The ‘Vision Board’ Painting by J. Bonegard — The Six-Week Magic

Many works of art are often preceded by an event, a so-called trigger, some good, some bad, some ill-defined. When a geometric artist, J.Bonegard was triggered by a domestic event that led to a wave of indignation, the words that came out of his mouth were not really his, “I can do the impossible in six weeks,” blurted the artist without much thought.

“How is that possible in six weeks?” asked the other party.

“I don’t know, all I know is that I can do it. I just have to use the gifts that I already possess, and keep my eyes on the set goal,” replied the artist. It sounded so simple, yet he knew he had just set himself a challenge, one that not only triggered an art, but set him on a journey.

At that same moment, without any fanfare, feeling slighted by the preceding event, he walked away from the scene. When he returned, he was holding a 30" x 30" canvas in his right hand, a paintbrush and a jar of acrylic in the other. He then set the canvas on a countertop in the kitchen, and with no set image in mind, he began to paint. In hurried strokes, he made a series of vertical and horizontal lines, eventually dividing the surface of the canvas into a total of forty-two somewhat rectangles, none of which looked exactly like the other. Then, followed the other colors, complementing the vertical and horizontal lines, then, followed by the five colorful abstract blotches that sit randomly in each of the forty-two rectangles. Finally, he inserted what appeared to be a random set of numbers, five in total. To see the canvas version of the original painting, click — The ‘Vision Board’ by J.Bonegard.

To any observer, the artwork fits the appearance of a simple abstract, not unlike something one would expect from a five-year old. When asked, what the art was all about, the response was as absurd as the conversation that birthed the sudden outburst of artistic activity. “It is a vision board, a reminder of the forty-two days that I promised to make the impossible happen.” He then walked away, the completed canvas in hand, placing it in a conspicuous spot in the living room.

When he returned to the kitchen, he was questioned once more, “Tell me how you are going to do it.”

“I don’t quite know, but I am determined to put my best effort.”

If you have read this far, the artist protagonist in this story is me — J. Bonegard. It was only after I had set the canvas down in the living room that the enormity of the promise I had just made dawned on me. If you are wondering what the promise was, it will remain confidential for some time, at least, until I am done completing the challenge, or the set time elapses; at that moment, whether I fail or succeed, the journey will be worth sharing with others. I chose to keep this detail confidential to highlight the fact that whatever challenge you set for yourself does not need to be broadcast to the public; for obvious reasons, as in shielding yourself from the embarrassment of missing the target, and to avoid the discouraging influences of others. At this point, it is worth noting that on many occasions, the goals that we sometimes deem as impossible, when pursued with a real sense of commitment can truly happen. It is also important to note that of the many hindrances to attaining one’s goal are the spoken words of one’s mouth and the belief system that one chooses to carry.

Even though I had no clue on how the promise will manifest, deep in my heart, I truly believed it is possible. The day I made the promise was the 20th of December; this explains why one of the five numbers on the ‘Bonegard Vision Board’ is 20.

Later that evening, when I sat down and looked at the time, I noticed that the day was almost over; it was nearly eight o’clock. At that moment, I realized I had forty-one more days to go. But, rather than give up on the first day, I chose to utilize the remaining few hours before midnight, using the time to contemplate on the subject that prompted the conversation— the combined toll of an expensive litigation and its negative on the family business and livelihood, coupled with the drag of the ongoing Covid pandemic. Rather than wallow in pity or think about what could have or should have, I resolved to devote every minute of the next forty-one plus days toward my goal.

It was at this moment that the thought of selling the print of the ‘Vision Board’ I had just drawn came to mind. While I had painted as an artist on a semi-professional basis, I had never looked at it from the point of monetary gains. Knowing fully well that I will have to tap into my God-given gifts to fulfill the goal that I set for myself, the decision to sell the print of the original artwork, ‘Vision Board’ became the next step in the journey to fulfill my goal. I also decided that to share my personal experience and outcome, whatever it turned out to be to empower others to pursue their personal goals, whatever that may be.

In the next article, I will explain why the Bonegard Vision Board is different from a standard vision board as we know it, and how to best utilize the Bonegard ‘Vision Board’ to your advantage.

To pre-order my upcoming book, Vision Board | The Six-Week Magic, click the link — (to be added).

Thank you for reading, and for your support. Click this link to order your copy of the Bonegard Vision Board.

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