theusedlife

90s Nostalgia

Image from Prime Video I love making collage art with materials from the 1950s-1970s because I love the aesthetics, and I enjoy feeling like I’m visiting another world. I don’t really use materials from the 1980s through the present because I was born in the early 80s. That imagery doesn’t transport me to another world.…
There’s One in Every Pack & Other Art

There’s One in Every Pack, paper collage, 2025 Here are some experiments in collage art from the past few days. Among my favorites here are “There’s One in Every Pack,” “Tiny House,” “The Missing Piece,” and “Hummingbird Fields.” Fun fact: Parts of “The Quest” and “Pink Dream” come from the back cover of the Firefall…
Depart for the Stars

Depart for the Stars, paper collage, 2025 there’s madnessthere’s madness everywhere and it’s too easy to be part of ita small voice within me says,be as streamsthis, too, is a wild act of self-preservationi conjure the image of a wise woman who tells me,build a comet in your mindcircumambulatedo as the forest does and set…
Dream Cake & Other Art

Dream Cake, paper collage, 2025 I picked up a few vintage Life magazines while I was out running errands yesterday morning, and I haven’t been able to put them down since. The ads are so good–especially the food ads. You’ll find some of them below (and in Dream Cake, above). I had a lot of…
Lightkeepers

During my mediation this morning, a thought came to mind that I haven’t shared in awhile and that I think is worth sharing (or re-sharing) today: It is not your job to acquire belongings; it is your job to figure out what belongs to you and create extensions of its light. This is a thought…
This Is Your Moment

Wishing on a Star, paper collage, 2025 During my meditation this morning, a thought came to mind that I believe is worth sharing: this is your moment. What that means to me: this day is your moment to enjoy life, to be receptive to life, to engage with life in an inspired and meaningful way.…
Cruisin’ & Other Art

Cruisin’, paper collage, 2025 I recently purchased a bunch of new (or not-so-new) 1950s-1960s National Geographic magazines. Whenever I get new source material, there are certain elements that I get really excited about and tend to want to work with right away. Vintage car ads are among those elements, and luckily my new magazines have…
The Free Spirit

The other day, I asked Google how many feminine archetypes there are. And it seems there are as many answers to that question are there are people who are inclined to answer it. Seven is a number that stood out to me—there seems to be something of a consensus around that number—although, some estimates went…
Woman of the Flowers

She sprouted love like flowers, grew a garden in her mind, and even on the darkest days, from her smile the sun still shined. – Erin Hanson I spent most of the day yesterday readying my home for spring. While I haven’t begun tidying up my outdoor space yet (that will probably be next weekend’s…
Stay Close to the Cosmos IV

Cosmic Field, paper collage, 2025 All real living is meeting. – Martin Buber If you want to create a revolution within yourself, stop treating your environment like an “it”—like it has no soul, like it exists for your use and to satisfy your needs. Try meeting your environment instead and treating it like the living,…