How She Creates: Ep 002 - Collage with Katie Licht, and Lauren Caterson
Today on How She Creates we are speaking with Katie Licht and Lauren Caterson about collaging. We are incredibly excited to have them on the show today because they are experts when it comes to cutting stuff up and gluing it down. Their work is both beautiful and inspiring. Their pages are the perfection inspiration for anyone new to collaging as they will have you reaching for your scissors and glue instantly. In the show we discuss Katie and Lauren's creative journeys, developing your own artistic style, their favorite tools and tips for you, where they find inspiration and how each page evolves differently.
Episode Takeaways and Artist Actions
- Artist action: Try everything to figure out what you don't like
- Artist action: Try other people's styles
- Don't follow people only in your style; follow different people and try their styles to loosen you up
- Artist action: Follow people from outside of your niche - try interior design, fashion, etc, to get ideas
- How Lauren and Katie interpret inspiration into what they make and filling the inspiration well
- How to know when your collage is finished:
- Artist action: Work on a loose page so that you can turn it around to make it look better
- Artist action: Turn your collage into a collage
- How to make your page look balanced and choosing something to look off-balance
- Art style vs. real life
- White space that's white vs. white space with detail
- How to choose which pieces to stick down
- Artist action: Paint your own collage paper
- How to keep collage paper stored and organised
- Artist action: Make copies of books to use in collage later
- Collage having all different kinds of hobbies that you can bring together
- About how time and space influence what you create, and how to make it happen if you're lacking in either
- How limitations and constraints spark something that wasn't there before
- Artist action: Start something and let yourself only work on it for five minutes a day
- Accepting what doesn't work for you
- Use an old credit card to add glue instead of a brush, and clean it with a wet wipe
- Tips for noobs:
- Just get to it. Just do it.
- Try everything.
- Copy.
- Make stuff every day instead of waiting.
- Have fun. Make mistakes. Have more fun. Get better.
- Five minute challenge!
Resources and Tools
Please note that some of these are affiliate links. As always, we'd never recommend anything we (or the artists) don't truly love.
- Katie's Cut and Paste class at Studio Calico (sadly not currently available, but keep checking for a sale)
- Sabrina Ward Harrison's books
Guests
Katie Licht
Katie Licht is a mid-western American mother of two, graphic designer, and lover of all things collage. Her work is reflective, balanced, spiritual, and highly personal. She is never happier than when there is a Fresh Air podcast on her laptop and a scissors in her hand.
Lauren Caterson
Lauren Caterson loves playing with paper, taking photos, and drinking tea. She uses art journaling to ground herself and because it makes her a better human. 
