I have a question.
What is your creative vision? Have you ever thought about that you have one?
If you haven’t you aren’t alone!
I have not had much of one either, but this turning of the year is a great time to reflect on what that means and how you can begin forming yours today.
When we don’t have a clear vision, we tend to drift. We let circumstances and momentary distractions and amusements take our focus all over the place.
At times we may get whiffs of feelings that we crave to access our creativity, passion, love, dedication, intensity, flow, but they don’t last long. Something else comes and pulls us away from our true purpose and intention.
I certainly spent a good deal of my life without the kind of vision necessary to keep myself on a track that leads to mastery and accomplishment and all those things that come with it, such as greater creativity, confidence, awe and wonder, pride and humility, and much more. Perhaps it’s time to start building a vision. I like to think of it as a house. We need a foundation to build upon.
Mindfulness allows us to accept what is presented and work with that, but it does not give us vision. For this we must go elsewhere inside ourselves. We must fight the drift of the outer and inner chaos that pushes us around. We must be intentional about our creative lives. It belongs to each one of us and is worth a fresh start to create it.
Here are the three things needed for the foundation of your house.
We need a good why.
A really good one. One that is true to ourselves and not based on a need to feel worthy or gain validation and praise from the world. Those are capriciously bestowed. Make your why compelling and fun and based on what you believe in most. This will provide the fuel for your creative vision
You are enough as you are.
You need to learn to fill yourself up with love from within and from your higher source of power and purpose. Whatever that is for you, God, nature, the universe, the earth. Feel love flowing from it. When you do this, you will find that you have so much more to give to your art and the world. Your vision will be anchored in something deep within you and will withstand anything. It will release you from unnecessary criticism and the need to be anything else than your true self.
Forgive yourself.
That’s right, forgive yourself for the times you failed, the times you didn’t follow through, the times you haven’t done your best. When you break the old patterns, you make room for new, empowering patterns. This will be the work for showing up to build your vision every day.
Depending where you are, these three steps could take a great deal of work, but they are worth it. They are the foundation of your vision, the house that you can build now that will showcase your view of the world.
So what do we use to build our creative vision? Anything you like, but here are a few ideas to get you thinking.
Feelings
Our emotions power our actions and what we create. They color our houses and give us a variety of sensations and feelings we can capture in our art. Make sure your creative vision is filled with the emotions that open up your resources that you need to be creative and feel fully alive.
Beliefs
Our beliefs steer what we are able to do. Make sure you build your creative vision with empowering beliefs. Beliefs that fill you with confidence, courage, love and passion. They determine what is needed to make us feel fulfilled and alive. Be sure your beliefs don’t make it so hard to feel these things.
Goals
Our goals give our creative activity a structure to guide our actions. Use them in your creative vision to push you towards new challenges. Make them a part of your daily creative endeavors. Goals are most useful when you remind yourself of them periodically, so you make sure your actions are truly towards them.
Experiences
Experiences help provide new rooms and vistas in our houses. They give us feelings and ideas to share with others. They are often deeply personal as is our vision. Use them to shape your house.
Your truths
What are your truths? Discover them and incorporate them in your vision. These are also deeply personal and add uniqueness to your vision. What can you be most honest and raw about without censoring yourself?
Materials
These are your raw materials you use in creating your house. They are useful in our creative vision is expressed. What are your favorite materials? Do you regularly challenge yourself to try something new?
The last piece is what environment does your creative vision fit in?
Is it urban, rural, on a mountain top or at a festival? Where does it need to operate from in order for it to truly thrive? If you don’t like one location, you can move it and try new places!
Your creative vision is anchored deep within yourself and gives you direction and a refuge from the distractions of the world. Build it up this year and let it keep you focused on what truly matters to you.