You’ve heard the expression, “wearing your heart on your sleeve”? This week, I got to wear my heart on my butt.
Our artist friend Rick Midler created these beautiful pants for me, which I wore at his art show opening in Brooklyn:

What’s so special about them is not that they’re hand painted with gold and silver paint, but that before Rick began the artwork, he interviewed me about what I love and what I’m passionate about.
Rick asked me what music he should listen to as he drew. I am learning to read tarot, and so many times already, the cards have given me messages about rebirth. Because I love New Orleans and brass bands, I told him Rebirth Brass Band.

I talked about my love of hosting parties, and how the best compliment a guest can give me is that we have good friends. It’s not simply that I like to fill people with food and liquor so they have a fun night, I take pleasure in creating connections and community.

I shared how I had refocused my priorities, realizing that ultimately, the meaning of life is loving and being loved.

I am instinctively a words person. I have gotten paid to write since I was 17. I don’t make a penny from this blog, I have written here for nearly 10 years simply because I enjoy it.
But I feel strongly that some ideas come through visually that don’t translate into words. They are ineffable.
From Webster’s New World College Dictionary:

in•ef•fable

adj. 1 too overwhelming to be expressed or described in words; inexpressible [ineffable beauty]  2 too awesome or sacred to be spoken [God’s ineffable name] 

If you’ve ever struggled to explain why a landscape or a piece of artwork moved you, and tried phrases like “It’s pretty” that felt inadequate, you understand.
That’s part of why I like seeing my values and goals take visual form. I can explain to you what they are, but that’s just my best translation of how they feel in my heart. Seeing them expresses them in a different language.
My husband John made what we call a spell painting for me several years ago. It’s sort of his artistic rendering of a vision board.
You can see that the themes of music and parties came through in John’s art, as well, in addition to peace and writing, good food and drink. Unfortunately we don’t have the dogs yet but I hope to remedy that before too long.

Getting my pants from Rick feels like perfect timing, as I prepare to set my 2019 goals. My values and my priorities are my compass, helping to guide what I want.
Early this year, I hosted a group of women to create vision boards, visually representing what they wanted from their 2018. We cut photos from magazines and catalogs, then created collages with glue sticks. I was inspired and awed as I heard these ladies describe why they selected specific images, with one small item representing a huge value or directional shift. If they simply handed me their vision board, I wouldn’t have understood the depth and meaning. But I didn’t have to. Those images skipped words and spoke straight to the creator’s heart.

You could write out the whole story of what you want, or use pictures as shorthand. I like to do both, actually. Each approach taps into a certain kind of power and motivation.
Have you created a vision board? How did you do it? 

Related blog posts:

• My vision board as a painting by my artist husband, John Tebeau
• Go deeper than your to-do list with your why list
• Be careful what you wish for: setting goals you’re sure you want
• Decide what you want and declare it in no uncertain terms
• Do you plan your life with the same diligence as a work project?
• Setting my goals for 2011 as a comprehensive view of my life
• Resolve to do less. Busy isn’t better.
• Talk to yourself like you would to a friend — or find that friend who can speak truth to you

And as you’re reading, here’s some Rebirth Brass Band for you: