2010…Oh how I am so glad that last year is gone and never to return. 2010 was an incredibly difficult year for me. Every month was like a soap opera playing out, from January right on down to December. I had, not one but, two immediate family members pass away back to back (one in February and the other in March). A cancer scare in April, surgery in May, and a whole lot of sickness, recovery, PAIN and overall grief from June until December. Overall, I am grateful for (most of) those experiences and to be here still standing; And that my passion and ABILITY to perform as a photographer has not waned in any way. Trust and believe, I don’t take anything for granted these days.
With the New Year like a field of fresh snow, most folks are trying to seize the opportunity and use it as a clean slate to start anew. By resolving to do things like smoking cessation, spending more time exercising and less time eating junk, etc., with the hopes of improving their quality of life. Resolutions have NEVER been my thing. So when I met an incredible group of women via Thirdage.com that introduced me to The Vision Board concept back in 2003, it was a bandwagon I jumped on immediately!!
The result: what started out as just writing down aspirations and “wants” for myself, have turned into a full-fledged, poster sized collage, backed with foam board that hangs as art in my apartment. My vision board is pretty elaborate, but trust me it wasn’t always this way and by no means should you go all out like I have.
Old Board circa 2007:Â Essentially the new board contains the same vision(s) but it has more dimension…
My 2011 Board 🙂
A few tips to creating your vision board-
*Set some time aside to figure out what you want- write it down and be specific. A good example of this would be: “a fulfilling career in ___” vs. “a good job”, “sultry vacations in Cabo with my wife” vs. “a romantic weekend”, etc. It’s also OK to put physical things on the list- mine has photography and makeup equipment, and the car(s) I would like to own.
*All the things you want, MUST BE ABLE to live harmoniously alongside each other, obviously that would mean on the board as well as in real life 🙂 I.e: My own need for travel and my desire to be commissioned for more destination weddings. The universe is very “choosy” and if you throw things out there that cannot exist alongside each other…Well, you might end up with some things coming to fruition and others… not so much. Which reminds me of one of my favorite episodes of Tales from Crypt surrounding the Monkey’s Paw, lol.
The harmony is pretty apparent here:
*This is the fun part: using the list you made, look online, and in magazines for images that represent your visions. Respect your desires from the gate by using high quality (color) images, it makes it all more real as opposed to clipping things out of a newspaper or printing in b/w. In the process, Google Images will become your best friend! Don’t worry about missing your target by being too specific. If you want “A zen bedroom with romantic lighting and platform bed” search and ye shall find! Tip: Give yourself a couple of days in advance to begin collecting pictures for the board.
*Arrange your collage before you begin securing it to your backing. Try to work out a flow…remember, ♪♫♫harmonious♪♫ is the key here :). Ideally, your board should be seamless, in the sense that it should flow from one desire to the next. A tip: Put your priority in the center and work your way out, transitioning into everything else.
*Have FUN with it! I invited my good friend over and we spent the day watching feel good movies and eating comfort food while we clipped and arranged the pictures. In turn, we were able to advise each other on positioning and composition.
*Feel free to embellish it. Use markers (or scrap-book supplies if that’s your thing). I find that writing specific notes and affirmations all over help to channel exactly what i am looking for.
*When done, post it in a conspicuous place. Somewhere that you can see it when you wake up and when you go to sleep. If you work odd hours that may mean you will have to take a picture of it and upload to your Ipad as wallpaper. Extreme, but it will work for someone in Med School/residency/a night job, etc. My board hangs on a wall in my living-room. Remember you’re doing this to remind yourself of your long and short term goals and where your focus should be should you get side tracked.
There are a number of videos on Youtube that illustrate how to build a vision board. I linked to Erin over at Scandalous Beauty, who I normally watch makeup tutorials by. Also, be sure to check out The Secret’s website that has some goodies like a blank check that you fill in and WORK toward attaining.
Good Luck! Do message me (or comment) if you want more info on this project.
[link to all pics]
Photography by Michelle Etwaroo 