My Breadcrumb trail

I don't remember exactly when I started collaging but it has been a number of years. When I was trying to figure out how I would operate my interior design business, I was listening to countless podcasts and audiobooks for inspiration and direction. When I heard something that resonated and I wanted to remember it, I would type it out and then overlay images with it. I would create a visual that expressed how I was feeling or captured a vision of something I longed for. Words, images, and colors have a dramatic effect on me and I have a habit of surrounding myself with them. I'll find images on Instagram or Pinterest, copy them, and paste them into a collage. It feels to me as if I'm creating a breadcrumb trail to my soul. When I go back and read these meaningful words or phrases, it sparks something in me and when I focus on the images I paired with it, I'm deeply comforted as I remember. It redirects me to joy and wisdom.

Sarah Ban Breathnach suggests a practice of expressing our authentic self in a similar manner. She suggests cutting words and pictures from magazines and compiling them into a book of sorts. Then, as you look through it, you're seeing the essence of you right before your eyes. Image after image and word after word, you can feel a connection. Collecting that which tugs at your heart and makes you pause for a moment is worth savoring.

Even though I didn't connect my habit of collaging to being a way to express my authentic self, I did realize the power in the collages I was creating. Even now as I searched for some collages to share with you here, I am happily reminded of a podcast that I adored. It's called, The Sheri & Nancy Show. I remember listening as I was driving to work and I could hardly wait to create a collage that reflected the lesson they were teaching or a powerful phrase they said. I would mix it in with other pictures and words that came from other sources but somehow felt as if it related to what I was feeling in the moment.

"Be.You.tiful." I don't know where this originated but I can never see it enough.
"Just be..." I repeat this one in many collages as a reminder to myself to relax and let go.
"Rejuvenate" and "nurture" are beautiful words I love reading.
"You are divinely beautiful" "What's not wrong?" and "Live as if..." are from Sheri & Nancy
"Soften. Surrender the harshness. Let go of the busyness." Instagram
​"Take time to do what makes your soul happy." Instagram

This next variation has a few different pictures and some other profound teachings from Sheri & Nancy:

"What part of me am I judging?"
"Who's in your room?"
"Dream awake."
"...and I love that."
"Seek fresh joy."
​"Give what you seek."

I have gone back and listened to their podcast many times and it still gives me so much joy. I imagine I'm not alone as they had quite a large following they lovingly called their "dream tribe."

This next collage is the one you see framed and hanging in my home office at the top of this post and it has been with me for many years. I might change an image or two, reformat the layout, and add different quotes that feel more relevant to me but for the most part, it has had a consistent theme. It is a reminder of how I want to be, how I want to live, and how I want to feel. It shows me what I value and the daily habits I need to continue to feel my best.

If any of these collages I've shared with you here resonate, they are available in the free downloads on my website.