Collage For the Heart and Soul

Who would have thought that a bunch of pictures torn out of old magazines and glued on the front of 5 x 8-inch mat boards could be so fascinating and so much fun to work with. Who would have thought that something so simple could bring out so much creativity in such profound ways.  But this process of creating a deck of collage cards and then using them to explore one's own intuition was developed by psychotherapist Seena Frost and it is a process she has used with her clients and shared with many people outside of her practice.  The process originally grew out of her combined interest in the study of psychotherapy, creativity, archetypes and spirituality.  To learn more about SoulCollage®  and Seena Frost you can read her book "SoulCollage An Intuitive Collage Process for Individuals and Groups" or you can go to her website at www.soulcollage.com.

It has been a while now since I first encountered Seena Frost's SoulCollage®  process.  I was introduced to it by a friend who teaches it in her wonderful art studio.  I had so much fun learning about it that I decided to take the facilitator's training from Seena Frost herself at a retreat in Soquel, California.  It was an incredible experience and I met several other people who were teachers, artists, therapists, activity directors, ministers and others who were exploring this wonderful process as well.  Since then I have been enjoying creating my own visual journal of collage cards independently and in workshops.

One of the great things about this process is that you do not have to be a teacher, an artist, a therapist or anyone in particular to use it.  Anyone can use the SoulCollage®  process for themselves, in a classroom, with friends, or in many different kinds of group settings. It is both a personal and a social process, and it can be very rewarding to share it with others.  One of the reasons I enjoy my friends' workshops so much is that I enjoy the synergy of working with other people, I also enjoy making time for myself to be creative. With busy schedules and the pressure of work and family it is sometimes nice to have some space and time to just create without the pressure of having to perform.  So these SoulCollage workshops can represent an oasis of creative time and rejuvenation for me.

SoulCollage®  is a very flexible process.  While this process of creating and sharing collage cards does have some structure and guidelines for getting the most out of it, there is no "wrong" way to do it.  The focus is on setting the stage for you to call forth you own imagination and intuition in any way that suits you best.  It is an intuitive process that lets you discover whatever ideas come up through your imagination as you put together the images you select for your collage.  When you put together your collage, you will most likely find that the images you choose have many layers of meaning or they may mean different things to you at different times.   This is what makes the process of creating a deck of collage cards so interesting and it is what fuels your ability to find endless possibilities for exploring your own creative potential.