As students finish getting settled into their dorms this fall, decorating is essential when it comes to making a dorm feel like home. For junior Louisa Thompson, making a space personal and unique is her expertise — and also her art form.
Thompson was interested in business from an early age. She used to collect cans from her neighbors and bring them to the local grocery store, where she could receive a few cents per can to make money. However, Thompson’s creativity and eye for aesthetics would take her much further than her neighborhood grocery store.
“I always wanted to create something and I’ve always been entrepreneurial. I realized my creativity and aesthetic eye was something I could capitalize on,” Thompson said.
Her business, COLLLAGED, has gained recognition not just on Colgate University’s campus, but on campuses and homes across the country.
Thompson began creating collages as a first-year in high school, when she was asked by her school’s seniors to create collages for them as they went off to college. Her talent was noticed by many, and her work began to gain traction within her school.
“I was asked by senior girls going into their [first] year of college if I could help them make collages, and from there it ended up gaining a lot of traction in my school,” Thompson said.
As the demand for her art grew, Thompson realized she would need to move to a digital method of production. While she originally would print out and cut each individual piece of a collage, she shifted to Adobe Photoshop, which allowed her to keep up with the growing demand while still creating unique, personalized art.
“After moving to Photoshop, I was able to create collages digitally, then enlarge and print them on canvases. At the same time, I loved making digital art on Photoshop and would create art for fun to gain media attention,” Thompson said.
After creating art on Photoshop, her physical canvases are shipped to buyers around the country. Working on Photoshop was especially instrumental in Thompson’s work gaining attention on social media, where she was able to easily post digital prints.
In fact, her work was recognized by some pretty major celebrities and influencers. Thompson designed a digital print for Maggie Rogers, one of her favorite artists. To Thompson’s excitement, Rogers reposted her work on her Instagram story. Not only did this help draw attention to Thompson’s business, but it was also thrilling to have one of her favorite musicians recognize her talent and creativity.
Another exciting project that Thompson created was for social media influencer Tinx. Her print features a glittery, pink theme with images of Tinx and fun graphics.
To cater to a Colgate-specific audience, Thompson began a second business, Colgate Prints, about a year ago. Colgate Prints features themes and references specific to Colgate students. She also uses poster paper for many of her prints to make for more easy purchasing and decorating.
Colgate Prints has already gained significant popularity on Colgate’s campus. In fact, Thompson recalls a special moment when helping a sophomore at Colgate move in. They had never met before, but as she was setting up her dorm, Thompson noticed that the student had one of her pieces in her room.
For sophomore Grace Braham, posters are a must when it comes to decorating and personalizing her dorm.
“I love that Louisa’s posters are super original and colorful. I especially like her Colgate-themed prints that capture the spirit and culture of the school. Her posters are amazing and [are] always featured in my dorm for decoration,” Braham said.
Colorful, Colgate-inspired prints also adorn the walls of sophomore Morgan Berry’s dorm. Both Braham and Berry purchased their pieces from Colgate Prints.
Colgate Prints recently held a poster sale in collaboration with Hami-Down, a buying and reselling platform at Colgate, and plans on holding another poster sale soon, where students can purchase posters and see just a portion of Thompson’s large portfolio of art.
In the meantime, students can easily order from Colgate Prints and COLLAGED via the links in their respective Instagram bios and can look forward to Thompson’s development of a website in the future.
