The Ten Steps of Visioning

by Lucia Capacchione, Ph.D., A.T.R.

Step 1: Make a Wish
The Visionary begins by deciding to explore new possibilities in some area of life,
choosing a theme on which to focus. This is like the designers first step of getting an
idea. The first step of Visioning poses the question: hat do ! want" hat is my true
hearts desire" !t might be: #$ new career direction,# or #%inding a place to li&e,# or
%inding a mate,# or #'aking more money,# or #(etting healthier,# or #'aking a film.#
Some Visionaries choose a broader playing field, such as, #$ pro)ection of the year
ahead,# or #hat areas of my life need attention"# or #hat does a balance between
professional and personal life look life"# *ther Visionaries want to resol&e a specific
problem or situation and do a #before# and #after# collage titled #+ow it looks now# and
#+ow !d like it to look.#
Step 2: Search or !"a#es an$ Wor$s
This is the designers research phase. The task here is to gather pictures, captions, and
phrases from maga,ines, newspapers, catalogs, or other &isual sources. *nes personal
collection of snapshots, postcards, or greeting cards can also be used. !n this phase, the
Visionary is tearing, cutting, amassing a hearts-desire image bank. The emphasis is on
what experience she wants to create in her life rather than simply picturing stuff to be
acquired. !t is a way of exploring quality of life, li&ing by choice instead of default. The
only rule during the research phase is to collect photos and phrases that depict ones
deepest wishes. The mantra is: (rab what grabs you. .reaming is in, practicality is out.
This is about going for it, the skys the limit. This is a time to be inclusi&e and expand
ones hori,ons, keeping an open mind while gathering as many rele&ant images and
words as possible. !f other great pictures surface that are unrelated to the theme, they are
set aside in a separate file to be used in other collages.
Step %: &ocus on the 'ision
!n the design process, this is when the research is connected more specifically to the
designers idea or problem to be sol&ed. +ere the Visionary sorts through the mass of
torn or cut-out raw material that has been gathered. The question is asked of each
image, word, or phrase: .oes this express my innermost wishes, my fondest dreams" !f
it relates to the theme its in. !f not, its out or put in the #sa&e# file for possible use in
the future. This phase is about discrimination, selecti&ity, choice-making, but always
from the heart.
Step (: Co"pose the Desi#n
Visioning collage-making is a new language, a language of symbols and images, of
color and words blended together to form a unique montage of creati&e possibilities.
/ike any designer assembling the elements of a design, the Visionary starts building the
&isible expression of her dreams by putting the pieces together, almost as if assembling
a )igsaw pu,,le. /aying the pictures out on the art paper, she tentati&ely arranges them
in relationships to each other. 'ixing and matching, she tries ideas out for si,e and
placement, using a sixth sense about how to accurately portray the dream. There is no
right way to do it, only the particular Visionarys way. This is the time to be completely
authentic and original, true to oneself and ones &ision. !t is at this point that a great deal
of inner doubt often arises, leading us to the next step.
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Step ): *+p,ore an$ &in$ -r$er in Creati.e Chaos
1haos is a natural part of any creati&e or design process. !f it doesnt happen, it usually
means that nothing new is being learned, nothing original is being created. This step
isnt one that is done consciously or by choice. Something within the Visionary )ust
starts questioning the whole enterprise. %or designers, this often occurs during the mix-
and-match phase when mock-ups are being created. %or the Visionary, its getting closer
to the time when pictures will be glued down, a commitment will be made, the collage
will be made permanent. The self talk usually starts with questions like, #hy am !
doing this" *r statements like, #! dont know how to do this# 2as if there were a set way
such collages should look, which there isnt3. 4erhaps an inner art critic starts in: #This
is ugly and stupid. 4eople will really laugh when they see this stuff.# orse yet, is the
&oice that says the entire acti&ity is a waste of time. #This wish will ne&er come true.
This is all )ust pie-in-the-sky dreaming. 5oure doomed to disappointment.# This phase
holds the biggest challenge but also the greatest learning. !t is where the leap forward
takes place and where the Visionary is tested for faith in the dream and courage to
express it. This is the time for perse&erance in the face of self-doubt. The warring
factions in the mind are dealt with through )ournal work.
Step /: Create the Co,,a#e
$fter the mock-up stage, a designer must de&elop his design with an eye toward the end
product. !n Visioning, this is the step of integration, of putting all the pieces together on
the paper to create a Vision collage. (radually, the images and words that speak for the
dream are being committed to paper and glued down for good. !t is an experience of
surrender to some inner knowing, to the creati&e self 2which has a &ision3 and the
creati&e conscience 2which speaks from the heart3. 6y combining photos and phrases in
new ways, new connections are made and personal meaning is re&ealed.
