How's it going lurkers? Have you ever created your own vision board? It
has been more than 2 decades, since I last created my own.
The last time
I made a vision board was for Speech class my high school freshman
year. Like I already said, it has been YEARS.
Lately,
I have been thinking about creating a brand new vision board for the
21st Century because there is still more that I have yet to accomplish.
By 20, I already accomplished my dream of becoming a Radio DJ/Hostess.
My
BA may not be in Japanese and I never became a Japanese Consecutive
Translator, never had the chance to marry the man I fell really hard
for, or had any kids, but I DO have:
* My BA in Asian Studies and Creative Writing Minor
* Some poems and short stories already bound at Carthage College but unpublished
* Learned how to self-build my own website
* Had the wonderful opportunity to interview White Zombie's former bassist and co-founder, Sean Yseult
* Interacted with authors, musicians, voice actors, etc. in person and in cyber space
Basically, I gained more (depending on the way you look at it) and lost some. To be innovative, I created my own online vision board.
It
was somewhat difficult trying to organize my goals in the order I
wanted them to be in because I had some problems with the alignment.
Therefore, I listed them in order. So, bear with me.
Anna's Online Vision Board:


1) New Job- Trying to find a permanent job for the last 16 years has
been the biggest struggle of my life. Dealing with so-called "gate
keepers" for employers does not help anyone, especially not me.
* A new,
high paying job will make it easier to pay off my student loans.
2)
Money- Finding a new job, which pays well, goes hand in hand with each
other like peanut butter and jelly.
Considering that I am ~ $75K + in
student loan debt, I need a lot of money to break this curse of forever
being in poverty.
Lately, I have thought about
getting a job doing commercial voiceovers. It's not like I don't
have work experience behind a microphone. Also, I have experience as a
PA Announcer from 6th-11th grade.
Every March we had
Foreign Language Week, I read our student announcements in foreign
languages (mostly Japanese); For 6 years, I mostly read announcements in
Japanese.
I may not be fluent in foreign
languages but I CAN read in both German and Japanese like someone, who is
fluent in them.
* Advertisers can give me a script in either German, or
Japanese and I will simply read it. I can most definitely wing it
by reading German WITH a German accent!
3) Published
Author- Since the time I was a teenager, this has been another dream of
mine. I want my stories to be traditionally published rather than
self-published.
Years ago, self-publishing my book
seemed like a great idea for having control of my stories and royalties.
Self-publishing requires a lot of time and money, which I don't have.
* I
don't have time, money, and skills to pay for everything and to do
everything. Therefore, it is better to be traditionally published.
4)
Bookshelves- Traditionally published books have a much greater chance
of being sold on bookshelves at stores than a self-published book.
* If
books are self-published, the author or publisher is forced to spend
more money trying to sell his/her book. I want my work sold on the
shelves at bookstores.
5) Audiobooks- I especially
want my book released on audiobook. Finding the perfect male voice
actors/narrators to collaborate with on my stories is definitely a must.
* In addition, I want my stories to be released in English, German, and
Japanese.
I am confident that I can do some
of the narrating/voice acting, especially when it comes to female
protagonists. Casting the right male voice actors and narrators has been
the biggest challenge.
Throughout last year, I
spent most of my time contacting certain male voice actors. Some
auditioned for "The Horrors Of Womahood."
Most of my
time was spent finding the right voice actor/narrator for that story
because I want Dr. Woody Johnson to sound frightening to my audience.
6)
Awards- Since childhood, my teachers gave me academic awards. Because
my grades were mostly terrible, I never had any awards from middle
school. It wasn't until high school, that I started getting academic
awards, again.
I DID clean up on Achievers Awards
mostly for Japanese from 9th to 12th grade. Usually, I got 3 awards a
year. Therefore, you do the math on that.
* Now, I
strive for awards outside of academics. Winning an award for Best Horror
Author, for example would be a major accomplishment.
I
always wanted to have my own trophy. Certificates and pendants are nice
but I would love to have my own trophy to set on my dresser or shelf.
7)
Fans- Since the time I was a Radio DJ/Hostess at UW-Parkside's 101.7
WIPZ, my audience was always niche because I mostly played Metal.
My
listeners were mostly white male. Very few females listened to my show
and they were usually my co-workers. Even though I no longer work in
radio, my audience is still niche.
Workshopping my
poems and short stories in Creative Writing was about the same as when I
was a DJ.
Female classmates could not grasp my work and
typically disliked it, whereas my male classmates and professors understood my work and loved
it.
* With that being said, I would really LOVE to
have diversity in fans male, female, different races, religions,
cultures, sexual orientations, etc. I don't want or need sycophants for
fans, although I do want them to like and respect me as a person,
author, and my work.
8) Eternal Love- Chances of
this ever coming to fruition is definitely slim to none.
I have a much
greater chance of winning the lottery than having a husband, who loves,
respects, and resonates with me.
As of April 6th
this year, it has officially been 14 years since the time of dumping my
womanizing, crooked cop ex and going on dating retirement.
From
time to time, I have thought about dating again but a lot has changed
over the last 14 years. I may look eternally youthful, but I don't want
some man-child playing games on his cell phone in the middle of a date,
or taking pictures of himself and his whereabouts all over social media.
I
purposely added that gif of Gomez and Morticia Addams because I will
always be that kook with a dark sense of humor. I want my own Gomez
Addams!
Horror and a dark humor go hand in hand with
each other, as well. Like it was said on Drawn Together years ago, "You
can't spell slaughter without laughter."
People
today in this politically correct era are highly lacking in having a
dark sense of humor. It's a special kind of humor for some of us.
* I
want and need a husband of my own, who is handsome, strong,
intelligent, talented, devoted, supportive, loyal, has a dark sense of
humor, creative, and KNOWS HOW TO DRESS!
It sounds
like I'm asking for too much but these men really DO exist! I just
haven't had that much luck because they're always with another woman OR
man.
Considering that I am almost 40, the chances of
me being able to have my own son and daughter will probably never
happen. I can still dream, right?
So, how do you like my cyber version of a vision board? Let me know what you think!