There is the vision of the eye – physical vision. Light passes through the eye and special cells called photoreceptors turn the light into electrical signals. These electrical signals travel through the optic nerve to the brain and turns the signals into the images you see: people, trees, cars, an apple, the sky, and art.

 

Artists work with this type of vision all the time; it’s our currency, our language, how we see the world, and how we communicate to the world.

 

And there is a different kind of vision – the intangible, imaginary “seeing” of the future. I don’t mean in the fortune-telling, crystal ball kind of way. I’m talking about the kind of vision you see when you answer the questions “What does success look like? What does my future look like? Where do I want to be a year from now, five years from now, or 10?” These visions don’t come from light or our eyes, they come from our imagination, our hopes, and our dreams.

 

Then there’s a third kind – a merging of these two. When the brain and the eye of the artist come together. When you have an idea, you can “see” it in your mind’s eye and then you translate that to canvas, or clay, or cooking. This applies to anyone doing something creative – not just visual artists. A writer bringing to life the characters she saw, a chef or home cook making a dish they dreamed up, or a musician composing a song that they first heard in their mind.

 

This is the hardest one – the one with the most potential to disappoint. Because most of the time, what you “see” and what you end up creating don’t match up. Or, more accurately, don’t measure up. The key is to keep pushing, keep iterating, and keep trying. The end result can surprise you. It might not be what you originally envisioned – it might be even better.

There’s something about writing a vision that’s so much more powerful than simply keeping it in your head. When you put something in writing it’s somehow more real, more actionable, and (unlike the vision in your head) more shareable. When you write a vision, you can share it with other people. And sharing is where the real power lies in visioning. That’s when serendipity starts to happen – connections are made, your desires are known, and somehow the universe lines up for you.

 

The end of the year is the perfect time to write a vision. Having a vision – especially a long-term vision – helps me plan and determine what is important. It aids in decision making because I can evaluate whether something is moving me towards my vision, or steering me off course. I may not always know how I’m going to get there, but at least I know where I’m headed.

 

The Table (short vision; 1 minute read)

 

 

Getting from A to V (long form vision; 5 minute read)

 

 

I learned visioning from a ZingTrain workshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you want to learn more about the Zingerman's process of visioning, check out these articles and resources:

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