In connection with a local exhibit at The Frist Museum, I recently took a collage art class. Believe it or not, I’ve never actually taken an art class before. My daughter is into crafting, but it’s just not my ministry (per L’Oreal Thompson’s latest Yahoo lifestyle column). In creating my first in-class collage assignment, I realized that I’m already a collage artist.
Let me explain.
While I’m no crafting enthusiast, I have been really drawn to collage art. No matter the work or the creator, there’s something about a piece of layered work.
Collages have many unique layers. Starting with a solid foundation, the artist carefully adds pieces of fabric, photographs, letters, colored and textured materials that are stuck atop the foundation.
I like to think of my writing as a collage. When I first began writing professionally (and creatively too), I wanted to stick to a niche. It was the advice that I heard loud and often. “You’ll want to pick a niche instead of being a generalist.” However, my ND brain has always resulted in writing a range of genres/sub genres, ages, and interests. With my lived experience as the foundation, I am compelled to write, through several mediums, about many topics that I have a personal connection with.
For instance, as a mom, I enjoy parenting topics. As a former teacher and now homeschooling parent, education is important. I grew up in the golden era of hip hop, so of course there are many anthems that shaped my childhood and adulthood. I’m a foodie and I am currently creating new traditions with my own family in the kitchen. Amplifying the voices of people within the community is apart of my purpose. The list goes on and on and on.
With that said, it is my duty to unapologetically embrace writing in the spirit of collage art. I am the foundation — with many fabrics and layers added atop.
So the next time someone asks “why do you want to write in so many lanes?” I’m going to tell them about the college art class that I just took.