As discussed in my previous post, Coloring Outside of the Lines, collaging is one of my favorite ways to create, evidenced by the fact that I keep Mod Podge and glue sticks on hand at all times. When I am designing a collage, I get tunnel vision. Kind of like an athlete in the zone, I really don’t think about anything else, which is the perfect release. When the first wave of COVID-19 hit in 2020, I needed something to put my energy into and to focus on, as I sat in my childhood bedroom every day. Something new and exciting and something that wouldn’t require hundreds of magazines (I had already sliced up basically all of ours). So, I downloaded Picsart for the first time – a random app I found after googling “How to photoshop on your phone?”
Picsart has allowed me to take my passion for the visual to a whole new level. During peak 2020 quarantine, I would scroll through my camera roll endlessly, looking back on the memories of “normal” life that suddenly felt far away. I felt unrecognizable as I scrolled through the days of dressing up, while on my fifth straight day of plaid pajama pants. I missed fashion! Feeling like you had something to get dressed up for and expressing yourself through your clothes. After messing around a bit on Picsart, I found that I could cut out pictures of myself in my favorite outfits and make new memories out of them through digital collaging. My thumbs would go on autopilot as I scrolled through Pinterest, hunting for patterns and backgrounds to match my outfits. With the little scissors icon on Picsart, I would digitally cut away at my silhouette, layer a random assortment of backgrounds, and then call it done. It takes me only about 15 minutes, and as soon as I stop, I want to make another.
I quickly found that I wasn’t half bad at this whole photoshop thing, but I also had run out of photos to use. So, I took to the group chats, asking my friends if I could use shots of them to experiment on. For each friend, different colors and backgrounds jumped out to me, eventually allowing me to compile a catalog of collages of every color of the rainbow. I was proud of this fun new skill I had learned, and I wanted to keep going, so I created @katiebdesign, an Instagram account that holds my collection of digital collages. Through this account, I promote my work and do free commissions for anyone who asks. To me, it’s such a treat to take time out of my day and transform a person’s favorite photo into something completely different. Something that shows the colors I see in them and that captures their spirit in a unique sort of way. It keeps my fingers busy when my mind needs a break and it helped me spread vibrance at a particularly dreary time.
When we returned back to school in the Fall of 2020, I joined the Coulture Magazine social media staff. Coulture is an entirely student run fashion magazine that showcases the fashion and lifestyles of UNC students. The staff was ecstatic about being back in session after an abrupt end the semester prior. However, while we were technically back in school, students were on Zoom 24/7. It was rare to even step foot on campus, if for nothing more than a walk after going absolutely stir crazy. Looking for ideas for the social media pages, I became intrigued by the ways students maintained their personal style in a totally online setting. I wanted to see the outfits people were excited to share beyond their little Zoom square, so I started the Coulture Magazine #ZoomLookbook campaign. In this campaign, I asked students to send me their favorite back-to-school outfits, and I transformed them into digital collages to post on the magazine’s social platforms. Being a part of an organization that encouraged me to bring my skillset and creativity to the table made all the difference during the peak of the pandemic and helped me bring a passion of mine to life.
What started as my quarantine activity has now become a large part of my identity. Design ideas are where my brain goes when I zone out. It’s my way of expressing and connecting with others and helps me live my life in full color. If you want to see more of my work, or want a commission, please don’t hesitate to follow @katiebdesign and send me a message!
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