The Heart Pocket Word for the day is Awesome

Friday, January 8, 2010

Hop On Board!



Vision Board. Hands up! How many have created one? Ooooolala! It is very fun and can be VERY revealing. Quite simply, a Vision Board is an illustration of something you would like to achieve; a goal you set for yourself, a situation or thing you would like to be in your life. It can be lifestyle related as in career or a relationship; it can be a long-life dream you now want to come true; it can be something you want to happen soon or some time in the future. You might want to alter a circumstance that already exists, to make it better. A Vision Board is a way to physically express your innermost desires with wanton abandon!

There are no rules for this wildly creative game. You can play it with others or by yourself. You can use a pencil or crayon. You can express it as a poem or in the form of a business plan. You can use graphs and charts and torn out pictures and phrases from magazines. You can hand write your vision. You can type it, print it and glue it on a piece of cardboard. You can paint it on plywood. You can sew it on a tapestry. You can make it a book or a framed piece of art. It is fully your expressiveness with no boundaries, no judgment; It is an affirmation of your deepest desire.

When I first began this process long ago, it was on New Year's Day. I went to my neighbor's house - a tradition - to share leftover holiday food and watch the long day of football. Ice skating is my sport so I usually brought some needlework or something to keep my hands busy. One year, I brought a large pad of watercolor paper, a black pen and my box of paints. With little forethought, I painted a house in the woods with a large stream running behind it and pine trees flanking both sides. There was a second building to the left of the house and I wrote the word "Studio" on a little sign over the door. There was a circular drive in the front and I drew a statue of a fairy/angel sitting in the middle of a flower bed in the center of the driveway. I liked my picture. It was very primitive and I hung it in my country kitchen and looked at it all year long. In August of that year, I looked at property in Colorado and bought a little house. I didn't notice until I was doing some packing in the kitchen when I returned to my home. I had purchased the little house in the woods I had painted - it was identical to my picture!

Sounds dramatic. It is. It has happened that dramatically a couple of other times for me. Other pictures have been more subtle. Last year I tried several times throughout the year to make a Vision Board. Nothing came. I was completely uninspired with no vision at all. 2009 was a year of logistics for me. Challenging in the sense that creating was not my focus. Like many in today's economic distress, I had to reframe my business, find new clients and new ways to make a living. It was a year of learning new skills, testing my strength, developing strategies I never dreamed I would need. It was a hard year of letting go. Having a vision, a place where I have mapped out my goals and dreams would have been helpful. A touchstone to use as a base from which to work and a reminder of what is important to us is sometimes all it takes to center us, to put us back on track in the life we love.

When I hopped on board this year, it was not without some trepidation. Here's how I began:





 From what looks like chaos came some very clear and visionary pieces. Fill your head. Ignite your soul. Drain your pen. Since last December I have been burning up the keyboard - both computer and piano. Clearly this is a 2010 focus for me. Exercise - voice, mind, body, heart. I have retained a voice teacher, renewed my gym membership, applied for 2 new jobs related to art and music. There are other key words that flowed out of my pen as I drew a picture of a face with one eye (FOCUS) and the words ideas, heartsongs, inspirational programs using music and readings floating effortlessly out of the top of the head. Dollar-sign shaped phrases indicated being valued for my work. I included a trip to my favorite getaway in BOLD LETTERS. Love is in the air.

Your vision belongs to you. The point of this powerful and intimate exercise is to make your dreams come true. There's no mystery here. It's not a passive calisthenic. It's a real workout and it's fun! There's no time frame. You can make a good start, keep it accessible and add to it. You get to change your mind because that's where it started anyway. Put your heart and soul into it and it WILL happen. Be Honest. Be Bold. Go Wild.

I've taped the doodled VB on my kitchen wall. I'll see it every day. I made a more refined and beautiful piece to hang above my couch. It is the picture at the lead of this story. The painting isn't my doing. I found it among some images in a magazine and the artist wasn't named.(If someone recognizes this piece, please comment below. I would LOVE to give credit!) I chose the image because of the colors, the tree that symbolizes growth and my love for nature. I photoshopped the woman in the picture and took the essence of my doodling inserting it into the image as words. It is 24" x 36" and I pasted bits of colored paper to the tree, the woman's dress and to the ground to give it texture. I love how it looks and hanging in my living room, I will see it every day. It will remind me of my goals this year, how much I love beauty and that my greatest joy is the exchange of creative energy with others. Now I know what this year will bring: Beauty, work that is joyful and meaningful, value for my books and musicals, my art and my work exploring creativity with others.

Here are some links to some Vision Board experts. In particular, take a look at Ken Johnston's Heart of Your Life Journaling Workshop. http://www.kenjohnston.com/workshops/workshops.htm Be sure to browse Ken's fine original art and prints on his beautiful website!

http://edwardmills.com/visionboard/
http://www.unfoldingyourlifevision.com/workshop

There is one more picture I'd like to share. It was also from a magazine - an ad for something I know not what. But it embodies my intensity for 2010. I've framed it and put it in my bathroom to greet me every morning. 



GO BABY!!!!

Kittie invites you to comment on this article below. Others benefit from your experiences. You can remain anonymous if you wish. Upcoming booking calendar is in the works. Become a follower (eyes right) and please forward this blog to anyone you think might be interested. Happy Visioning!