The Creative Struggle: When Projects Drag On
Have you ever felt like you’ve spent too much time on an art project, trying too many things to make it work? Yet, somehow, you just can’t get yourself to like it or feel as though it’s complete.
Recently, I’ve looked back at several collages from the past couple of years that I started but never finished. There’s one in particular that, frankly, has driven me to the edge of my sanity.
But one of my goals has been to finish old projects, and that’s what I set out to do. So, I strapped myself into my computer chair and made myself finish it.
THE ORIGINAL COLLAGE
‘Done Is Better Than Perfect’: A Design Mantra
There’s a saying I follow when it comes to design, which I now also apply to my collage art: ‘Done is better than perfect’. The idea here is that sometimes, you’re never going to feel satisfied. So instead of spending too much time on your art, trying to make it perfect (because, let’s be real, perfect doesn’t exist), you should strive to be satisfied by considering the project finished. Learn from it, understand that it will never be perfect, and let it go.
The Hard Lesson: When Perfectionism Backfires
I learned this lesson the hard way with this piece. I honestly can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent staring blankly at this collage, not knowing where to go. And then I thought (excuse my language), “Fck it,”* and threw everything I had at it. My care factor went out the window, and then it happened.
I went too far. My collage was no longer a collage—it turned into a manipulated surrealist artwork. I may have used and cut out copyright imagery, stuck them all together to create a collage-style art piece, but where do I draw the line when it comes to digital manipulation?
THE OVERCOOKED COLLAGE
The Struggles of Digital Collage
Lately, I’ve found that I’m unsatisfied with certain collage pieces I’ve created. My design and photo manipulation techniques came in too handy, and I ended up with something so far from a typical collage that I just wasn’t happy.
Digital collages are notorious for their flexibility, but where do you draw the line? In comparison to analogue collages (the typical cut-and-paste paper art), manipulating images in this way just isn’t possible. I believe this limitation is why some collage artists are biased against digital collaging. The restrictions of analogue with regards to the manipulation of elements maintains the ‘authentic feel’ of traditional collage art.
What many don’t realise is that the infinite possibilities of a digital collage can be overwhelming. Although so much can be done with digital collaging, too much choice can make you freeze—or go too far. This is the dilemma I found myself in: first, I froze, and then I went too far.
When Manipulation Goes Too Far: Losing Authenticity
I realised that when I begin to fit, change, and manipulate objects, there are no restrictions. The possibilities were endless—adding shadows, resizing, recolouring, and reshaping—until the abstract elements became too realistic. The giant woman lounging in the desert is definitely not real, but with drop shadows, lighting techniques, and recolouring, she now fits perfectly into her environment. And I hate it.
If there’s one thing I learned in design school that has stuck with me as I’ve grown as a designer, it’s this: If you think you’re finished with a design, strip it back. Take something away, because chances are you’ve gone too far. You’ve looked at it too long and overcomplicated it, forgetting in the process what the real purpose of the design was.
THE STRIPPED BACK COLLAGE
Reflecting on Completion: Is It Really Done?
So, as I review my work that I once thought I loved but now hate, I ask myself: Is it really finished, or have I gone too far? Now that the excitement of believing it’s finished and being ‘satisfied’ has worn off, and I’ve taken a few days to reflect, I realise it’s not done. I reflect on the lessons from design school and strip the design back to the point where it’s almost in its original form.