Current Project: derby book
Status: coming along slowly
Last Thursday, local authors Paty Jager and Genene Valleau gave a presentation on vision boards, setting goals and reaching one's dreams. They also brought lots of fun supplies so we could make out own.
I had planned to have one finished so I could post a picture of it, but I need more images. While going through magazines at the meeting, I was continually drawn to words and found it needed more images. So I'm going to ask my dentist's office if they have old magazines they can share when I visit them this afternoon. Unfortunately, I don't have any magazines I can cut up - just a bunch of anthropology journals :)
The vision board seems to be a tool that can work as a visual reminder of what you want out of life, or what you mean to do. It can work to motivate you to keep pushing to get published or snag an agent, to becoming a healthier person, to taking more time for your family. There's no right or wrong way to do a vision board. Don't get these confused with story boards, which are more targeted to one's story - in television and movies these are used to visually map the story scene by scene. A great vision board hybrid (Debbie made a fabulous one) takes the intent of a vision board, but instead of using it for yourself, you use words and images that remind you of your characters and story. I really hope that Debbie posts a picture of hers...nudge nudge.
I found a sites that had helpful hints and descriptions for making vision boards by Christine Kane. I'd like to make small hybrid ones like Debbie did (she had scrapbook supplies and everything, folks) for the story. Genene also brought in one from her wall-o-plotting that had a bunch of images for characters. Genene, would you be willing to post a picture of your wall for all to see? ;)
For those of you who finished your vision boards, please post a pic. Here is a free image hosting service that doesn't require an account or anything. Just upload the image from your computer (ignore the bit about email) and share the link it gives you in the comments here. Does anyone have tips to share for their own vision boards, or links to ones online they like?
11 comments:
Lisa, I've never done a vision board. I used to keep all my covers on the wall but that got messy after awhile and I'm one of those people who stop seeing something about two days after it goes up. I hope Debbie and Genene do post photos! That would be fun to see!
And btw, Debbie, happy last week of gainful employment...
Genene and I had fun tossing ideas back and forth for the presentation.
I had the old one I made several years ago and the new I made for you all to see. But I really like the idea of making one for a WIP. My only problem is I have no where to hang it to keep it in view of my computer while I'm working, which I think would lose the whole purpose.
Debbie's was awesome as was our guest Heather's she really got into the whole idea. Bethany was working on a great one, too. Now there was woman who came to make a board- she had her whole scrapbooking holder with her.
Not sure my vision board is noteworthy but I"ll try posting it, Lisa.
The vision board/goals & dreams presentation by Paty and Genene was so inspiring for me and I've been going gang-busters since. (Thanks girls!) ;)
Lisa-- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christine Kane! She's an amazing woman. Her websight has awesome helps and I've been reading her past blog posts for days now and can't get enough. She's amazing!
My vision board that I'm doing right now is personal stuff, just for myself, and it's coming along. I'm in the "still gathering" stage.
Like you, Lisa, I cut out a bunch of words, not so many pictures, at the meeting on Thursday. What I've done since is surf the interwebs for images and pics of things I want manifested in my life and I've saved them to print out and put on my board. I've also written my own words to go with the images so I can paste them all over my boards.
It's been a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to doing some for my writing and my stories, too. I loved Debbie's! It was totally inspiring for a story board example and it gave me great ideas for when I do mine.
This was a fun post to follow up on the presentation Genene and Paty did! Thanks Lisa!
Hi, Lisa! I checked my e-mail one more time before I dashed out the door and saw the responses to your post.
Christine Kane has some wonderful ideas for vision boards. Her Web site is one I visited when researching the presentation. Good stuff!
Probably the fastest way to see my the vision boards I'm doing for my nine-book series is to visit this page on my Web site: **http://www.genenevalleau.com/AboutNov09.html**.
This really isn't intended as blatant self-promotion (which I will do later:) and it's a much neater/cleaner photo than you would get if I took a picture of my office right now. I've added sticky notes and the beginning of the timeline to the boards for my series, and this will continue as the books develop.
As Paty said, she and I had fun tossing ideas back and forth about this presentation. I've toyed with vision boards before, but lately they have become a very valuable tool for me--both in developing stories and in my personal life. It's great when something that's so enjoyable is also a valuable tool for moving toward our goals and dreams. Just my opinion, but I think that's the way all learning should be!
Glad so many of you were inspired by the presentation and are having fun with these!
And for those of you who can keep all this stuff in your mind without your head exploding, I am in awe!
Gotta run! I hope some of the rest of you post your vision boards. I saw some great stuff at the meeting!
Mine makes me happy :) I'd like to add some things to it, but the process of making it was very good for me. I loved the presentation.
I agree that Debbie's board was awesome.
Jennifer Crusie has also done several posts on her collages for her books, and they are AWESOME.
Lisa, I loved the idea of creating a vision board. Paty and Genene did a terrific job of explaining and showing examples. I'd read Jennifer Crusie's blog article about creating a board for the story she was working on and had been thinking about doing one related to my current projects. I kind of got it in my head that's what we were going to do, so that's what I came to the meeting prepared for. I really like the idea of a vision board for other aspects of our lives, too.
The board I created isn't a strict representation of my stories. It does fit the feelings and, well, visions I have in my head when I think about my projects, though. I tried to just pick the images that spoke to me -- and I had a blast doing it. Thanks, Paty and Genene!
I took a picture of the board and put it on my website. You can see it here: http://www.deborah-wright.com/images/visionboard1.jpg
Alice -- thanks. I think I'm already getting used to freedom. ;-)
OMHeck, I <3 your board, Debbie! Whatever stories inspired that board, I want to read them! REALLY BADLY. It's so awesome.
I need to make one now. Mom, *whines* why haven't we hoarded a million magazines over the years? Now I have to do it the hard way!
Debbie, thanks for posting a picture of your board. Very striking and very strong images! I need to start getting Photoshop magazine. Very cool!
Alice, I can imagine this lengthy hall filled with your book covers. It sounds quite grand!
Paty, thanks! I hope you're able to.
Piper, awesome! I'll have to check out her site more. Maybe we should all bring our boards to the retreat and hang them up for inspiration as we're working!
Genene, thanks for posting the link! Looks pretty great :)
Wavy, thanks for the suggestion, I'll have to check Jen's site/blog.
Debbie, WOWZA! It looks so awesome! Great job and thanks for sharing :D
Katie, HAHAHAHA! Did your mom show you the Gerard Butler photo she snagged that said "stud"?????
Piper, this is brilliant: "images and pics of things I want manifested in my life" I'm going to try to add that to my board. That's a fabulous idea. In fact, I may need a second board to do that!
WHAT? She isn't sharing her Gerry pictures with me? That girl is in BIIIIIIIG trouble now! *stomps off*
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