Trust Your Inner Alchemy
Inner Alchemy Collage was formally named in 2013, but is a creative practice I've been using in my life since I was young. In the beginning, I made collages using only words. I'd spend hours cutting up magazines to make these wordy layouts for people in my life, as a way to both connect inward and with those who I cared about most. It was my way of conjuring up courage and inspiration to process and understand, invoke and express, give and receive. I didn't know it then, but it was like spell work of my own making.
Inner Alchemy Collage is ultimately about healing ourselves and one another.
What this process is:
- A deep listening and learning practice for tapping into personal and collective wisdom
- About discernment, discovery and bold self expression
- A way to practice radical truth and trust, and bypass internalized oppression (the inner critic)
- An invitation to embody, identify and locate who you are in this moment, in relationship to others
- A brave container for interconnection and vulnerability
- A process that is subjective, nuanced and ever evolving
- A tool that is self-defined and flexible
What this process is not:
- A technique, lesson or how-to meant for you to replicate exactly what I make
- Creating a vision board meant to "attract" or measure up to anything external
- A practice about mastery, perfection or creating in any "right or wrong" way
- About any static end result or what is produced
- Only for Artists or people who consider themselves to be creative
Every Single One of Us is Creative
What I love most about this process is that you do not need any formal artistic training or talent, just the desire to explore and play. There are no fancy or expensive supplies necessary, and you can upcycle magazines or use stock images from the internet. All you need is an open mind and heart, something to collage on, scissors, a glues stick and a source for imagery.
For free magazines: try hitting up family and friends, local Dr's offices, or the free/swap stack in your local library for mags otherwise being discarded.
As with any practice, it becomes more honed to your individual needs and preferences the more you use it. I hope you will make it your own and share it widely.
My Yearly Planner and Notebook Ritual
Inner Alchemy Cards
Beginning as a way to make a fast and smaller version of a full collage spread, I started making these 2x3 cards with simple textures, colors and words. Creating our own card decks was the natural next step.
The first deck we made together was in energy of Water, back in 2014. We created through the elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, season by season, and the cards expanded to also include explorations of color meanings, symbolism, animal spirits and archetypes. I was incredibly inspired by the beautiful cards you all created! Next, we created our own tarot decks for Wishcraft in 2016. Most recently in 2021, I used this creative process as a vehicle for activism and to talk about important world-changing things. Making cards together is always such a fun and potent way to connect and learn.
Over the years, hundreds of us make our own handmade decks! What continues to make these cards truly magic is the unique energy and perspective poured into creating them. I still get emails from people who have been using their cards and this practice for years, as a way to learn and connect in new ways!
