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© Christina St. Pierre - 2019

FUTURE-SELF PORTRAITS

Up-level your vision board.

 

If you've ever made a vision board, you know that even the just the process itself has inherent value. And if you haven't--what have you been waiting for, seriously?! This is not a dress rehearsal, people!

While the exercise itself helps clarify our values and goals and really hone in on what's important in our lives, the end product really drives it home. It crystallizes our goals in a visual, concrete way that our brains can wrap themselves around.

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Now, imagine a much, much more tailored version of this. The Future-Self portrait is like a snapshot of a specific moment in the life that you want--with you in it. Through photo compositing and visual storytelling, I pull together elements of the life you want to build along with pre-existing photos of you to create an image that illustrates the life you are envisioning. This means we can work together from anywhere in the world, most likely with images you already have.

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How it works:

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You will go through a future-self journaling exercise to envision 3 different moments in your ideal life (because there's no *one* perfect day, right?). We'll pick the one that's most calling to you (maybe it's a Sunday morning with your dream partner, or an afternoon working at the antique shop you want to open) and go into more detail, like the script of a movie.

Once we have a really tangible feel for what this day looks like to you, you will go gather some images: ones of you that you already have (or, if there's a specific pose we discuss, or your only pictures include selfies with your dog, that's ok--you can have a friend snap one with your phone) and background or prop images that call to you. Pinterest is your friend.

I will find copyright-free images that share this spirit, then work my Photoshop magic to create a digital composite--a fictional, yet realistic snapshot.

I will send you a print that you stick on your bathroom mirror/tape to your work monitor/hang on your fridge...someplace you will see it every day. Heck, you can make the digital image your screen wallpaper and tell people at work that's what you did this weekend. I won't tell.

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Want an example? Check out my session with Kinley:

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step 1

Consult

In our conversation, Kinley decided to focus on her home life. She imagined herself with her own home, soaking up nature, walking dogs, taking in feelings of bliss, peace of mind.

step 2

Exchange photos

Kinley sent me a variety of full-length pictures she already had of herself (like the one shown in step 1), along with images from the internet (like the one above) that resonated with her and fit the backdrop she had in her mind's eye.

step 3

Visual storytelling magic

Based on our conversation and her inspirational images, I gathered copyright-free photos that would act as backdrops, props, and characters in the story that we were trying to tell. I digitally cut 4 different images (the house, 2 different dog images, and Kinley's) then melded together these elements into a composite in Photoshop.

final product

Future-Self portrait

A realistic snapshot of Kinley experiencing the life that she envisions for herself: peaceful, at home in nature, blissful, outdoors with dogs.