In last month’s newsletter, I wrote about hearing in a podcast, “when you start thinking about it, it’s time,” meaning that when an idea comes into your mind and keeps pestering you, it’s time to get started on it. But, what if you don’t know exactly what “it” is? What if you just sort of feel a stirring, but can’t quite put your finger on it? This pull is Stage One of the Creativity Journey and it’s the topic of this week’s Creativity Journey Challenge in the Creativity Explorers Club Facebook group. (Anyone is welcome in the group so please come and join us if you aren’t there already!)
One exercise that you can also try to help illuminate what you want is to create a vision board. Discussions of vision boards can get very woo-woo and I’ll skip all of that. At the very least, it’s a fun, creative project. Here’s how it works (for a great discussion of vision boards and the process, listen to this Leadership is Feminine podcast episode.):
- Start by gathering a stack of magazines. (Finding actual paper magazines may be the hardest part in our digital world, but it’s worth trying. Pinterest or other places on the Internet is a good Plan B.)
- Grab a glass of wine or a mug of hot chocolate, curl up, and flip through the magazines. You’re looking for phrases that strike you, images that you’re drawn to, or even just colors that are interesting. No need to consider why you’re drawn to these particular things, just rip out the page and start a pile.
- Once you have a good pile, leave it alone for a day and come back the next day to edit. Pull out your favorites.
- Get out a large piece of paper, scissors, glue, etc. (glitter? That’s up to you.) and create a collage of the images and phrases with the most meaning.
- At this point, if you want to step back from your board and see if you can glean some meaning or see a theme in what you’ve brought together, then go for it. But, it’s also okay to just hang it where you can see it often and let the meaning be illuminated over time.
Don’t overthink any of this process. The point is not to create a vision board that’s a work of art, but to use it as a way to bring to the surface a deep desire that may not be readily apparent to you, something in your soul that your mind doesn’t see.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on your vision boards. Don’t hesitate to comment below!
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