EMILY PERRY:: ELEMENTAL

Welcoming the New Year:: Vision Mapping

so, i had my big list, but i was still needed to sort of "tie together" all of different things i like to do.  when you are trying to pioneer a new business i think it helps to have a vision of how everything is connected and feeds the other part.

after reading gwen bell's post, i knew i had to make a little vision map.  now this map doesn't include my home life, parenting, being-a-wife-stuff, because what i really need to figure out is how all of the things i love to do feed into my studio project.  so here is version 1.0 of the map:

 
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i bet this looks a little chaotic, but it has helped.  i am still working on it, and i plan on making a final watercolor version i can post on the wall, scan and carry around with my planning calender.  when i set my goals of the year, and map out the schedule for those goals, i want to be able to see what areas i am hitting or ignoring.

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what does your vision map look like?  Post your link in the comments!

Welcoming The New Year:: The Vision List

are you getting ready for the new year?  besides all the usual house cleaning and what-not, i am planning for the year, and i thought i would share my process here.

the first step for me is my vision list.  this is my master list of things i want to explore for the year, what i want to focus on.  i have items in several categories, some of which may overlap categories.  my master categories are:

home, kids, art, business, personal & fitness, writing, to get/ purchase.

i also have a big vision list, that pulls from all the categories:

 

1. launch the workshop
2. work on etsy shop and selling
3. do a retreat
4. submit work for shows:: to show at 3 places
5. submit three articles for magazines
6. finish book proposal and send to agents
7. try encaustic
8. shoot pics everyday, and go on specific shooting trips
9. draw
10. develop product line

 

what is on your big vision list for the year?

breathing space

there is something to be said for the clarity of this season:: where i live, the foggy season is now over, and one can see for miles and miles.  storms come, move through, and leave behind crisp air and beautiful views.

everything is clear, now.  there is lots of seeing, and understanding too.  i have been thinking of this post by Lisa, about what i want for myself, my family, for this space, in 2010.  and this year, i am going to plan how to get there:: i know it is unromantic, but i am totally going to do some short-term and long-term planning:: i'm talking calendars, charts, and manifestos.  we shall see how it all shakes out, but my goal is to have something on paper by the new year.

so, perhaps these images from where i live can hold a little of that breathing space for you, as you venture into the holiday season, into your planning, into whatever this season has in store for you. 

where do you find breathing space?

 

 

giveaway for the holidays!

a couple of my prints are up in a giveaway over at wishstudio:: please come check it out to enter!

if you haven't visited wishstudio before, it is worth a visit:: so many creative souls with ideas and inspiration to help you live more creatively and fully!

happy holidays!

finding my word, finding my way

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last year, i chose a word to guide me through the year: commit.  it was just what i need to get myself to commit to doing the work, opening up a shop, and organizing my thoughts for a book and workshop.  so this next year is going to be all about setting these into action: finishing that book proposal, manifesting the workshops. i am so excited about it all, about making art and teaching again, and yet for me the hardest piece is time. i need to manifest some time!

so it appears, as i am writing this, that my word for the new year has chosen itself: manifest.  i am going to dream big (and i think enroll in mondo beyondo!) and go for it.  make it happen. the time factor is going to be my focus for january, my birthday month: creating a regular work schedule for art, photo, workshops and writing.  i'll let you know how it goes.

::what is your word for the year?  want to play along?::

Making Progress in Art

finding time to paint and finish pieces is going to be my new priority for the new year.  i have all of these pieces that have been in a holding pattern, waiting.  some are experiments.  some are stuck where they are.  some are calling to me.

one thing i have learned during this year of creativity is that for me, creativity comes in spurts.  i might, in a week or two, shoot so many images that it takes me months to process them and figure out how they might come into play in my work.  i might paint frequently for a few weeks, and then need to take a break to regroup, reassess, and rethink what i am working on.

 

 
this next year, i want to learn to give myself more time to actually create things even when i think i don't have it in me.  i want to give myself permission to go all out and try things that might fail, or not work.  i need to try oils again, dive into encaustic:: i think i am still searching for the medium that can do what i envision.  

so i am so excited that this new year is going to be a year of searching, experimenting, and production.  i just want to make pieces, and see where that takes me.  i want to make the time to do the work.  what are you going to make time for?

Pioneering Our Own Path

pioneering our own path can be a long and crooked journey, and i think it helps to pull out all of our tools in the toolbox to get us where we need to go.  sometimes, like right now for me, we have the vision but not the energetic means to get us there.

when i discovered flower essences, herbal infusions of the energetic qualities of plants, i realized that this could be another tool to support my growth, and as such i think they can play a supportive role in Mandala Mapping^TM.  here are some of my favorites:

walnut: supports freedom from influences of the past and other's ideas; supports setting out on one's own path. [supports the clearing stage of the map]

sagebrush: helps is let go of the old "baggage", release identifications and attachments which no longer serve us, supports our ability to take the next step.   [supports the clearing stage of the map] 

blackberry: supports the manifesting process, and our ability to put thoughts into action. [supports the manifesting stage of the map]

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essences are easy to use.  put a few drops in your water (make sure it is good and fresh); add some to your lotion.  carry the bottle with you, and just bring it's energy along.  use your intuition, and see where it takes you...

:: a complete experience::

 

Life is meant to be a complete experience.  People keep struggling with problems both physical and mental, never suspecting the root cause: that the bond between body and soul has been severed.

-Deepak Chopra, Reinventing The Body, Resurrecting The Soul

 

 

a little shawn colvin can take a girl far

this song is on repeat on the ipod:: holding on to that sparkling jewel.