The Importance of a Vision Board

Welcome back to another KJARTZ Blog post!


    Thanks for the return. I really appreciate it. Just to keep things on track so I can stay consistent, I'd like to be able to post a new entry every Monday and Friday of the week. I've even went as far as setting reminders for myself so I don't forget.

     So just expect to see a lot more posts in the future. Okay, so with this blog entry, I want to not only discuss the importance of a vision board, but to also do a step by step tutorial on how to successfully create one that you can look to . Like the one that I have in my studio.

Supplies you'll need include, but not limited to:

1.) Foam Board
2.) Poster Board (color)
3.) Sharpie Markers
4.) Glue
5.) Scissors
6.) Magazines
7.) Photos
8.) Post-it Notes (optional)

STEP ONE:

 Step one of my vision board was to take my colored poster board, and glue it to my foam board. The purpose of the foam board is to keep the regular poster board from rolling or bending. It keeps it nice and flat. Also it works great for hanging up on your wall or cork boards, whether it be with push pins, Velcro Strips or nails.

STEP TWO:

 Step two is to break your board into 4 different columns with categories for each. To keep my columns even, I spaced them 4.5 inches apart, with a 2 inch section for my category titles.
My categories include Family, Health, Career, and Compassion. You can choose anything you want to focus on with your individual boards. Some other examples include Romance, Fame, Education, Spirituality, etc. So feel free to set it up however you want.

STEP THREE:

 In step three, I took some images from magazines and some personal photos and cut them up so they can fit accordingly within each category. The goal is to stay on topic in each section but don't overcrowd it. It can cause confusion and also make you feel overwhelmed when looking at it.

STEP FOUR:

 Step four is optional because you don't necessarily need to add post-it notes. Totally optional. Since I didn't overcrowd my board, it's easier for me to add post-its as side notes for all of my cutouts.

STEP FIVE:

 Step five is the easiest step. Hang your board up someplace where you can look at it everyday. I'm always in my studio. So I chose to hang my board up near the side of my drafting/drawing table. Since my work station faces a window. Gotta have that natural light sometimes \(^.^)/


 The point of a vision board is to put your dreams, hopes, goals and aspirations into some type of physical form. Visualization is a very strong tool within the human brain. If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hands. Look at your boards everyday. See yourselves as already having these things in your possession. Then, work towards obtaining them. Below are a few examples of some vision board templates. You can find these everywhere. I usually lean more towards Bing.com or Google.com:










 What you put out into the universe gets returned back to you. So have fun working on your boards. Leave your comments below and let me know how it turned out for you. Until next time...


Keep Creating,
Karii J.

Artist Block Sucks!

Welcome back folks. As you can see from the title of this here "rant", I'm slightly off in my game.
How many of you have had sever cases of A.B? (Artist Block) I know I can't be the only one. The purpose of this blog post is to reach out to other artists, interact, and get some helpful feedback. First thing's first, let's break down the current situation at hand shall we?!

A few days ago, I began participating in a 30 Day Art Challenge. My first couple of days went well. I had an original concept in mind. I knew exactly how I wanted my final image to turn out. Color schemes and everything. First entry was a total success. Check it out below:




This is "The Elk Eldress." She's made up of  pencil,colored pencils, and ink on regular printer paper. Nothing too fancy or spectacular. Just small drawings for the daily challenges. This is where we run into the A.B problem... After completing her, and seeing how well she turned out, I had the "brilliant" idea of sticking to this exact style and theme. BIG MISTAKE. My goal was to make my drawings from the 30 Day Art Challenge into a small coloring book or a storybook for my daughter. An original just for her. However, I think developing a good story with solid characters is what threw me off.

Okay so obviously from looking at the first character, I wanted this to be woodland inspired fairy-tale of sorts. Since that seems to be the phase of girlhood she's going through at the moment. Fantastical creatures, magic, romance, blah blah blah (^_^) My issue is trying to come up with other characters to link up with the Eldress. Also working my daughter in as one of the main characters herself. So now I'm stuck trying to figure it all out.

Here's where you beautiful creators come into play. What do YOU do to counteract A.B? Any tips you wanna share with me and the other readers? I'd/We'd really appreciate it. Let's throw some ideas around. Show me what you got!


Keep Creating,
Karii J.

Long Time Coming...

I understand that it's been quite some time. I haven't blogged about anything since my trip to Ohio last year for the art festival. I had an amazing time there. You can read all about that in my previous post. I hope to go again sometime soon. Anyways... back to more current events...

HOW HAVE YOU ALL BEEN? That was of course directed towards the few readers and followers that happen to stop by from time to time. I've missed being able to blog on a regular basis. I forgot how much fun and slightly therapeutic this could be. 

Well let's get back on track... Since the last time we've interacted, I've showcased at numerous places locally here. Also, I want to add a new milestone that I can check off of my accomplishment list. I finally got a chance to showcase at The Phelps Mansion as well as the Connelly Gallery. THAT'S RIGHT!!! Your girl made it on Artist Row!!!!

My style of artwork has slightly changed, but that comes with experience and experimentation. I've finally fallen into a comfortable and recognizable place with my style. I'm still well into my "Fantasy Feminism" styling of work. However; I've somehow managed to incorporate afrocentricity into my work. So now, I'm known as "the girl who paints the Afro ladies" lol. It's cool, I don't mind. I actually love that. Especially considering that I haven't come across any other artist locally who does black art. I wish there was a larger black art community here. 

You know what they say... "If you build it, they will come." So needless to say, I'm trying to get an artist guild started here in my area. The BCBAS (Broome County Black Arts Society). I'm doing what I can as far as networking and mingling with the community.. rubbing elbows with the "who's who" of the binghamton art scenes. Just stay tuned... If you're local, you'll be seeing and hearing a lot more of me. National? It'll seem like I sprouted out of nowhere. International? OH BOY!!!! I'm about to take this world by storm. 

Until next time my beautiful readers, peace and love.

Keep Creating,
 Karii J.