The Art of A Vision Board
A couple of months ago, an entrepreneur artist asked me for advisement. Her latest endeavor is sharing her creative spirit
and talent with business professionals, seeking a different process for goal achievement. She uses the visual art form of collage, which allows clients to bring their vision and goal setting to life on canvas. As part of our engagement, she offered me a private session of goal setting, soul-searching (a by-product of this experience), imagery collection, a mini “art-of-collage” lesson, and the task of creating my own personal masterpiece. This thought-provoking process provided me the opportunity to express my inspirational thoughts through an art form and later experience the positive effects of visualization.
TD Bank surveyed professionals about goal setting and presented their results in a Forbes* article. They stated that two-thirds of successful small business owners believe visualizing their goals has helped them develop their business plan. One in five of the business owners actually used a vision board and 76% of those business owners said their business is where they envisioned it to be. In addition, 82% of small business owners that used a vision board from the start reported that they have accomplished more than half the goals they included on that board.
After discussing this research, the art instructor provided me with a 16 x 20 inch blank canvas and I began focusing on 4 major goals and how I could lay out my board in quadrants. I came up with a long list of goals but realized that several had overlapping themes and could be blended together. The instructor shared that some people prefer cutting out words and pasting to their canvas to “shout out” a message, while others may gravitate towards picture imagery for their collage. I found myself using a combination of both. As part of my session experience, the art coach provided random pre-cut images on a table. I sifted through her inspirational stash. In addition, I thumbed through a variety of magazines and cut out more. She shared best practices for creating a collage worthy of hanging on a wall. Then, I began to lay out my personal Picasso project. My instructor was a guide for form, color, image, and pattern selection, yet stepped away at times for me to be reflective and creative on my own.
Voicing my goals out loud, then seeking and finding the most impactful, meaningful images, was quite rewarding. I was especially drawn to the cut-out words I found between a slew of images that read “Be More Than Average.” At that moment, I thought back to my 4th grade teacher who told my parents that I was “just average” while discussing my grades and standardized test scores. Throughout my life, I have always remembered her “just average” assessment. It has had a personal emotional impact on how I never wanted to be seen. I held that magazine clipping in one hand as I sorted through other symbols and pictures of flowers and such. Being more than average and proving her wrong has always been in the back of my mind. I shared my grade school story with my instructor and before I could paste that personal phrase on my canvas, she stopped me and said, “You know you are more than average, right?” I paused as I coated the back of the clipping with paste. She said, “Cut out the word “Be!” The clipping now read, “More Than Average!” I smiled, and I proudly pressed the image right in the middle of my business goals’ canvas quadrant. Now, when I experience a less than a stellar day or work doesn’t go as planned, I can look to my vision board and remind myself that I am more than average. Who knew that doing a vision board would enrich my self-image in addition to all of the other amazing outcomes?
I have created my own goal-inspired art piece that speaks directly to me. I felt so proud of my unique creation, I purchased a shadow box frame for it and it hangs on my bedroom wall where I can see it every day. Since I travel a lot, I took a picture of the vision board and created a cell phone screen saver as well.
I will return to this blog next year at this time and share the impact. Hopefully, I will need to make another appointment for a new vision board.
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Photos by “My Life Through A Lens”; Charisse Kenion on unsplash