It was as perfect a time as we could have hoped for -- that mid-January weekend that my daughters, Amina and Asila, returned to Bakersfield for a visit. We always get together in May for Relay for Life, but this January was a bonus. As a mom, it’s casual time such as this with one’s adult children that warms my heart.
Amina suggested that we make vision boards, and Asila and I enthusiastically agreed. A vision board is a creative expression in the form of a collage or poster. Constructed from images and words cut out of magazines, the finished product is a representation of our vision for the future, of what we want or seek in our lives. It may be for the coming year or further out.
I’d done this exercise before with friend and colleague Rose Lester, once in her private workshop and once through the Art for Healing program at Mercy Hospital. Though similar, both times the board brought new insight into what I wanted my life to look like over the coming year. This was the first time either of the girls had tried it.
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| Saturday evening hunting session |
Working on our projects individually, but together, we shared photos and discussed ideas. Armed with red wine, scissors, and a stack of magazines, we chuckled as we noticed the same words or phrases and similar pictures in each others’ stacks.
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| Asila and her vision board |
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| Amina finishes her vision board |
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| My completed vision board |
My vision board illustrates my life in familiar themes. Central is the Tree of Life with my family at the base. Circling the perimeter clockwise, the images I chose exemplify freedom, meaningful work, organization, travel, the arts, and health. As I write this and review it now, I see that a few things are missing. But that’s okay; I'll be on the lookout for them and can add them whenever the proper image comes along.
You can create your vision board anytime, but since it's still early in the year, making one now can help guide you through 2012. For more specific information on how to create your own vision board, see the article “How to Make a Vision Board” by Christine Kane.
~ xoA ~
Annis, what a wonderful thing to share with your daughters! I love the idea and I'm sure the wine helped the creativity to flow!
ReplyDeleteIt was terrific, Bobbi, and as you can imagine, our individual personalities showed through the process. We each got what we needed from the process and the product. Yes, and the wine was divine. xoA
ReplyDeleteI haven't made on of these in years - you inspired me to pick up my glue sticks!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that I have ever made one! Great way to really think about one's self!
ReplyDeleteI did this years ago when I worked through the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I think it's time to put together a new one. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteKim, thanks for writing. Pick up those glue sticks; you may be amazed at how things have changed AND how things are still the same. xoA
ReplyDeleteSo true, Kate. Making a vision board is a wonderful and different way to think about yourself, and it's fascinating to see how it turns out and what meaning you attach to it. Give it a try! xoA
ReplyDeleteCool, Juliana. I can see the pairing of vision boards with The Artist's Way. Time for me to return to Julia Cameron. Thanks. xoA
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you posted pictures of yourself and your daughters; I love seeing the finished vision boards. I'm going to share this with a friend of mind with whom I've been having conversations about our goals for this year. She will love this, too. And what a wonderful way to spend time with anyone we're close to!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kathleen, for your positive comments and for sharing this post. The girls and I had a wonderful time. ~xoA
ReplyDeleteI loved making the vision boards with you two out of magazines and a few printed photos! I had another vision board to make as an assignment for a class and I learned from a classmate that it was easy to do in PowerPoint. So, for the second vision board, I was able to find the pictures I needed on Google Images, copy and save them into a Word document, and then paste them into the desired configuration in PowerPoint (putting all pictures onto one slide). Once that is done, you can save it as a jpeg and print it out. I also use my vision board picture as my computer desk top and phone wallpaper.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this great method, Amina. It was such fun making the ones we did together. I'm glad you suggested it. xoMom
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