A Very Personal Gift – Life Map

Resources, the power of relationships, and sources of meaning. The psychologist Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi researched psychic energy for decades. His conclusion: when this energy is channelled towards a self-chosen goal, states of happiness arise which he called “Flow”. Having clarity on which activities have the greatest chance of triggering these states gives us the opportunity to consciously integrate them into our daily lives.

Step 1 – The Intention. The process is intended to express gratitude for the journey travelled so far and to serve as a reminder of meaningful activities. Life-changing experiences, resources, and sources of meaning and strength also have their place in a Life Map.

Step 2 – Coaching in Positive Psychology. In three longer sessions, the content is worked out. I receive a detailed brief with the elements to be drawn.

Step 3 – The Aesthetic Project.
The client likes the “pen aesthetic” with a sepia background, similar to old maps. She wants to create a certain lightness through fine lines. Her desired colour palette consists of earthy tones and natural colours.

Step 4 – The Templates. I receive plenty of templates: photos for the motifs and inspirations for the style.

Step 5 – The Pencil Draft with Handwritten Text. I develop my proposal for the composition. The pencil motifs are to serve later as templates for the pen strokes. The texts come from the client’s brief; now I ensure they appear balanced in the layout. The legend in flowing handwriting is inspired by old geographical maps.

Step 6 – First Feedback Loop. I implement the changes the client wishes for the motif details. One eraser stroke and suddenly the face, body posture, or object looks different. We now get a first impression of the final result.

Step 7 – Starting the Final Drawing. I like to place the frame first. This is the setting in which everything takes place. The borders of the map are meticulously hand-drawn, with maximum focus on regular, recurring geometric shapes.

Ink drawing. Here, only two frames are visible (a large one and a small one), drawn with a pen. In the middle are areas of watercolour-like paint, suggesting seas. Five islands are distributed and drawn in ink in the final version.

Step 8 – The Final Drawing. Now it really begins! With joyful concentration, I draw continents, animals, boats, and coats of arms in the centre of the map – with a pen and coloured ink. For lines and texts, I use black or sepia ink. I approach this stage with respect. This is where the final forms and lines emerge. The overall impression should be delicate, strong, round, or straight at the appropriate places.

Step 9 – Second Feedback Loop. The client can now note further details she would like differently. I implement them. And… are we finished? It looks like we are!

Step 10 – Reflection. The drawing appears surprisingly light. I accept the sometimes cheeky process, which constantly offered me new surprises to solve. On a content and aesthetic level, countless small decisions were made, often after much trial and error and reflection. We do not see this here – what a relief!

Step 11 – Fine Art Print. I send the file to the Fine Art printer. On-site, fine adjustments are made so that black and colours are printed as desired.

Step 12 – Framing. The decision falls on fine black mouldings and anti-reflective museum glass with UV protection. The passe-partout colour is chosen according to the “six-eyes principle”…