At the risk of flogging a deceased equine, I will reiterate a key point…
Creative, unconventional, professionals, those with “The Artist” style, don’t think or operate the way the rest of the world does. So, tools and techniques that are just peachy keen for everyone else — those nifty little day planners and to do lists — don’t cut it.
If you’re an Artist, here are some techniques I’ve developed that work for me, my clients, and which I hope will work for you:
1. Picture Your Vision
When I suspect my client is an Artist I ask them to create a collage of their vision. Do you remember collages from grade school? Grab the scissors. Magazines. Coloured paper. Crayons. And, a big sheet of paper. Now cut out words and pictures that resonate with your vision.. Or, create shapes. Or, draw. And, voila a picture of your vision. So much better than plain ol words. And, so much more fun to create because the process gets closer to your heart, soul, and taps your Inner Artist.
2. Map Your Goals
I don’t know about you but lists sometimes drive me mad. I get lost in all those rows of words. So, to compensate for that I’ve moved to using graphical representations. For example, and I know this sounds dumb, but I had trouble keeping the list of my LifeGoals(C) in my head. So, I sat down and used Lotus Freelance Graphics, IBM’s answer to Power Point, to create a 1-page represent my LifeGoals(C). I have 9 goals and since I love colour each goal is written inside a rounded-square shape.
Somehow it works! And, that’s what matters. My visual brain can call up the image and I can see the 9 shapes and the words in them.
If anyone wants to what a LifeGoals(C) Map looks like just e-mail me and I’ll send you a sample — This offer expries June 7th, 2004!
Okay, so what does this have to do with Flexi-Career Planning? Well, traditional methods of Career Planning tend to have you putting things in lists and boxes. That hems in and locks up the creative brain. Collages and maps better fit the visual, picture-driven part of the brain.
The LifeGoals(C) Map also helps with guiding you life because it removes the implicit order inherent in a list. When see a list of 9 goals our brain tends to think that the first item is the most important. The LifeGoals(C) Map shows all 9 goals as implicitly equal. So, you can bounce from any one goal to any other. That’s freedom!
Tune in next time for more on FLEXI-CAREER(C) PLANNING!
