The Art of Feelings Collage

So, where do I begin? Basically, my collage is supposed to be a river, with stepping stones around it, and the mask in the top right corner represents mindfulness as well as the facade that many people, including myself, mask themselves with.

1. The "river" itself represents impermanence. The outline of the river consists of various phrases, that relate to digging deeper, beyond the surface. For example, some of the stickers say "break the rules", "get the inside scoop", "inspire to be", "live without a plan", "choices". These are all simple phrases or words which I found all relating to our existence and testing our limits. They are the boundary of the river because our answers or reactions to those phrases are what limit our potential. For example, in reply to "Live without a plan", if we "live with a plan", then we are always on one track, and are bound to one lifestyle (which is another big word on my collage).
Besides the words on my collage, I have various images. Most of the images are optimistic and happy, because I've found myself to possess a more optimistic attitude all the time rather than not. Of course, there are a few pictures here and there that represent fright and anxiety, but for the most part, they are all positive images. There's a picture of a girl laughing, another girl holding a sign saying, "I'm beautiful", and a group of friends with their arms around each other.

2. To represent s p a c e, I had a gap between the mask and the river with stepping stones. Although there is space between myself and my experiences, the stepping stones are what connect me to it. The stepping stones all say "ban [insert word]", and the various words are "stereotypes", "racism", "inhibition", etc. I used these as stepping stones because it's things such as stereotypes and racism that disconnect us from situations and limit our perspective. The stepping stones create space between our experiences and ourselves because they are a degree of separation

3. On the mask, it says "What's on your mind?" and there is another word above it: self-esteem. The first is self-explanatory. Asking myself what's on my mind, I am mindful on myself and aware of my existence. The latter (self-esteem) is an issue that I have been trying to deal with because at times, I definitely lack it. The mask itself is in the corner, and overseeing everything else on my collage. It can see its distance from the river, but it can also clearly observe the tranquility and points of turbulence.