I loved the way the authors of Collage as Analysis: Remixing in the Crisis of Doubt try to discuss the way we think as a/r/tographers. I particularly liked the line, "we chase after the intangible, undefinable, and the always escaping "assemblage that is a life thing and, and, and" I believe the art making process often is a phenomenon that is hard to explain, particularly when different parts, materials, etc are coming together as a whole.
Life itself is a collage of different eras, moments and memories. So of course, the way we work as artists, researchers and teachers is also a collecting, sorting and combining of all those experiences and thoughts. I really connect to and understand the metaphor of the collage for how we think as a/r/tographers.