Sometimes growth doesn’t shoot straight up like a geyser. Sometimes it sprawls and meanders like a river—unpredictable, unruly, out of frame. Lately, I’ve found myself in that kind of growth. After years of letting creativity orbit my life, it’s now squarely in the center. In midlife, I moved to a new state, began pivoting a career as a yoga instructor, and continued my decades-long love affair with the written word. My voice also demanded to be heard, even if only by my small network of friends on karaoke nights. In many ways, I’ve been growing sideways—stretching into unexpected shapes to process loss, trust, fear, and hope. If I were to make a collage about it, I might use torn edges, tangled threads, pieces of a CD, and watercolors. I’d layer archetypes, textures, and memory.
Which brings me to you.
Up.St.ART Annapolis invites submissions of collage art exploring the theme “Growing Sideways.” We’re looking for creative expressions of nonlinear, imperfect, maybe even chaotic growth. Your piece can be deeply personal or wildly interpretive—what matters is that it feels honest.
Your work may be created on canvas, wood, heavy paper, reclaimed surfaces, or even a wall. Just be sure to submit a high-resolution image of it (in JPG or PNG format, 300 dpi or higher, well lit, and in focus). For reference, see images, from the summer 2025 story “Wood, Watercolor, Ink” at upstart-annapolis.com/wood-watercolor-ink.
Submission Guidelines
Along with your image, please include a Word document containing the following:
- your first and last name
- your email address, phone number, and mailing address
- the title and year of the work, along with a list of materials/media used in this format (example: Well of Art (2025). Acrylic, magazine images, T-shirt fabric, and tinfoil on canvas).
- a short paragraph (three to five sentences) describing how your piece reflects the idea of “growing sideways”
Email submissions to upstarteditor@gmail.com.
The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2025.
Let your creativity spill, sprawl, or shimmy sideways. Surprise us, stretch the theme, or grow something gloriously crooked.