At my business retreat last month, we created intentions for 2024 from a place of self-love.
To come up with my intention, I decided to go the vision board route. For those of you unfamiliar with vision boards, the process is you flip through magazines and tear out any and all pictures that intrigue you. I’m a computer/words person so working with physical pictures was a unique exercise.
I grabbed a random magazine from my coach’s enormous pile and selected one focused on crafting in America.
To my surprise, I started tearing out almost every single page.
There were pictures of ginormous play structures, where almost the entire structure was covered with rainbow-colored, crocheted material.
Other pictures that attracted me were whimsical structures (like mini houses) made out of tree branches, and houses with massive windows that looked onto magnificent natural landscapes.
When I flipped back to the magazine cover to figure out the issue’s theme, I discovered it was whimsy and play.
I realized I appreciate art because there is nothing practical about it. The extra layer of decadent design makes me - a child of immigrants raised to value practicality above all else - smile.
And now I’m thinking since we need functional things anyways, why not make them beautiful?
After I tore out the magazine pictures, I decided to paint a picture to remind me of my intention for 2024.
I’m not the most creative artist so I ended up painting a bunch of rainbow colored balls.
(I’d read a book about designing for joy that said lots of bright rainbow colors and round shapes make people happy - think balloons, fireworks, lollipops, smiley faces, etc. )
I came home and taped the rainbow ball picture to my wall as a reminder of my intention.
Since the retreat, I started painting again with the kids. Since I’m achievement/productivity oriented (aren’t all of us tiger kids?), I consider painting to be a luxurious, impractical, anti-productivity activity.
I’ve also started to regularly purchase fresh flowers, like red and white winter dahlias, fuschia roses, pink and white striped amaryllises, all from Trader Joe’s.
Fresh flowers signify to me that I value myself and my joy, since fresh blooms are so fleeting and again, an impractical investment.
And I’ve been taking baths almost every night. Since I have to clean myself anyways, why not indulge and treat myself to the luxury of time and rest with a nice soak?
As I’m writing this post I’m realizing for me, fun is indulging in the little things (brightly colored gel pens to journal with, anyone?), injecting beauty, and purposefully partaking in activities off the treadmill of productivity.
Life is short, why not enjoy it?
What’s your intention for 2024? How do you have fun? Do you value art/beauty/creativity and how do you incorporate it into your life?
I seem to relate so much to this post. As an African I grew up knowing that productivity meant something I can account for in terms of money even when I felt awful inside. All along I felt the urge to slow down and think a little more about the way the clouds changed on a sunny afternoon. I wanted to take longer showers and spend a little more time getting ready without the anxiety of running out of time. Thank you Alice. This is such an enjoyable read.
Yes to flowers. Yes to slowing down and enjoying life -- and new year's intentions. Mine for this year is joy and abundance. Typically, in the past, I chose only one word, but then I thought why limit myself, I'll choose two!