In the summer of 2021, I had two visions.
1 - End my lease and travel the world.
2 - Create a product that would guide others in creating their dreams.
3 - A romantic partnership was near.
These visions felt big, daunting even and I didn’t know it at the time, but they would soon become wildly intertwined.
Knowing how this process works… I took action. I gave my landlord a 4-month notice that I was ending my lease (who does that?!) and started ideating what would become The Manifestation Map, my first physical product.
The Map felt like an easier vision to take steps towards. It excited me, as it combined my love for travel, vintage, spirituality, the desert, design…truly all my favorite things.
I envisioned it resembling a vintage travel map (not that I had ever used one before), and worked with an incredible designer (Hi Meg!) to execute my vision. After several months of finding the right colors, “landscape, print house and thoughtful design, The Map went to print.
It’s probably the most meta thing I’ve created… I manifested the Manifestation Map to help others manifest too.
Around this same time, I started living on the road with my boyfriend of 2 months. We met on a roadtrip in West Texas shortly after I put my lease notice in. This was another synchronistic story that I share in full here. He had also received the vision to live nomadically.
And we began an adventure that would take us all over the US, living in 60+ airbnbs, creating together, finding love, healing and inspiration.
But at the same time, I went on a journey within… this was the real trip my soul was asking for. I was remembering my true nature, finding home within, and unlocking my true purpose, all the while facing my deepest fears and shadows in the way of living the life I was dreaming of.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was living my very own Manifestation Map, as I roadtripped through the landscapes that I loved so much (and printed on its pages), I simultaneously moved through the very process I had designed to support others—an ongoing journey towards deeper alignment. My inner travel reflecting my outward one, and vice versa.
And this experience made me realize something. For the majority of my life, I’ve always been a high achiever. As a kid, I aimed to be the teacher’s favorite, finding my worth in straight A’s and positive end of year comments. In my 20s, I found peace in focusing my attention on the next thing/event/milestone to look forward to. Placing my power, my happiness in those moments solely.
I even built an entire business around manifestation… the destination, the result we all desire and work towards.
Over the past few years, I've realized that my favorite part of creating something, be it a product, an idea, or a desire, is not the end result, but the moments in between. Everything from the messy to the magical, the unexpected twists, the synchronicities, and the domino effect that happens when decide to claim a vision (or 2, or 3!).
The magical sh*t that can only be possible when we dive head first into the unknown...
This is what I live for.
While the destination is needed as our guiding light, it’s the in-between that brings my life the most fulfillment. And the part of the process I hope to share with more of you.
Wherever you find yourself ‘on the map’ right now, I hope my story inspires you to dream big, follow your vision and find the magic in your path to create it. You can’t see it right now, but it’s all connected, guiding you towards something greater than you’d ever expect.
Follow it. Trust it.
x
Jenni