Vision Boards - An Inspirational Gallery - Christine Kane

So, I host these retreats for women four times a year. (You can read more about them here.) On the second afternoon of the retreat, each participant creates a Vision Board. If you aren’t sure what a Vision Board is, I’ve written two posts about them: Vision Boards: A Quick Story. And How to Make a Vision Board.

For today and tomorrow, I want to share several of the vision boards from last weekend’s retreat. (The retreat was amazing – on so many levels.) The Vision Boards are on full-size poster boards. Some people flew in from far away places like Arizona, Texas and New Zealand (!) and so they made their boards in composition books. Or they folded up the poster boards. I will display a few of those tomorrow!

 

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Vision Boards are not about art. They are about joy and creativity. I’ve heard an occasional visual artist get snooty about the “lay-out” or the “composition” of a particular vision board. And I just want to say, “Dude – relax. No one is trying to threaten you here!”

 

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One person – who has come to many retreats now – told everyone a story of how much she resisted doing a Vision Board when I introduced the activity at the very first retreat. (About five years ago now!) She says that she rolled her eyes and said to her friend, “I didn’t come here to cut and paste things. This is stupid.” She then spent the entire day and night finishing hers at that retreat. She says that her life totally changed for the better, partly because of that board. Now, she looks forward to each new one she creates.

 

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The most amazing thing about Vision Boards is that when it comes right down to it, the desires and visions are usually very simple. Sacred space. Travel. Abundance. Great food. Delightful friends. Sometimes there’s a car. Lots of times there are beautiful homes. But when you think about it, none of it is un-doable. We clutter our lives up and make everything so complicated. And life doesn’t have to be so complicated! (Okay, so I think someone mentioned a fling with Kermit the Frog. And someone else mentioned one with Rod Stewart. Both of which came with the cautionary advice that penicilin should be a precursor to such affairs!)

 

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On the last morning of the retreat, each person can share her board with everyone, and tell its story aloud. I think that adding a voice and witnesses to a Vision Board gives it velocity. And each board came alive as we heard the desires and dreams of each person.

 

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The board below is considered by some to be the very best and most special Vision Board on the entire planet ever in the history of the world! 🙂 (I promised its creator that I’d write this!)

 

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The board below was created by a woman whose husband died suddenly from a brain aneurysm in October. She has been working with a grief support network as she puts her life back together. An image that continues to help her is from a poem about a tree and how you can cut a branch off a tree, and it might change the shape of the tree, and it might add a scar, but it doesn’t alter the tree itself. The tree keeps growing. When she started sorting through magazines, she found the image of the tree, which is central to her vision board and the healing she is continuing to experience.

 

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23 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT
  • Jill Henry

    I just wanted to share with everyone that I am starting to collect images for my vision board and I am getting so much joy out of just collecting items, I can’t wait until I actually begin putting it together. I remember making a collage in the 5th grade and it was very inspirational. My vision board now seems like it is going to be a mix of want I know I want, what I have and want to maintain, and things that just make me happy. My boyfriend is even excited and might make one himself. I plan on keeping it where I will see it everyday.

  • MK

    oh dear anna – that’s a good one!

  • Anna

    He’s in the yurt! 😉

  • MK

    So I’m staring and staring at embryo’s vision board and I’m seeing zero red shorts. What’s up with that? {giggle}

  • Anna

    Loved seeing these again…it’s amazing that in a group of people who are so different that a lot of the visions are the same. The roads we are traveling really aren’t all that different. I’ll be doing one of these in October for sure!

  • Susie

    Wow, what beautiful vision boards!

    I wanted to take the chance to thank everyone for adding my uncle to the prayer list. Uncle Gene passed away this morning (don’t be sad, it really was for the best) and I know he was comforted by all of your positive thoughts; so thanks for being with him and the rest of the family through this journey…it’s greatly appreciated!

  • Christine Kane

    thanks everyone for your words and wisdom and thoughts!

  • Nel

    I love the words on Carolyn’s board that said, “You must board, you must disembark.” The expression of these boards are our wants and desires. We are boarding with these visions. Then we must disembark by facing our fears and finding our courage. Get on our little boat and have someone throw us the line that had secured us to shore and watch as we head out for adventure.

    Thanks Christine for helping me know this is true.

  • Kathy

    I have GOT to get to one of these retreats!!!

  • Karen Lynch

    Wow, the vision boards are beautiful! It sounds like your retreats are quite heavenly! I don’t suppose you would take a mom and 3 daughters (ages 7, 3, 2) No I’m kidding! really!
    The visions are beautiful and inspiring though!

  • barb

    christine, thanks for putting them up on the blog. I laughed and then cried. I still look at mine every morning.
    barb

  • rebecca

    Thank you for making me laugh out loud on a Monday afternoon & for giving my vision board the special attention it deserves (I am embracing my four-ness). No, really, thanks so much for all that you do, Christine. This was an AMAZING retreat — I left Bend of Ivy full to the brimg with blessings from all of those strong and inspiring women.

  • Elaine

    Thank you for sharing these beautiful Vision Boards – I still have mine as my desktop back ground on my laptop, which travels with me everywhere I go as a daily reminder of the wonderful experience I had in Asheville in March and all the amazing powerful and wonderful women I met. The vision board helps me to focus daily on my intentions and goals and keeps my ‘Great Big Dreams’ a live and well…

    Can’t wait to get snipping with those scissors again in October!!!

  • Kay

    Thanks for sharing! These are both wonderful and inspiring. I was, as I said there, still ‘vision-less’ during ‘the retreat’ last March. But the retreat, including a particular excerpt that you read, and my continued grief journey provided me with the focus to gain a vision and I completed my vision board! I continue to be amazed at its power and meaningfulness to me. Thank you again.

    I was reminded of you and the focus of your retreats and many of your songs by a book interview yesterday about a new book called “Crashing Through” by Robert Kurson. It is about a blind man choosing life and wonder and continuing always to leap!

  • Christine Kane

    thanks amita!

  • Amita

    I realize now why it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The boards displayed are truly inspiring. Thanks Christine.

  • Christine Kane

    thanks judy and susanne. yes, it really was a powerful and supportive group. we had lots of fun. (we laughed a lot!)

  • Judy

    wonderful and powerful. Thank you.

  • Susanne

    Beautiful. Thank you for sharing these (and of course thanks to the participants for letting you share these. I haven’t done a vision board yet. Mybe time to reconsider.

  • Christine Kane

    hi mackie! i just tried to leave a comment on your blog, but it rejected me. (i don’t suppose you’d be willing to make the switch to WordPress – since it’s SUCH a great blog platform…?) Anyway, congrats on your first blog post and for starting a blog!

    hi angie, and thanks!

  • Angie Hartford

    Very cool stuff! Thanks to you and the participants for sharing them with us.

  • Mackie

    How lovely to see these again! Beautiful pictures representing some of the most powerful, beautiful women I’ve ever met. And I never would have met YOU, Christine, were it not for my random search for instructions on how to do a vision board only a few short months ago. It’s so wonderful to see the pieces as they LEAP into place. Blessings, dear girl.