Maggie Jordan’s Vegan Potluck Vision Board Workshop

Vision Board Sneak Previews (top left to right) Nicole Beaudin (Desrosiers), Sarah Bentley; (mid left to right) Maggie Jordan, Leslie Ross; (bottom left to right) Charlotte, Lisa Bentley, April 2011

I had the great pleasure of meeting Maggie Jordan last year while holding a Vision Board workshop at Dragonfly Dreams Studio.  Impressed with the class, she asked if I would teach it to several of her friends – boosting the spirits of this fledging teacher to high heavens!

The workshop was held at the Munster Community Centre April 10, 2011.  This great venue, which Maggie found, is a spacious, well-equipped centre (with large tables and digital projector) whose pièce de resistance is a fully equipped kitchen (oh, the luxury of it all!) … it wasn’t long before Maggie’s head was also filled with visions of a vegan potluck lunch for the session– a delicious idea which I immediately put her in charge of!

Before the workshop, this worrisome instructor was of course wrought with anxiety wondering whether Maggie’s friends would like me or if  the class would go well or not.  Bent on keeping the drama queen in me at bay, I relied on the daily affirmations of fictional self-help guru Stuart Smalley for guidance … (he’s a creation of SNL comedian Al Franken) … refusing to lead myself into a “downward spiral” of negative thinking, I repeated his mantra over and over: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and, doggone it, people LIKE ME!” as well as inventing my own: “It’s going to be a GREAT workshop!”  Re-energized, I prepared for the class adding new material for the digital projector as well as coming up with a name tag idea to break the ice.  I collaged vintage images of 1950’s women onto the tags and would ask students to add their names as well as a comment about how they were feeling… hoping this would spark conversation or a laugh and give me insight into their spirits… it did all three!  We had a great time.  Unfortunately, the vegan potluck vanished before I could snap it up for you!  Here are the class pics… it was so great to see everyone “in the zone” while creating…

Leslie Ross working on her vision board, April 2011

Leslie Ross, a first-time collagist, reflecting on the placement of her images which she hoped would give vision to the balanced lifestyle she sought for herself.  I admired her excitement as well as the many creative leaps of faith she took in herself during the process…

Charlotte working on on her vision board, April 2011

Charlotte, a yoga instructor, was confident about where she was going with her board which she intends to use for her meditative yoga practice.  This was her second one and she hoped she could do a better job gluing it down than the first one she did a few months ago!

Nicole Beaudin (Desrosiers), a media specialist and fan of the movie “The Secret”  had made a number of word-based boards in the past; this time she wanted to create a more visual-oriented one.  I really appreciated the energy, enthusiasm and stories she shared with the class.  

Maggie Jordan's infectious smile... I think she's imagining the vegan potluck lunch!, April 2011

Maggie Jordan, artist/designer, intuitively crafting a board to help her visualize the major transitions she’s currently undergoing in her career and life… a challenging theme.  This is Maggie’s second go around at creating a board… she decided to make this one more theme-focused.

Leslie Ross taking a photo, April 2011

At the end of class, Leslie takes a photo of her vision board to remember the placement of images she hasn’t glued down yet.  Upon returning home she made a number of adjustments to her initial layout — I can’t wait to share her amazing results with you!  Good for you Leslie for taking things further!  It’s so important to remember that until you glue things down, your layout is never set in stone.

Charlotte describing her board to everyone, April 2011

Charlotte sharing her vision board with the group… we all agreed she had achieved a wonderful sense of balance, peace and stillness through her composition.  As well as a virtually wrinkle-free board!

Lisa Bentley sharing her vision board, April 2011

Lisa Bentley sharing her vision board with the group… as a writer, she selected and emphasized a wide variety of interesting words and phrases, as well as key images (ie. a fabulous reading room) to spark her vision mindset.

Everyone enjoying a laugh as Lisa shares her board, April 2011

Lisa’s comments made us all smile  … even Kev (my hubby and tech assistant) had to get up to see what all the laughter was about!  The group dynamic of making and sharing a vision board is unbelievable… the energy, contagious.

Nicole Beaudin (Desrosiers) sharing her vision board, April 2011

Nicole giving us a tour of the many elements on her board… drawing on her PowerPoint skills and media savvy, she fused a variety of themes together expertly… such dynamic, powerful text and imagery!

Sarah Bentley offering a glimpse into her vision board, April 2011

Sarah Bentley, Lisa’s daughter (my youngest vision board student ever!), had recently visited a psychic who told her to create a vision board and so she found her way to my workshop!  Here she is sharing her board through which she wishes to capture a sense of happiness in the hopes of turning things around in her life. You know, this could be a fine premise for a movie, Sarah!

Sarah Bentley vision board in progess, April 2011

Sarah’s soft, magical, lyrical, musical, poetic vision board… a simply awesome composition.  I was struck by the fleeting, floating imagery on her board.  Everyone loved the little baby goat jumping over the bed… such talent and vibrant imagination.

Charlotte's vision board in progress, April 2011

I’ll leave you with Charlotte’s calming visions which simply took our breaths away….

It really was a great Vision Board workshop… I find the students just keep getting better and better!  I was high on the energy of the group for a whole week!  Many thanks to Maggie and her friends for trying out my class, serving up a tasty potluck lunch and especially for their generosity in sharing their visions!  They have ALL agreed to do student spotlights of their pieces in the near future – I look forward to sharing them with you.  Thanks too, to Roberta Hurman and her husband Patrick for getting everything ship shape at the centre for us in such a friendly, timely and professional manner!  We loved the space!