If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be launching a website to sell my collage art, I’d probably have laughed and waved the idea away. That’s not what I’ve been working towards, I would’ve thought. Who would want to buy my silly art?
Well, well, well. Here we are.
I was never very good at drawing, sketching, painting or anything that required the use of a pen, brush or pencil. I could cut with scissors, though, and I could wield a glue stick like it was no one's business. From the moment I discovered you could cut things up and stick them back together to create something new, I was hooked.
I covered my schoolbooks in magazine cutouts, scraps and pictures — making tiny worlds out of paper because it made me happy. It transported me into a little imaginary universe where Destiny’s Child obviously held giant Starbucks cups against a Lisa Frank background dotted with random brand names I’d mashed together from Teen Vogue cuttings. (Can you tell my age?) I took such pride in making these personal pieces of art. It was an outlet and an escape when home life was tough, when school was rough.
Life got busy, and I drifted away from my paper fantasy worlds, focusing instead on exams, university, work, my writing career and all the other grown-up things that fill our days.
A little over a year ago, when I was trying to reconnect with the things that genuinely made me feel good, I found myself reaching for the scissors again. What started as a small act of self-care — something calm, tactile and grounding — quickly became an obsession (the good kind, though).
I'm still cutting and pasting with scissors and glue, but I've added a trusted scalpel to the mix and a collection of vintage materials that's slowly taking over my living room.
Far from being just a therapeutic and joyous art form, collage has become the perfect blend of my passions: vintage treasures, storytelling and sustainability. There’s such a thrill in rummaging through old magazines, books and scraps, imagining the new lives they might have. Giving forgotten materials a second chance feels like its own kind of magic.
Since rekindling my creative spirit, I’ve met so many wonderful people — from fellow treasure hunters at vintage fairs to collage artists I’ve connected with online, to other makers at the Nunhead Art Trail, where I showed my work for the first time this year. The sense of community and connection that’s grown out of this has been one of the best surprises.
And now… this website! A proper home to sell my collages and prints, and a place to share what I’m making, what I’m learning and maybe a few stories along the way.
If you’ve found your way here because you love art, collage, or simply stumbled across my work somewhere and felt curious — welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.
To everyone who’s supported, encouraged and cheered me on in this adventure — thank you. You’re the glue that keeps me going strong.
Here’s to cutting things up and sticking them back together again, in art, in life or in whatever way rings truest to you.
Steph xx