Oct7
Category Archives: Art
Jun28
Creating A Vision Board For The Future
I know this can sound a bit out there, but I have had friends who have done vision boards and some of their dreams from those boards have actually come true. I swear. Not just mundane things, but a job on a yacht for example, or funding for their company coming out of nowhere. I have heard of this happening enough times now that I am starting to believe there may be something to this whole vision board thing. So when Stacey Hoffer Weckstein of the Inspiring Moms Network told me about her new campaign, I thought I’d give my own vision board a try! This month I am working with Inspiring Moms Network on a project that helps women to Awaken their Age potential. What exactly does that mean? Guided by Lori Campbell and her book on the topic, it is inspiring people to foresee an exciting future for themselves as they age, as opposed to our cultural norm of fearing the aging process.
In my book, Awaken Your AgePotential: Exploring Chosen Paths of Thrivers, I introduce an emerging trend called AgePotential. AgePotential is a philosophical revolution to change how our culture perceives the daily process of growing older. AgePotential is all about choosing to live a thriving and engaged life instead of settling for the status quo.
As part of this campaign, my goal is to Awaken you to the knowing that this type of aging experience (thriving) is for real and the AgePotential reality can be true for YOU.
Be Well,
Lori
Personally I am not one to fear aging on a grand scheme in general. This may stem from the fact that internally I think I am only 23 years old, but I truly embrace the wisdom and self-assuredness that comes with age. The deeper understanding of life, and the knowledge that I will continue to grow, learn, and understand more as time goes by. That said I can not claim to love the wrinkles that are appearing, or the betrayal of my once swift metabolism. I am excited for the future, while at the same time savoring the present. As part of this Awaken Your AgePotential project I chose to create a future vision board to span the next several decades of dreams and to hone in on some of those hopes I am chasing. I have done collages like the one below based on some of my travels, but never a vision board, so I’ll give you a glimpse of my start and then keep an eye out for the follow up post for the final board once I’m done.
These are the instructions given on how you begin your vision board:
Clearly I’ve veered from the directions already at step 1…….
- Place two or three pictures of yourself at different ages in the middle of your vision board.
- Encircle the photos with a heart to symbolize a growing LOVE OF SELF. In doing so, you give your ever-evolving self a sense of acceptance and unconditional love.
- List attributes you value in yourself and place them around these pictures. Expressing self-love is an integral part of being YOUR OWN BEST CARETAKER. Placing yourself front and center gives your mind/body/spirit a message that you are worthy of focused attention.
- Set your INTENTION for this board. You are welcome to use the AgePotential Mantra of… “I Can, I Will, I Choose to Create and Live an Extraordinary Aging Experience.”
- Envision out three decades past your current age. For example, if you are in your thirties the board would depict you in your 40s, 50s and 60s.
- Decide on the main theme of each decade. It may be based on something specific you wish to accomplish or obtain, or it may be a general idea like: things that stretch me to get outside my comfort zone or opportunities that grow me to be more spontaneous.Allow yourself to dream and live the life you so desire. Wake up to all that you can be. Shine some light on a vision that may have been buried under a pile of fears for too long. Create an environment that puts you into a state of allowing. That may mean lighting candles, burning incense, using essential oils, or playing music that speaks to your heart. Remember, this process is not about impressing oneself or anyone else but rather about expressing your truest desires.
- Find images, photographs, quotes, affirmations, symbols, poems, songs, prayers that correspond with each decade theme. Draw from magazines, photographs, and the internet. Each theme should be stated clearly on your board so the eye catches the phrase at a glance. Be as creative and expressive as you can. Incorporate fabric and texture using scrap booking materials if you so desire. Any vision that doesn’t bring you alive is too small for you.
Things to Consider for Each Decade:
- Personal goals
- Professional goals
- Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual growth
- Evolving a unique role each decade like… Sue the advocate, Sue the author, Sue the musician etc.
- Developing a new skill each decade
- Your bucket list
- Identify the roles and responsibilities you will give up to make time and clear space for the new
Some of the pictures that may end up on my vision board!
Will you create your own future vision board? You never know, your dreams just may come true!
Connect with Lori Campbell Online…
Free AgePotential Resources :
- Free Chapter: What is AgePotential?
- FREE AgePotential Quiz. Find out if you have what it takes to live a robust, active, and fulfilling life
- FREE Weekly Aging Affirmations (because the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts)
- FREE Videos at AgePotential TV
Jun8
Art! Food! Merriment! At Festival Fete
One of the things we love about Rhode Island is the amazing art scene, and this weekend one of my favorite local events is taking place. Festival Fete is an art festival featuring local artists, performers, and food vendors that bring together community to celebrate the arts. It is a two day event full of music, entertainment, free crafts for kids, Artists, and local vendors.
The mission of Festival Fete is: to offer a platform for local artists — of various mediums and levels — to show their work. In collaboration with community talent, volunteers and sponsors, to create profitable platforms that celebrate locally grown art, food and merriment.
“This is not your grandmother’s Art Festival!” is used as one of the festival’s tag lines, and certainly prepares you a bit for the 10 foot costumed Big Nazo creatures roaming amongst the vendor tents. Today we were charmed by painters and jewlers, bakers and popcorn-makers, and children selling their art. Women twirling rolling pins and covered in flower danced through the crowd to the music of their band, and tee-shirts were sold recycled as skirts along side organic laundry care by Yore. This festival is all about community, great art and supporting the arts. the Rock Climbing Wall donates 1/2 of it’s profit to ArtIsSmart, and Smashing Photo Booth donates the entire fee charged for photos.
Art Is Smart serves children by raising funds to support public education art programs. We produce and sell AIS merchandise, hold fundraising events, and direct 100% of corporate and individual donations to public school art teachers who request funding via a short, specific letter outlining what they need funding for and how much. A simple and straightforward process for raising and distributing funds, Art Is Smart is based on pure passion for the arts.
Even young artists in the community are given a chance to shine. The booth for them is free and in return they donate 10% of their proceeds to the ArtIsSmart program. David created the Festival along with his wife Jennifer, and says that grants are provided to nurture art programs in Rhode Island public schools where sometimes the budget for art supplies is zero. “Some schools with no budget for art supplies will come to us with requests for the most basic supplies such as paper and colored pencils.” says David. Over the past year thousands of dollars in grants went to funding basic art supplies for Rhode Island public schools.
We learned about the award winning art program riverz edge arts which is a really cool program that took part in the festival. It serves as a social enterprise where professional artists serve as mentors, guiding youth through their arts education in an environment that stresses hands-on learning, teamwork, mutual respect, and responsibility. At one of the booths I fell in love with the great logos on the Lotus Life tee-shirts that read “Create Yourself” and “She Believed She Could So She Did”. The sun came out to shine down on the festivities driving us to get refreshment at nearby Pinkberry frozen yogurt, where they also were donating proceeds from their sales to Art is Smart. The festival will be at Garden City June 8th & 9th from 10am – 5pm, since proceeds for many of the activities go to charity, you don’t have to feel guilty about going both days if you want. It’s all in the name of Art!