Step 0: Articu,ate the 'ision
$s &isual as the design process is, e&entually the designer must translate his design and
communicate it in words to others. .rawings, blueprints, diagrams must be explained to
production specialists, manufacturers, and builders. !n Visioning, it isnt quite enough to
simply make a collage. !t is the act of gaining deeper insight. /ooking at these
picture7word collages after they are completed is like reading poetry or deciphering
symbols. e see all kinds of things we didnt notice while we were in the heat of
creati&e chaos. The first part of articulation is to quietly sit and contemplate the collage.
hat does it say" hat surprises does it hold" hat is the resistance, if any, to taking
this Vision collage seriously and belie&ing that it will come true" *ne question to be
a&oided is, #+ow am ! going to make this dream happen"# Visionaries are asked to relax
and surrender to a higher order of creati&ity and allow the dream to materiali,e rather
than force it. $nxiety and fear only block energy. %ollowing the guided contemplation,
)ournal-writing acti&ities are used for more deeply exploring meaning in the pictures
and phrases. $s the &isual right brain has its say 2in art3 and the &erbal left brain gets to
talk 2through the written word3, both hemispheres of the brain are acti&ated and
integrated.
Step 1: Reinorce the Drea"
!t is now time for the production process. Since it is the creati&e self who works the
magic and makes the dream a reality, the Visionarys task is to turn the design o&er to
this higher power within. The artwork that results from collage-making is a &isual
affirmation. $s with &erbal affirmations, which are positi&e self-talk messages, the
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Vision collage establishes and reinforces a desired goal or experience. The Visionary
exercises her &isual right brain 2which sees the pictures3 by using the &isual affirmations
on a daily basis. 6y looking at the collage repeatedly, the images are reinforced in the
imagination and memory. 4racticing the art and science of building wishes and dreams
in the world of physical reality de&elops #practical imagination.#
The clearer the collage image, the more recepti&e we can be when it shows up in real
life. The &ery concreteness of the photo collage makes it the perfect &ehicle for
reinforcing9through the eyes9the inner &ision of the heart. e take it out of the realm
of imagination and bring it down to earth. 6efore long, as if by magic, the Visionarys
dream appears in three dimensions. There may still be some final hurdles, howe&er, and
thats where we enter the next step.
Step 2: *"brace the Rea,ity
!n order to make their designs a reality, designers get help. $fter sharpening their own
skills, they enlist the support and expertise of others. Step : is both an internal process
of enhanced perception and an external one of working with others. %irst, it in&ol&es the
ability to recogni,e the embodiment of ones desire when it comes along. %ortunately,
the specific and realistic nature of the photo collage makes this easy. The guesswork has
been remo&ed. The collage and the physical reality look and feel the same. There may
e&en be captions that are specific. +owe&er, it is not unusual for resistance to arise at
this point. e start questioning: #1an ! afford it" .o ! ha&e time for it" .oes my life
situation permit me to ha&e this" .o ! deser&e it" ill it really happen" ill ! get it and
then lose it" ill ! be disappointed in the long run" 'ore )ournal work, the gathering a
support system, experts, or mentors who can pro&ide coaching are all encouraged. *nce
we say, #5es, this is it, and !m going for it;# the decision to embrace the reality is made.
e reach out to others for help, and then simply li&e out the actions that take us to our
destination: the dream come true.
Step 13: Ce,ebrate the Drea" Co"e True
$rchitects, designers, artists, authors, theater companies, filmmakers, and so on
announce the un&eiling of their dream-come-true with receptions, grand openings, book
signings, and other kinds of festi&ities. 1elebrations are )ust as important for the
Visionary. This step may seem ob&ious, but it cant be o&eremphasi,ed. $cknowledging
oursel&es for a )ob well done builds self-confidence. hen we celebrate we also express
gratitude to others, starting with a prayer or other ritual of thanksgi&ing to (od, the
creati&e self, or whate&er higher power the Visionary recogni,es. !t is also time to thank
all the members of ones personal support team as well. The process has been brought to
completion, the tra&eler has reached her destination. !ts time to party;
Authors Comments on the distinguishing characteristics of the Visioning method:
1. The Way o the Artist4Architect4Desi#ner
!n manifesting dream in the material world, ! use the method that artists, designers and architects do.
They are experts at turning dreams into reality, so why not follow their example. hen they want to
reali,e a &ision, they create actual &isual mock-ups of what they want to manifest in the physical world.
$rtists and designers .* <*T S!T $=*><. V!S>$/!?!<( in their minds. *nce they get an idea, they
make it physical immediately. ! know because art and design were my first career and ! was blessed to
work or be mentored by some of the greatest designers in the world: furniture design giant, 1harles
@amesA geodesic dome in&entor, 6uckminster %uller, and the alt .isney !magineers who design and
build theme parks.
