Faculty of Arts & Science

Creative Writing

Olivia Eyre

Self-Portrait

There’s so much to see in the world. In Self-Portrait, I began to explore the way Jesus made me—and the way he made me to see. I notice things on the street: chipped paint on the cabinet door of the little library, handwriting on signposts, or how water cascading from an apartment building looks like an urban waterfall. These details stay with me. So I began to ponder how I might echo that same sense of curiosity in the way I depict myself and my environment—how to capture the experience of seeing through my eyes.As the piece evolved, it became a visual poem—fragments, papers, and beads coming together to let me encounter my own way of seeing through touch. Not because visuals weren’t enough, but because through making—through the physical act of layering, tearing, placing—I enter a deeper kind of noticing.I often wonder why I return to collage—why I find so much joy in its small pieces, its organized chaos, its bold clashing of textures. It’s not just the wild energy I love, but the freedom within the process itself. With collage, I can cut the shape of glasses and change the orientation, experiment with accidents, and find endless ways to mix styles. When it all comes together, I feel the way God invites me to see—with openness and curiosity—where every piece of the collage brings me closer to experiencing him, and in turn, experiencing myself.