Adventures in Vision Boarding

I'm a boarder. A vision boarder, that is. I have been creating inspirational collages on a regular basis for over a year now and it has brought me great joy. I have led several collage sessions with friends and in the workplace and loved it. I loved inspiring others to express their dreams through art and enjoy the relaxation that comes with creating. And I have witnessed the power of making my intentions reality through putting them out there for the Universe to see through my own collages.

About a year ago, I started a vision collage book and have been adding to it little by little whenever inspiration finds me or when I want to invoke more inspiration and creativity in me. When I may have gotten so busy I forgot to express myself artistically. This is a wonderful outlet and has also shown me how vision boards come from deep within. It is almost like the scraps of colorful paper and the words and phrases flow from a higher space, and I get in the groove and time flies by as I create and create.

I thought it would be neat to read over my past collages and write out the messages formed in them, almost like poetry scrapped together by phrases and words that I was drawn to as I collaged. My inspirations are numerous and vary from free pamphlets and flyers to used and donated magazines of all shapes and sizes to my life coaching class lessons. One of my favorite magazines to use when I collage is the Oprah magazine though. 

Here are the wise words I've used to live by and form intentions from on the collages I created this past year:

Milagro, encuentrame ahora!

(Miracle, find me now!)

Cup of Grace, like a diamond:

Art / energy / play / feeling good / calling / bliss / patient / transcendence / way of life / Renaissance / happiness / savoring / deliciousness / peaceful / paradise / freedom / heart / thanks / true love / ideas / journey / abundance / joy 

Oh, beautiful life!

Conjuring a world of endless possibilities,

Defying boundaries.

Taking a leap.

Restore / Replenish / Refresh

Live your best

Find your balance.

Let go >>>>

What makes it awesome 

I imagined myself becoming a woman who was valued for the love she shared.

Passionate

Vigilant

Courageous

Bold

Resourceful

Driven

Fearless

Unstoppable 

Live like a yogi.

Made for my life

Sacred

Beauty

Special 

Soulful and heartwarming 

Breathing space

I say yes to joy 

Opportunity 

Goodness 

Uncork your inner artist

Share your joy ~ 

Life is better when viewed from the top.

~Kerry Boone

Start...

Celebrate life -

For life is a beautiful, fanciful thing.

...Finish

Do you ever feel like you're growing?

Beauty starts on the inside.

Make one simple change 

Love your willpower 

Best life now 

Here's to your health 

Warrior 

Move a little,

Live a lot

What's not to love?

Reach

Bursting with Life

Worth sharing 

Amazing gift 

Beauty 

Find your balance.

Whole body

M'm! M'm! Good!

Beautiful breakthroughs

Joy. Pride. Confidence.

Focus on the positive.

Just simple choices.

Life lessons 

There are no real rules. (Seriously, anything goes.)

Illuminate 

Do more of what you love.

Life your best life 

Inspiration / motivation / celebration 

Your body is a temple 

My healthy life 

I am

Fearless 

Purpose 

Compassion / respect / excellence / collaboration / accountability 

Vision 

Community 

Values 

Mission 

Keeping promises 

"I'm always working towards a balance in life."

~Alicia Silverstone

Awaken 

Inspire 

Feel good / live simply / laugh more 

Celebrating the Divine in all

Hello cozy

Delight

Crisp fall days 

The cozy coat - go full-on cozy...

Cozy-on-cozy is surprisingly chic.

My mantra

Changing the world

Creating art

Spark 

Mind - Body - Spirit

Experience it!

Something fun for everyone!

Creating adventure 

Inspire their passions.

Light up a life...

Shine on

Live your best LIFE

In every way. Every day.

Bright ideas

For awakening opportunity

Prosperity and peace.

Feel the love

Grandiosa

Aloha

Life is a special occasion.

Flowing 

Heart 

If you could change anything 

Share your story 

Build up the excitement.

What are your goals?

Focus on bliss

Inner balance ~ Outer beauty 

Bounce back 

Inspired hope 

Your guiding gift of faith is a blessing 

Serenity

Lift your spirits!

I say YES! to unexpected Miracles!

Joys!

Love!

Money!

And more!

(Mantra from Richard Seaman of Seattle Life Coach Training) 

Yes!

Art + Play

Love 

Smile 

All you need is Love

Surrounded by artists at play 

Music 

Keep a poem in your pocket 

Celebrate 

Home 

Discover artist / author within 

Keep calm and

At the heart of your creativity,

Embrace your strength 

Take your real love,

A miracle of diamonds 

To paradise 

Cocooned in coconut 

& Mangos

Like joy feels 

Hello, Sunshine!

Breathe breathe

Love

Journey to greater health 

Enjoy 

Well rested 

Making poetry

Refresque su vida!

Let your health shine 

Connect with nature, 

Nurture your creativity.

Just say Yes!