2. !nner -bstac,es are -ur 5i##est 6ur$,e
B
*ur biggest obstacles are internal. The Visioning process of collage-making 2starting with right brain non-
&erbal intuition and feeling from oneCs heartCs desire3, goes on to teach people how to deal with self-doubt,
inner criticism and skeptical thoughts and beliefs. 'y method of dialoguing with both hands and both
sides of the brain has pro&en itself for years to be a great way to make internal breakthroughs. !t really
mo&es people through those inner obstacles.
%. Support is the 7ey
(etting support for your dream, with a #.ream team# can spell the difference between success and
failure, reali,ation or disappointment. 1alling only on positi&e, supporti&e people to help as mentors,
information resources, assistants, etc. is critical.
A Sharing of Thoughts
The Creative Journaling process (Lucia Capacchione, Ph.D) brings together writing
(left brain function) with imaging (right brain function) for whole brain
communication. This is accomplished b using both our dominant and non!
dominant hands for writing and imaging. The dominant hand is the one ou
normall write with, the non!dominant hand is our other hand. Lucia"s research
shows that, right handed or left handed, writing and imaging with the non!
dominant hand gives greater access to the right hemispheric functions li#e feeling,
intuition, creativit and inner wisdom and spiritualit. $hen a dialog occurs
between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, both emotions and thoughts
are more full e%pressed and understood.
Just to illustrate, tr this e%ercise (from& Living With Feeling: The Art of Emotional
Expression, Lucia Capacchione, Ph.D., Jerem P. Tarcher'Putnam, ())*)&
+sing a pen, pencil, mar#ers, whatever, and, using our non!dominant hand,
scribble, draw, doodle or ma#e mar#s on a piece of paper.
Then with the dominant hand, write down words that e%press how ou are
feeling.
,eflect on the process- what did it feel li#e to image with our non!dominant
hand, what emotions did ou e%perience. /ow are ou feeling now.
0s 1ichael 2amules, 1.D. e%plains in his boo#, "Creative Healing" (/arper, *334),
right brain activities such as imaging, music, and dance change us- researchers
have proven the altering of brain wave patterns, changes in our autonomic nervous
sstems and changes in our brain neuro transmitters. The tri!brain theor
(developed b Dr. Paul 1acLean) also e%plains that such right brain activities ta#e
place in the middle, limbic sstem of our brain which serves as a communicator
between there and the inner, reptilian brain and the newest part of our brain, the
outer brain (the neo!corte% 5thin#ing cap5). Thus, the information is 5holistic5 and
complete.
6nterestingl, the earliest form of communication was visual and non!verbal-
evidence of this are cave wall paintings and old stone age artifacts. 7ven toda we
see this evidence, for before children learn to write, the draw. Drawing or visual
e%pression is something we are all born with- it is our birthright. 8o one had to
teach us to draw when we were little, we 9ust did it. $e all have this innate abilit-
9ust li#e each of us have the abilit to crawl, then to toddle and then to wal#. Just
imagine if when ou were a bab, ou thought& 5:h, 6 can"t wal#- 6 can"t learn to do
that- it loo#s wa too dangerous, what if 6 fall and hurt mself. 8ope, it is much
safer on all fours, 6 will not wal#.5 Luc#il, that doesn"t happen and we all learn to
wal#;
6n most cultures children continue to draw and create freel with no preconceived
notions of failing until the begin school, where the first begin to e%perience the
emphasis and rewards for left brain thin#ing (language, math and se<uential logic.)
= the time most of us reach adulthood, we all favor left brain reasoning and logic,
slighting and even abandoning our feelings, images and intuition. (6maging
D
includes& mar#s, colors, drawing, doodling, etc.) $e are all born with the innate
abilit for imaging;
/ow did this emphasis on left brain functions occur. :ne reason, as Leonard 2hlain
writes in his boo#, the "Alphabet versus the Goddess: The Conflit !et"een Word
and #mage" (Penguin Putnam, *334) is that the agricultural preliterate cultures
were principall informed b holistic, right!brain modes that venerated the >oddess
and the feminine values and images- it was writing, particularl the alphabets, that
drove cultures toward linear left brain thin#ing. 0nd, as Lucia writes& 58eglecting
the nonverbal language of the right brain leaves us emotionall illiterate.5
2ometimes it does ta#e a traged, a wa#e!up call, for us to reach out to a different
place, a different mode of thin#ing, to go where we are not accustomed, where the
territor is unfamiliar. This past wee#, one of m colleges wrote to me that she
honored her desire to create?to coo#, to ma#e art, to fashion things. 2he said she
has e%perienced a peace and healing. 6 felt a need to paint- 6 placed mself in a
sacred space where 6 could be receptive and open, without e%pectations. 6 am 9ust
guessing that these open spaces that 6 created were filled with something that
cannot be put into words, but can onl be felt. 0nd it feels good.
5:nce we create imager that honestl represents how life feels from the inside,
there is a deep sense of personal empowerment and a new degree of private
certaint as a result of having finall touched down to the original bedroc# of our
original self.5
Peter London, $o %ore &eond Hand Art
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