Best 2024 Vision Board - Harness Feng Shui: Ancient Powerful Wisdom

Many people like to pray before making their vision boards and rely on prayer to guide them, and many consult higher wisdom and intuition. Sometimes the process allows or permits us to go into a meditative and a very relaxed or thoughtful state while creating the art. And processing your future.

I made my first self-realized vision board in 2015 ( as shown above) before I had ever first set foot into a Nanaimo TV station. And completely before I had established my first Nanaimo guitar teaching business. I embarked upon my first vision board creation after having worked at that time as a writer, an island publicist-writer, and with the disabled for 11 years. I did not put all that much conscious thought into everything I put on the board. They just seemed like good ideas at the time.

For example, it was only an afterthought, but the movie and television volunteering came to be, yes it happened. It led to me winning 12 awards as a TV short documentary director later during the pandemic from 2020-2023 and reaching 10-13 million hits monthly on IMDB Pro.

I had never owned a home until I made the vision board and that changed with a dream home. Yes, it happened after 25 years of renting.

I realized my dream of being a music teacher once again.

As seen on the 2015 vision board, the “best radio interview” part… I won a Stiletto Award in radio/journalism/podcasting, from the Black Women In Jazz and the Arts Awards from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, for my work on the re-discovery of Eleanor Collins by bringing her radio interview, music and work to younger audiences.

After this period, Collins won the Order of Canada and had a Canadian stamp honoured to her with her elegant image and in recognition of her incredible music, TV and radio accomplishments. And did she ever inspire me.

I decided to try TV hosting due to Collins, then also due to the work of Judy Chaikin and local director Brian Morelan, and then due to further and insistent encouragement from Shaw TV staff, I tried TV Directing. I ended up volunteer-directing TV and learning about film, etc., for 5-6 years until 2020 and then the pandemic hit, shutting down the TV studio.

Yet it did not stop me. Due to the amazing Italian vocalist, Lilian Terry, I was inspired to do it all: Radio Production and Hosting, Podcasting; TV Production, Directing and Hosting; music; teaching music; owning a music school; concert production; and writing.

It got a little unmanageable, but here I was inspired by these two magnificent inspirational renaissance women and jazz pioneers; the current Eleanor Collins and the late Lilian Terry. They are formidable wise women who have had much to share with wisdom in their senior years. I was honoured to learn from them when I worked with them. Terry’s phenomenal book I had reviewed in DownBeat magazine. Both artists had such elegant grace and a knowledge of performing and the music, film and TV industry that was endless.

Back to the vision board. I dabbled in photography (rather badly) and improved a little and then took some shoots for a film and Shaw on a few occasions. Then entered the idea to release my jazz album, and that project has been delayed and is now being re-birthed in 2023/24, and has been a bucket list item for decades.

2015 Vision Board by Kerilie McDowall.

What was the UK connection? My British cousin’s fascinated connection to Gary Numan, thereby re-sparking childhood memories. Then meeting a British record producer, a gentleman with a shared fascination for antiques who I put into television productions with me, and also writing about an interesting UK male jazz vocalist Ola Onabule for DownBeat.

How did New York come into the picture? My DownBeat editor became based in NYC. Many of the musicians I wrote about were from New York.

2020 Vision Board results: “immune,” I never caught COVID. Working with the Shaw Spotlight team and using my publicity-social media skills, I won a total of shockingly, 12 short film awards. The “groundbreaking,” part was three awards in Best Web and New Media from Hollywood, Los Angeles and much more.

2022 Vision Board by Kerilie McDowall. Yes, I put on the board post-Ukraine invasion, my dream, “ceasing of war.”

To honour Ukrainians I planted almost all Ukrainian vegetable seeds in 2023 imported from the Ukraine in 2021 before the war because I knew it was coming. You can read about it in my past Peace Garden and other blog posts.

Vision Board by Kerilie McDowall. 2022-23.