Find your signature strength 

Developing 

Confident 

Trust

Amaze your confidence 

Believe / love / imagine

Celebrating the power of expression 

Whatever your story you're the boss of you!

Make waves

Reclaim your life

For calm

Blessings are all around us.

Add some SPARKLE to your 

Matters of the Heart 

The Meaning of Life

Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell about it.

~Mary Oliver, "Sometimes"

Dream

How to make your goals reality - for good! 

(Inspiration)

Grow!

Miracles

A hug a day

How does inspired creativity express itself through you? 

Learning to love even the darkness

Recently the weather in the Seattle area has begun to shift slightly-the days are a little bit shorter, the nights a little bit crisper and the gray skies have returned more often than during the rest of this summer.  I'm struck with my automatic thought to despise the end of summer and dread the coming of the colder, darker, rainier days.  This year I would like to challenge this automatic thought of mine and since the changing of the seasons is inevitable, actually look forward to the autumn and winter seasons through a more positive, yet still sincere lens.

So yesterday I asked myself this question, "What do I love about each season?"  And "what do I look forward to every year during each season?"  Spring and Summer are my favorite seasons so it's extremely easy for me to come up with lists upon lists of my favorite things about these two sunnier, brighter seasons.  But what about the two seasons that are more challenging for me?

My first thought, because of the chillier nights these past few weeks, is how much I love wearing a different scarf each day.  When the colder months arrive, I no longer accessorize with necklaces as much as with scarves and boy is it fun!  I also love wearing tall boots again with leg warmers in the fall and winter!  But apart from clothing changes, I also look forward each year to the crunching of fallen autumn leaves on the ground during my sometimes rainy nature walks, which I try to take part in all year round if possible.  This is one of the Tranquil Times I relish in and also a way for me to be creative with my nature photography and keep up my exercise during busy times.  Speaking of photography, I love standing below trees during the fall and admiring all the bright reds and oranges and yellows of the leaves before they fall.  I never tire of taking photographs of the exquisite Autumn colors in the Pacific Northwest where I live.

Now for the hardest season for me--winter!  This took some real thought and creativity to come up with  the things I like about winter and what I look forward to during the winter months.  I always imagine the soft white snow falling so quietly and closing schools and workplaces, because this is such a peaceful event, if you don't have to drive on the icy, snowy roads around here and can just stay home and play.  But let's be honest--this only happens at best one or two times maximum each year and sometimes not at all so I really needed to come up with more than just hopes for a winter wonderland this coming winter.  So what else?  Going to the gym no longer seems like a waste of sunshine because it's dark out by the time I'm off work most of the winter.  So that's a positive way to view the darkness.  I also enjoy settling in at home more during the winter months to work on crafts like making earrings--my best friend, Andrea and I made about 30 pairs of earrings last November in preparation for a holiday craft fair at my work!  I'm motivated to try cooking yummy soup recipes during the cold winter and so is my wonderful mom who likes to share her soup creations every fall and winter.  My adorable husband and I love preparing warm tea--especially chai tea--on cold nights and it's something I definitely look forward to very much.

Something wonderful about both fall and winter is cuddling!  This coming fall will be our first fall as a married couple and I am definitely looking forward to staying in on cold, rainy nights, watching a movie all warm and cozy in our cute apartment.  Not quite as fun as cuddling is bundling up for a walk outside in the cold, maybe on one of those amazingly clear, chilly days we sometimes get here in Seattle in the winter.  Spotting the first pussy willows of the season every February is definitely a highlight for me as well because I love seeing the promise of the spring ahead right before my eyes in the form of a soft little plant I can pet!  Seeing the tiny buds beginning on all the trees is also a delight after a long winter.  The act of witnessing the beginning of this new growth shoots hopeful rays of light throughout my being every winter and I know that I've almost made it through another long winter and spring will come again.

So my real challenge is finding joy and love for the in-between--the waiting for spring to come, the aftermath of the fun, family-filled holiday season, the maintenance work of keeping our new year's intentions, all while the days feel extremely dark and dreary.  I think I'll create a new tradition for the last week in January to help motivate me and give me something real to look forward to and work towards.  What could it be?  Going trapeze flying again?  Doing an indoor (or outdoor) 5K walk at the end of January?  Travel to the little German town of Leavenworth in Cascade Mountains east of Seattle to the Icicle Fest?  Hosting an Anne of Green Gables movie marathon with the girls?

I think, for me, it helps immensely to always be working towards something, a secret little goal or a big, public dream--whatever it may be, the focus on forward motion helps inspire me.  And breaking big dreams into fun, little projects throughout the year, like this weekly blog I started this month, makes the forward motion even more obtainable.  So what will my project or tradition be during the dark, challenging months?  That is the question.  I'm grateful for this insight now, in August, before the cold darkness hits so I know what I need to creatively brainstorm about in order to be proactive for the coming fall and winter and make them joyful, love-filled seasons, just like my beloved spring and summer!