Vision Board Workshop at Dragonfly Dreams: Living the Dream

Maggie Jordan, Vision Board (detail), Collage, November 2010

Sheila Cain-Sample, Vision Board (detail), Collage, November 2010

Olive Jones, Vision Board (detail), Collage, November 2010

Wendy Southin, Vision Board (detail), Collage, November 2010

Ruth Watt, Vision Board (detail), Collage, November 2010

Part Two:

Vision Board day finally arrived.  As the sun made its appearance – I thought, ah, a good omen from the Great Creator.  With my husband at the wheel, we left the house on schedule.  As we departed I cautioned him: “Now no driving down the highway like a wild man!”  My husband, secretly an Indy car racer at heart, reassured me: “No problem honey!” (right!!!).  Ten minutes later, we were pulled over for speeding which delayed our arrival in Richmond.  I thought, why today when I need every minute of pre-class time to set up?!  As I watched the time dwindle, my paranoid brain set in…

When the class started a bit late, I felt a little jittery.  But not as jittery as when I discovered that most of the group had NO clear idea of where they were headed with their vision boards!  I nearly fell off my chair when someone wondered if visioning could help them at all! – I sensed wariness here and my panic set in.  Okay, okay… deep breath, deep breath… .  While a part of me freaked out; the professional in me desperately tried to figure out how to deal with the very scenario I had dreamed into existence!  I thought, hell, I’ve been trained by The Royal Conservatory (of Toronto!) to deal with situations like this!  Okay now, what was I supposed to do?!… if only I could remember right NOW!!!  And suddenly, I did.  Taking a leap of faith in my abilities as a teacher, I decided to do something radical and break free from my perfectly timed schedule!  I allowed myself more time to understand the mindset and context of my students and any apprehensions they had about the vision board process.  Through their comments and questions I learned that these were not the lost souls my paranoid mind had cooked up!  They were a group of bright, articulate, creative women!  All was well; we’d make it through.

By the end of the visioning exercise, despite an initial lack of clarity regarding their dreams, each had found a number of paths their visions could take.  As they scribbled down their thoughts I was happy to see them bursting with ideas.  As we explored various vision board examples, I sensed the process becoming clearer to them.  By the time they were ready to construct their boards, they were raring to go!  And in that moment, I realized, YES, it’s working!!!  I really CAN teach this stuff!  Then I looked at my watch and realized ditching my schedule had cost me over an hour!  Instead of panic, calmness filled me… I decided not to worry – I had transferred the fervour and passion it required to finish these vision boards – whenever that happened to be.  I watched, learned and basked in the creative energy these women exuded as they breathed life into the magazine fragments that formed the basis of their wishes and dreams.

By the end of the class their (15 x 20 inch) vision boards were nearly finished.  Ecstatically, I surveyed the pieces feeling each one was a little miracle.  Beautifully composed, I sensed what I had come to know of their spirits in each piece.  As the group shared their vision board journeys with each other, I was touched to hear how they had allowed their inner spirits to guide them while creating their works.  Some even ventured courageously into dream territories they had silently desired.  This amazed me – they had earnestly contemplated what was in their souls; I felt privileged to be a part of the process.  I was delighted when they enthusiastically spoke of making more vision boards.  They realized that creating a vision board was not just a one-stop journey but could lead to a succession of future dream avenues to explore.  A student mentioned she intended to pass this skill on to her grandchildren; I was proud to have contributed something that might become a family ritual further binding generations. 

Thank you to Wendy, Ruth, Sheila, Maggie and Olive for sharing your visions. I wish you the best in the pursuit of your dreams.  Above is a sneak peek of their fabulous boards – I hope to spotlight them in more detail in the future.  You can see Wendy Southin’s vision board on her blog as well as her thoughts regarding the process.  Special thanks to Wendy (an awesome artist and jewellery maker) for trusting in my abilities as an artist and new teacher enough to recommend me to her friends and for providing me with the perfect atmosphere and space for us to “dream” in.  Last but not least thanks to my husband Kevin who shared his own vision board thoughts with us as well as being my “guy Friday” and putting up with this drama queen. 😉

In embracing the power of the vision board, these students helped me to regain a sense of confidence in my teaching abilities… taking my own vision board dream one step closer to reality.