I am currently putting together a list of those in Nanaimo and surrounding areas who may be interested in a Nanaimo class for 2024 for Feng Shui-inspired vision art boards led by myself. I will be hosting a few sessions at my studio, but may seek a larger space if there is a lot of interest. If you would like to join us, please email [email protected].

Supplies provided. $55 per person

OPEN HOUSE and 20% off all services going now into January 2024 for the New Year! Get a free 30 minute services gift! Choose your service below.

Products sale choose three downloads for $10.99 or $4.99 each.

CANADIAN ONLINE GUITAR LESSONS NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

On the studio shooting list now are new Christmas Songs for Guitar Beginners with either the same chords or similar chords and patterns in the same simple key of G major to aid you. Easy 1-2-3.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANADIAN ONLINE GUITAR LESSONS CHANNEL

Free Guitar Lessons Parts 1-4.

Click the video and read “more” for information and links to free guitar Xmas song YouTube videos. This will fast-track you into beginner guitar. You will likely know all the songs already and it is a great way to power-learn simple songs and enjoy Xmas at any time of year.

Why Xmas songs? I taught myself how to read piano at age 5 or 6 with organ books of Christmas songs in the summer since it was such an easy way to learn guided by my “ear-playing.” Enjoy and have fun with this. If you have questions do please just ask. Find our Facebook group in the YouTube link below. For complete beginners, start with the intro, then Silent Night in video Lesson 4 and then try Lessons 1-3.

https://youtu.be/SKFrcy8inws?si=zzb1-JuztVLxJITh

Videography by Raymond Knight of Knight Studios.

Finally with the recent passing of my own mother, Stephanie McDowall, I did it at last; the honouring of Lilian Terry, jazz pioneer. Her tribute is on the blog site and is about to be published at All About Jazz on December 31, 2023 so stay tuned! As one of Europe’s greatest pioneer jazz vocalists, she is such a favourite, so do not miss her amazing inspirational music performances and her interview with Nina Simone!

For a Q&A I interviewed such a talent: theatre sensation, Nanaimo Fringe Festival winner, Oh Mother's jazz-pop diva, Andrea Superstein, check out the blog archive that is posted you will not want to miss the interview!

Also, a favourite composer of mine, the brilliant clarinetist, François Houle, was interviewed in two parts, learn about his exceptional latest projects.

COMING SOON! Justin Time Records’ owner Jim West, USA's Angie Wells, and JUNO winner from Fond of Tigers’ Stephen Lyons are on the soon to be upcoming Q&A list.

And, yes, have a peek at my blog posts, as I had a past autumn chat with former Toronto Shuffle Demons’ saxophonist now in BC, Ryan Oliver, he was on the way to perform at Nanaimo’s Simon Holt Restaurant! All of those past mentioned articles were posted first online at All About Jazz. For more visit https://www.allaboutjazz.com/

In the Zen is the new blog of freelance writer and music professional, Kerilie McDowall. Fun jazz and creative interviews, seasonal lifestyle articles including health, garden, interesting tidbits, and all things music. Stop by for music industry and film festing informative flashes and other insights from 12x award-winning jazz short documentary filmmaker McDowall. She has much to share with over 34 years in the music industry as a music graduate, jazz guitarist/composer, jazz writer, past jazz and creative concert producer/publicist, and as a former TV Director, radio and TV host and producer.

Book 15 min: https://calendly.com/kerilie/guitar-lessons-workshops-writing-publicity-media-contact

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Images of Kerilie McDowall by Dirk Heydemann of HA Photography.  Trophies: Vegas Movie Awards

WANT TO SEE MORE IN THE ZEN?

Kerilie works very hard to bring you jazz news and to assist musicians. Permit Kerilie to have the time to bring it to you. Donate to In the Zen! With e-transfers, just copy and paste my email address into your one-time donation or Subscribe: weekly or monthly by e-transfer at [email protected]. Drop me a line or two! International payments: [email protected] at www. paypal.com.

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In loving memory of Stephanie McDowall; March 5, 1943-November 3, 2023.