Create Your Zen: Collaging as a Way of Designing Outcomes

It’s the last week of December. Usually, at the end of the year I am focused on resolutions. It’s been a personal tradition to set goals. I turn to collaging in the process of designing outcomes.

First step is to get my hands on a stack of old magazines. For hours, I leaf through them one-by-one, spotting words or phrases and attractive (in my mind’s eye) images. I cut them (rip them) out — adding to a growing pile. The following day, I arrange gathered snippets in a graphic and marvel at how everything is connected. Then, I get a board of some sort and glue them down.

Finally, after all of those found (or recognized) dreams are recorded, I feel a sense of direction. Identified, they become an attainable possibility. My intentions are set. I am confident. To make them a reality has just gotten much easier. Thus, the sky is the limit!

Somehow, collaging is synonymous with goal setting: I know what to work toward.

This year, I’ve put together four separate boards, each one addressing a particular side of my life: family, marriage, creative professional life, and personal growth.

As a mother, first and foremost, I crave a “taste of togetherness.” Close second, is how important it is to me to stay relevant in my kids’ lives. I still want to inspire them not to settle for ordinary. I’ve written about my two daughters a lot, you can read about them here and here and here. Through collaging, I affirm that my job is to be:

• wise,
• available,
• interested,
• supportive,
• present,
• understanding.

As a wife, I intend to be calm, tender, and loving. Every day is a page in our love story. Every day is a celebration of togetherness; it’s magnificent! When it comes to designing outcomes or stating intentions, it is my goal to build an ocean home for us. Stay tuned.

As Alla DIY Ally, I long for an unwavering sense of purpose. I want to share expertise/teach and learn. I want to help DIYers, to be their architect on demand. Besides, I’ve applied for a license in the state of New York (in addition to the one I hold in California) and hope to get it soon. It will give me a chance to expand my practice in more ways than I know.

Thinking about it, writing about it, collaging about it, I am designing outcomes. Truly.

As a human being, I am thankful for relentless evolution. My well-being begins on the inside. In the process of designing outcomes, I opt for a lifetime of growth — mind and soul:

• unfolding,
• abundant,
• grounded,
• grateful!

It’s all about making and taking time — thriving. Collaging or designing outcomes is quite contemplative. The process gives me a chance to become aware and to express. I’ve been practicing this technique longer than a decade. I learned about it from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s a form of self-help.