What Works Best For Me - Single Focus

I have been making Treasure Maps for years - although I didn't know it had a name (currently called Vision Boards) when I started doing this. It began when I cut out a picture of a blouse from a magazine and put it on my refrigerator door (a place I go every day) and then really didn't pay it any attention. A couple of weeks later, I found myself in Cincinnati on a business trip, needing a pair of shoes for a company dinner so I went shopping. The blouse jumped off a rack at me. Identical to the picture at home. I wore suits to work at that time, and this was a feminine blouse to offset the navy suit that was the uniform at Mead at the time (mid-80's). 

Aha, I thought. This is a cool trick. Tricks are for kids and I'm still a kid at heart. So I did a little map when I needed to sell my house. I put the buyer in the picture, myself as seller, a sold sign, and the date I wanted it sold by. I sold my house (not exactly by the date, but soon enough!). This was also what I'd call my first collage.

I mocked up a cover for a book I was researching (I was single and wanting to meet new people. I ended up publishing a monthly singles magazine, hosting great "meet the singles who write the ads" parties, and attracted everything and everyone I needed to do it. Of course this was before the internet exploded with the same sort of idea. All these were just 4x6p hotograph sized - but were clearly focused.

I have brought my two favorite cars to me this way - a picture of me leaning on my friend Paulette's black Mercedes went on my fridge and the Mercedes that came to me had my name on the license plate - II LEE. The Sebring convertible was an even tinier image cut out of a magazine after I realized I liked seeing my boyfriend's red convertible sitting in front of my house. I put the tiny tiny picture of the Sebring (body by Mazzerati) on my thermostat - so whenever it was hot out, I'd turn off the heat and turn on the air - and imagine myself driving this car - imagining those top down days.  I'll go dig up old photos and upload them. It's so much fun to imagine cool things, and then to be just soooo grateful when they just seem to show up.

For the past 6 months, I've been focusing on going within to touch into Source, and meditating more. I've been focused on opening my heart - the old Mervyn's ad - OPEN>OPEN>OPEN (see collage header on this page).

And balance. As I chose these to focus on, I decided to make 8/1x11 full page, singularly focused collages. I found a really inexpensive collage program called Picture Play ($14.95 for single computer license) that you can find at Kagi.com.  

This weekend, my friend Kathleen and I hosted a "Treasure Map Party & Luncheon" and I worked on a new map - a Vision Board for relationship. Full of great pictures of what I'd love him to look like, what we'd do together... you know, the walking on the beach at sunset kind of pictures, playful pictures. Yet when I got home, it felt busy and not as focused as I've had them in the past. It's my collage at Kathleen's feet. So I've refined it and focused it. To be continued.