One way to sustain your journey towards your big vision for your work in the world is to take time for reflection. If you like to write in a journal, like I do, you can make a special notebook just for your Big Vision reflections. All you need is some old magazines, a notebook, scissors, glue, and clear contact paper (which I forgot to put in the photo). You don’t really need the tape, but I have it on hand for images that just won’t stick.
I find that each notebook takes me about 1-2 hours to make. Sometimes I have a very clear idea of the images I want, but most of the time I work intuitively. For 10-15 minutes, I flip through magazines and tear out pages that jump out at me. Then, I cut out the specific images and words that caught my eye and lay them out on the notebook.
I often don’t use all of the images and words I cut out. If I like them a lot, but just not for that particular notebook, I throw them into an 8.5 x 11 envelope that I keep with my collage materials so I can use them another time.
I usually start with the largest images first, and then add the smaller ones in the empty spaces. I like working with Decomposition notebooks because they have nice patterns on them, so if I don’t want to collage the back of the notebook, or if some of the notebook’s original design peeks through, it still looks nice.
Once I’ve decided on a design I like, I glue everything down with the glue stick. Because I sometimes carry my journal around with me, I cover the book with clear contact paper so that the images won’t tear. The contact paper on the journals pictured above turned out a little bumpy, but here’s a tutorial on how to cover books in contact paper without bubbles, if you want to make sure yours is smooth.
Now its time to start writing! I’m a big fan of free writing without editing and just letting everything pour out, but sometimes prompts can help get your pen flowing, so here are some starter questions:
- What was my Big Vision at this time last year? How has it changed?
- What is working on my journey towards my Big Vision? What should I keep doing?
- What isn’t working on my journey towards my Big Vision? What should I let go of?
- What are the greatest obstacles I’m facing as I work towards my Big Vision? What would help me move through them (e.g. taking a class, working with a coach, getting more sleep, opening a savings account, taking a vacation, talking with a friend, getting a “day job”)?
- If I’ve been focusing a lot on my self, how can I put more energy into serving others with my Big Vision? If I’ve been focusing a lot on serving others, how can I put more energy into taking care of myself?
- What do I want to harvest, or complete this fall related to my Big Vision?
- What am I grateful for related to my Big Vision?
If you share a photo of your Big Vision Journal on Instagram, please tag it with #bigvisionjournal so I can see it!