Your Treasure Map
January 10, 2008 by Heather Goldsmith
Filed under Home & Living
Some time ago now I worked through the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. One of the many exercises included collaging your goals, hopes and dreams. I found this an excellent exercise for writers and adapted it to work many different themes for workshops I held while part of a writing centre here in Perth.
Today someone from a forum I’m in was kind enough to share an article, Creating a Treasure Map, which is very like the exercise by Julia Cameron. Actually, I found the descriptions in this article more thorough. I hope you use this one for ideas if you’re still thinking about writing your goals for 2008.
Heather















I did something similar to this in a workshop once and, believe me, it was extremely powerful. For a treasure map, you picture your desired reality.
The exercise we did was to create a diorama illustrating our current reality and our desired reality.
My diorama had me in a bird cage stuck in the sand on a beautiful beach with the keys to the cage just beyond my reach.
I was stuck and, though I didn’t know what new reality I wanted yet (except a less stressful one and a more serene one – the beach), this exercise made it abundantly clear to me that I needed to break out of my cage.
Shortly thereafter I left my lucrative career in finance and and became a “starving artist”
Eleven years later, I truly feel like a bird who has been set free.
I hope I haven’t rambled on too long, but this really struck a chord with me.
Thank you Heather!
Hi Eileen,
Don’t worry about rambling on. I love to read what you have to say about any positive journal writing experience or exercise. From my own personal experience I know this kind of exercise is very exciting because of all you learn about yourself by doing it. It looks like this exercise was a very fruitful one for you. Thanks so much for sharing with my readers.