Interview: Jodie Day

First few basic introductions – who are you, what are you doing, where are you coming from?

Hello, my name is Jodie Day and I’m an analog collage artist working under the name Sacred Cuts. I am a housewife and mother of three children, I live in London, UK.

Your works are generally a bit dark what comes to the atmosphere, how would you describe your style? And how quickly you found your” style”?

My works are mostly reflective of my interests, which generally lean towards the esoteric and spiritual side of things. I think those elements can give off the impression of darkness and that is why I try to balance that in some way. I think to sum it up would be, a bitter truth told elegantly. I found my style pretty quickly, I think. Before collage, I worked making 3d assemblages which pretty much had the same tone. I think it’s just who I am.

What are your favourite source materials? How do you find them? Do you spend a lot of time while looking for them?

One of my favourite things about creating collage is the process of sourcing material. I love to go around charity shops and boot sales on the lookout for books. I tend to go for anything on natural or ancient history, nature magazines, and sometimes even fashion magazines. People also buy material for me if they think it’s something I can work with, which is rather nice.

If you compare your very first works to your very latest ones, what is the biggest difference? What has changed?

Other than the scale of the work and an improvement in my technical abilities, I think I create more freely nowadays. Looking back to when I first started in the winter of 2016, I notice how I was subconsciously following a set of rules that I created for myself to work within. I used to look at each collage as an individual piece, whereas now, I see them as a whole and part of the same world (so to speak).

How do you boost your creativity? Do you have creative rituals?

I probably do have some kind of rituals but I can’t say that I am aware of any. As a mum, I create as and when I can, so mostly at night. I do love to listen to music whilst I am working though, that is a must for me as it helps me to totally zone out and get into my work. I don’t have a designated area to work in, no studio or spare room, so I set up in different rooms for certain periods of time, which is kind of nice as the view and atmosphere changes.

“It can be both relieving and revealing to revisit the work with fresh eyes.”

How easy or hard is it to finish your works? Do you ever get burnt out on a piece, and what do you do to keep working and being productive?

I think as artists we all have those pieces that flow together beautifully like they almost create themselves and then those other pieces that drain you and make you question why you even bother to continue, that’s just how it is. We have to accept that as a cycle. When it gets like that for me then I know it’s time to focus on other things I enjoy. I love to read, watch films and go for walks and bike rides, it’s always well needed. It can be both relieving and revealing to revisit the work with fresh eyes.

How do your works reflect your emotions/views/thoughts?

There’s a lot of me in my work. I try not to hold back. It started as a therapeutic practice and shall always be that to me. If it resonates with others, then there is a sense of connectedness that I feel to be an important part of it all.

How important is the meaning you believe a piece of art has to you? Do you want your viewers to understand or know why you made your art?

I don’t think it is that important to have meaning. Somethings can simply just exist without a defined answer but still be wonderous. Some of our greatest questions go unanswered, in some strange way, that makes them meaningful.

What keeps you collaging? What excites you about it?

So many reasons. It’s no longer the hobby it just was, it is me now. I learn a lot from what I do. I enjoy reading some of the books before I use them, sometimes the topics aren’t my normal choice of reading material so it becomes an insightful process. I like the peace it gives me, focusing on intricate cuts like there’s nothing else to think about. It’s a form of mediation to me and allows me to make time for myself.