Collage it.

The more I give and receive gifts, the more I am convinced that some of the most thoughtful gifts have come from people who believe themselves to not be "creative enough". I have begun to realise that gifting is one great leveler of creativity, because unlike the other arts, here lack of creativity is not a deterrent in making masterpieces. So long as one is willing, and the gift is heartfelt and thoughtful, nothing else matters. In fact, many times I have seen that one comes up with some really innovative and good looking solutions to perceived lack of creativity, and the gift becomes even more enduring a surprise.

I realised this largely when I saw my sister doing "art" while listening to her music. Inspite of inheriting the same creative genes in me as my incredibly innovative mother, my sister for the longest time has believed herself to be non-creative. Bored in her long post tenth grade vacations, she decided she wanted to make an inspirational poster. After rejecting all the ideas I gave her from word clouds to symbolisms, she landed up making this little collage in less than an hour (including finding magazines, finding the words, taking ice-cream breaks) and it looks wonderful.

Siddhi's Inspirational Poster

We both think this is a great gifting idea. Not necessarily for birthdays, but for the times when you want to gift someone something to lift their spirits, or when someone is beginning something new. Its fun, its stimulating, and it looks wonderful. One can personalise it further by adding small speech bubbles with personal comments, one's own pictures, stubs of tickets from movies/plays/concerts that have inspired both of you, people that you look up to, stanzas/lines from poems, songs, stories that have touched a cord… the possibilities that collages show are endless.

For those who live together (roommates, spouses, siblings, live-in couples, or just anyone who hangs out too much), the collage could be an ongoing thing too. One could have a large canvas/wooden frame, just paper, or wall space installed in a personal corner, and keep updating it with whatever inspires through their time in the house. A canvas or some item like that would also ensure that one can take it along anywhere they go.

So what are you collaging today? :)

© Jayati Doshi