About
There is something about visual imagery, coupled with a powerful question, that ignites possibility and change in me like nothing else can. I find visual imagery a powerful tool to both gain understanding about the change AND provide guide points for the journey ahead.
Carolyn Campbell
Creator of Fertile Ground Vision Cards
~International Personal and Professional Coach
~ Speaker/Workshop facilitator
~ Visual Artist
WHAT INSPIRED THE FERTILE GROUND VISION CARDS?
This is a question I am asked quite often. It’s hard to express in words the power that visual imagery has played in my life. As Fertile Ground Vision Cards enters its third year, I’m humbled and honored by how much they have helped others.
When I was younger, I would spend hours at museums diving into paintings and imagining what life would ‘feel’ like in those worlds. Later, after gaining a master’s degree in theater, I created masks and taught mask making to children and adults. It was powerful to watch how these evocative ‘characters’ opened people’s souls. Since becoming a coach more than 11 years ago, I have been searching for a transformative process that would do the same for my clients.
Over the years, I have used numerous vision decks. Most are created from a specific doctrine—be it spiritual, political, cultural or psychological. They often have words or phrases that ‘prompt’ the experience. I wanted to create a deck that tapped into the essence of Self and created a visual experience that allowed personal discovery without prompting. I began to explore collage as a medium to provide archetypal imagery that allowed the person to define their own meaning.
WHY ARE VISION CARDS SO POWERFUL?
I’ve watched people encounter a part of their Self for the very first time through the image on a card. They’ve helped people find words for thoughts and feelings. Some of the most touching moments were when they saw their true longings without censorship or guarded indifference. All this, through a single image. Fertile Ground Vision Cards are also a great tool for writing mission statements, web content, poetry and prose.
The images are like allegories, revealing Self, dreams, fears and longing…without judgment of right or wrong. These collages used images from over 1500 magazines and books. Yes. I did in fact cut up books. It felt great! The images bridge contemporary culture with prehistoric symbology that opens a portal beyond logical thinking.
It has been especially enriching to see how the cards resonate with others in profound ways. Whether it’s through a consultation, workshop, speaking engagement or gallery showing, the cards truly do evoke, provoke and invoke.
I’ve loved hearing how the cards have created a life shift or revealed a hidden gem. Perhaps it’s because the images are like dreamscapes. Maybe it’s because they contain NO words, which can quickly trigger us to ‘think’ in a particular way. Whatever it is, I have been repeatedly awestruck by how each person interprets them in his or her own way. Just what they need. Just when they need it.
I have created an E-Book on how to use visual images to inspire the imagination, evoke transformation and ignite creative action. It is available on the Store page as a PDF. It comes free with the cards. If you already are using vision cards and want just the book, you can purchase it separately.
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Practitioners who use Fertile Ground Vision Cards
Madeleine Eno : Writer and Coach
Julie Jeske : Individual & Couples Counselor
Crystal Mattox : Individual, Couples & Family Therapist
Julie V. Brockman : Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Intuitive
Kate McNulty : Business Coach
Wendy Hambidge : Registered Movement Therapist and Educator
Michael Iannantuano : Shaman, Drum Maker
Julie Limbocker : Life Coach
Fran Paulman : Artist & Creativity Facilitator
Brandy Free : LMP, Certified Reflexologist