching up my creative process. I very much enjoy doing paper collages and mixed media journals, and I still plan on doing that. There’s a special mindset switch that happens when you put paint to paper which I don’t want to lose. But neither can I afford to use all my personal space for something that makes me feel trapped and anxious.

I’m paring down my physical paper collection to the essentials, and really make sure what’s left is what I REALLY want. I’ve already started selling my stacks of magazines, vintage postcards, and extra art supplies.

I’m also changing my focus to digital collage.

Instead of carrying around dozens of pens, paper snippets, journals, and paint pots, all I need is ONE tool: my computer. Not only will this clear some space in my home, but I can make art ANYWHERE, as long as I have that computer. I’ve been doing digital collages for about a year, but it’s only recently that I seriously started considering them as my (close to) full-time art style.

And weirdly enough, I’ve found myself getting very close into the same mindset I do when I make physical paper collages. After about 20 minutes I get into a meditative mindset where I stop thinking about outside things and worry only about finding the next piece of the collage.

Digital collage can be really fun!

Here’s some of the digital collages I’ve made in the last few months:

Knowingly

Pineapple Princess

Waiting for a Letter

Dolly Sisters

They’re very similar in style to my physical collages, which is great. I worried that I’d lose my personal art style by switching to digital, but it actually has been very easy. I’ve also started experimenting with creating my own graphics and using them in collages, and then taking those collages and turning them into physical products. And I don’t have a trash can full of clippings at the end of it! Huzzah!

Want to learn more?

Are you interested in trying out digital collage as well? I’m planning a series of posts talking about how to get started, tips from my own experiences, and ideas for what to do with them once you finish.

Keep an eye on this space for more!

Related Posts:

  • 5 easy steps to decluttering a paper ephemera collection
    5 easy steps to decluttering a paper ephemera collection
  • How to store mixed media collage photo elements (without going nuts)
    How to store mixed media collage photo elements…
  • Where to find free public domain images for digital artwork
    Where to find free public domain images for digital artwork
  • How to make a digital collage: Focus image
    How to make a digital collage: Focus image
← Previous Post
Next Post →

Share with a friend:

  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hello there!

I'm Anastasia (AZ) Finch, a 30-something artist living in Southern California. I make digital mixed media collages using public domain images, hand-drawn elements, and things I find around my house. Wanna know more?

Like what you see?

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Subscribe

Sign up for my newsletter to get digital collage tips, free image downloads, and more!

Search

Newest Posts

  • Be a more confident artist: share your art online!
  • From journal to collage: Finding inspiration from life experiences
  • Where to get free fonts for digital art (and how to upload fonts to Canva)
  • Digital Art Journal – December 1
  • How to make a digital collage: Finding a subject

Making Art

“Making art can feel dangerous and revealing. Making art is dangerous and revealing. Making art precipitates self-doubt, stirring deep waters that lay between what you know you should be, and what you fear you might be.”

― David Bayles, Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

artbyazfinch

✨azfinch.com✨ ✨azfinch.com✨
I’m doing a digital art journal project this mon I’m doing a digital art journal project this month! Check out my blog for more info~ ✨ azfinch.com ✨
As soon as Halloween ends I'm right into Christmas As soon as Halloween ends I'm right into Christmas-- how about you? 

#collage #vintagecollage #digitalcollage #vintage #christmas #vintagechristmas #art #digitalart #collageart
Collages are an excellent way to tell a story or s Collages are an excellent way to tell a story or show your perspective on something. While it’s fun to just slap images onto a background and see what happens, it can be even more satisfying to create something that expresses a specific idea. Visit my blog to learn how to find a subject and develop ideas for colors, images, and collage concepts. 💕 azfinch.com 💕 (or visit my profile for the link)
Been a while! 👋 ✨azfinch.com✨ Been a while! 👋 

✨azfinch.com✨
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

Find a Post

Search

Subscribe

Sign up below to subscribe to my newsletter and never miss a post!

Disclosure

This Site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2021 AZ Finch · Florence Theme (Light) on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.