I love to collage – I have been doing it for about 30 years, professionally. When I look back on my drawings and artwork as a child, I find collages with stars and hearts and princesses-many of the archetypal images that I use even now.

One of my fondest memories is of making a dish garden.  We are all collages – the way we dress – the way our homes look, our dressing tables.  And a lot of the way we see things, our taste is comprehended in this same way.  How does this picture look here – are the curtains the right color with the couch – are these earrings too long for my face?  These are all judgments that we might bring down into the art of collage.

We all collect things – photographs, stones, shells, cards that your friends send, dried flowers from a trip.  Collage can be a way of re-cycling – of creating a life story or a visual diary out of reminiscent objects or images that convey an important time in your life.  You may make one once a year for a Christmas card – or today we are going to try and identify some of our own personal symbols and incorporate them into a personal “inner” portrait – to capture our essence and make magic that way.  To empower and imagine the way you might like things to be.  To make a stage set, to act out your hopes and dreams.  Or you might want to make an inner portrait of someone else.

Another way you might think of this collage piece is as a “treasure map” – you can even add words and affirmations to the image so that when you see it, it stimulates your confirmation of that goal:  “Success” – “finding the perfect mate” –“good health”.

I would like to convey how important it is to be open and in tune with your unconscious and spontaneous self.  Try to be as a child.  There might be something that falls out of the magazine by accident.  You notice a bird fly by.  Everything is synchronistic. (Jung’s story of the scarab.)  You pass a yard sale and stop by – there is the perfect object that you’ve been wishing for.

As far as materials go, anything goes.  We make a big mess when we collage.  You need a lot to play with.  These materials are your palette.  You want a pile at hand, so that you can develop a flow.  At some point you  might see that the only thing that will do is a purple flower in the right hand corner – in that case you will have to stop and search – but you might run across a perfect tiger that you would not have even thought of if the other thing hadn’t come up.

Often when I needed something, I find someone comes to the door with the exact right thing, right when I need it, or in the mail.  It’s very nice.

There are no accidents – that is why collage is such a therapeutic technique.  When we develop our abilities to visualize – we can achieve many goals – we can create our own reality.  By making these decisions it strengthens our decision making abilities on a daily basis.  By getting in touch with what colors we like, by trusting.

To begin with, all you need is probably right in your house – and we have to use right there.  A patch of wallpaper, leaves in your yard, …..  If you have old drawings, you can recycle those.

If you really get serious, you can experiment with different glues and paints.  I know a woman who uses left-over eye make-up.  My sister goes running and finds flattened cans and metal pieces that have been run over by cars.  Many of us go to yard sales and flea markets.  But its like photography – you can spend a lot of money and go crazy getting the perfect equipment, but you can also get a great photo with a simple little camera.

So, start simply.  And don’t be too precious about cutting into things. There are no mistakes with collage – you can fix anything. Have fun!

More About Monte Farber and Amy Zerner:

Internationally known self-help author Monte Farber’s inspiring guidance and empathic insights impact everyone he encounters. Amy Zerner’s exquisite, one-of-a-kind spiritual couture creations and collaged fabric paintings exude her profound intuition and deep connection with archetypal stories and healing energies. For more than thirty years they’ve combined their deep love for each other with the work of inner exploration and self-discovery to build The Enchanted World of Amy Zerner and Monte Farber: popular books, card decks, and oracles that have helped millions answer questions, find deeper meaning, and follow their own spiritual paths.

Together they’ve made their love for each other a work of art and their art the work of their lives, with over two million books in print in fourteen languages. Their other best-selling titles include The Chakra Meditation Kit, The Tarot Discovery Kit, Karma Cards, The Enchanted Spellboard, Secrets of the Fortune Bell, Little Reminders: Love & Relationships, Little Reminders: The Law of Attraction, Goddess, Guide Me!, The Animal Powers Meditation Kit, Astrology Gems, True Love Tarot, The Instant Tarot Reader, The Psychic Circle, Wish Upon A Star, The Pathfinder Psychic Talking Board, The Truth Fairy, Spirit of the Ancestors Altar Kit, Vibe-Away!, The Mystic Messenger, The Breathe Easy Deck, The Healing Deck, and The Ghostwriter Automatic Writing Kit.  More info at: www.TheEnchantedWorld.com