In this week’s addition of “Crafting So I Can Feel Like a Person Again,” we are making an action board. In the book The Source, Dr. Tara Swart coins the typical “vision board” an “action board” because, well, it’s supposed to inspire action in favor of your dream life. As a big enjoyer of the book, I knew I needed to put this one into the artistic rotation.
Sometimes symbolism can be more powerful than words themselves, and this is just one example of such. As I created this board, I cut out images that resonated with me. From there, I journaled to define what it actually was that resonated with me. In the process, I became more deeply aligned and gained clarity on my own personal values.
Figuring Out Our Values
I think it can be hard to know what we truly want, and I don’t think it’s completely our fault. We are constantly being influenced and told what we should want. Whether that be our family, friends, partners, social media influencers, billboard advertisements, or magazine covers while we are checking out of grocery stores.
All of this combined with the fact that we are biologically wired to try to fit into social groups, which our ancestors did to survive, it makes so much sense why external influences would influence our own desires and what we think we want in life.
Critically thinking about the things we think define us or we think we want is way harder than it may seem. To both step outside ourselves and look objectively at our needs but also being aligned emotionally with them is an art form in and of itself.
This project taught me to not always trust the first idea that pops into my head. It taught me to move forward with ideas but keep an open mind as to be receptive when they change or become replaced by another that is more aligned with my intuition.
My Messy Creative Process
Clearing the fog clouding our creativity and spiritual abundance comes from spending time clearing it. Like a painter starting with a blank canvas, I can imagine that the work of art finds its true form as time goes on and effort is put into it.
I’ve found that most of my creative process is pretty chaotic and confusing. Even when I write these posts or scripts for my channel, I sometimes feel so down about the first draft. It’s only after forcing myself to write, giving myself a bit of time after, and then coming back to it can I be like, “Oh yeah, there’s a bit of a fully formed idea there that I can roll with.”
Most of the time I don’t even title my videos or blog posts until I’m publishing them. Fully experiencing creativity in its rawest form is a little ugly. It feels a bit disorganized. And so is this journey of discovering what it is we truly want from life and what matters most to us. I’m not even going to say discovering who we are, because identity can fluctuate.
Why We Should Create More
The power of investing ourselves in the artistic process is that it teaches us to feel something. It teaches us to express that something. Art in a way allows us to make meaning of these objectively meaningless lives we have. Nothing is grand about it but it’s raw and authentic to ourselves. And it makes sense because nothing about a meaningful life is grand most of the time. We make it that way. We perceive it in a meaningful way. Art gives us that perception.
The more time I spent collaging and sticking images with mod podge on a blank canvas, the more beautiful life seemed to me. More importantly, I was able to experience more gratitude for the parallels in my present life that are already aligned with my vision of abundance.
And isn’t that gratitude the basis for a life well lived?
