Navigating Transformation Through Fashion, Mood Boards, and a Little Bit of Zine Magic

Reflections by Rebecca Wood

Finding Inspiration in Fashion and Change

Lately, I’ve found myself drawn back into the world of early 2000s fashion, back when I was graduating college and first discovering designers like Alexander McQueen. There’s something about those blush pinks, soft blacks, and smoky grays that continues to speak to me. The bold textures and expressive patterns remind me that art and life often move in cycles.

What I’ve come to realize is that this renewed fascination with fashion isn’t just about clothes. It’s a reflection of how we navigate transformation, how we evolve, how we reimagine who we are becoming, and how creativity can mirror that growth.

Transformative Learning: From Disorientation to Renewal

In a recent professional development session, I revisited Transformative Learning Theory, developed by Jack Mezirow, which suggests that true growth often begins with a disorienting dilemma, a moment or experience that unsettles what we thought we knew. When we pause to critically reflect on that discomfort, we open the door to new perspectives, and over time, that insight can inspire real change in how we see and act in the world.

For me, that process often happens through art. By engaging my creativity through collage, color, and texture, I make sense of change in a way that words alone can’t. Tools like mood boards or art journals help translate that inner reflection into something visual and tangible.

A Simple Creative Practice: The Zine Mood Board

If you’re craving a mindful, tactile project to reconnect with your creativity, here’s a simple exercise I love: make a mini zine mood board.

Fold a single piece of paper into a zine structure. You’ll end up with a few small panels, perfect creative boundaries to spark focus. Collage images that catch your eye. Use magazine clippings, sketches, or printed textures. A little Mod Podge goes a long way.

Next, choose a word that resonates with you. Then use a thesaurus to explore variations. Sometimes one small shift in language can open a whole new world. Match words and images intuitively. Let your inner artist, not your inner critic, guide the process.

This reflective process blends zine making, art journaling, and creative self-care, a beautiful mix of mindfulness and transformation.

Balancing Change and Continuity

When life feels uncertain, giving yourself small, contained creative spaces like the panels of a zine can help you reframe what’s emerging. You don’t have to have the answers; you just have to stay open to what’s unfolding (pun intended, I guess?).

So grab some paper, a glue stick, and a handful of images that move you. Let yourself play. Watch how creative transformation begins in the smallest, simplest acts.

✨ Try It Yourself

If you make your own zine mood board, I’d love to see it! Share your creation on Instagram and tag me @artandtheeveryday. Let’s celebrate the way art, mindfulness, and imagination can turn change into beauty.