The power of intention | Colleen McCulla | TEDxDayton

- I was one of those kids that knew exactly what I was going to be when I grew up. Then my health issues got worse and doctors told me that my illness was chronic. So I decided to make one collage every day to make people smile.

Hello. So, at age seven, I was one of those kids that knew exactly what I was going to be when I grew up. My future was set, and I was headed full speed towards my destiny. Circus clown. And I assure you, this was not some passing, fleeting obsession. I devoted multiple, count them, multiple birthday parties to my future career. I even did the research. Pro tip when learning to juggle, do not start with the bowling pins. See, I was sick a lot growing up, and one time when I was in the hospital, a clown came around to entertain us. And I decided right then and there, nothing would be better than making people smile every day. And as time went on and my health issues got worse and doctors were unable to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with me, eventually, they told me that my illness was chronic and that by 25, I'd be in a wheelchair. It was time to rethink the future I'd always loved. Art. As you can tell from the not at all creepy, looming clown in the upper left corner. So, art it was. By 21, I was getting around my college campus in a walker. And things were not easy. After yet another round of tests with a new doctor, I was told that I had actually been misdiagnosed. All that time, I was simultaneously shocked and really excited. And I just assumed that all the problems and limits that I had the day before would magically vanish happily ever after. Roll credits. And so I started adjusting to a life without limits, including the ones on how much I ate. See, I had somehow started to think that the second chance at health was unbreakable. Until I woke up one morning weighing almost 300 pounds. I decided I had to make a change. So I took the first step of any reasonable weight loss plan. I applied to be on the biggest loser. I really did do that, and I actually got a couple interviews. Just saying. And when that didn't work out and a few diets didn't, I decided I was going to have to create my own path. So I decided to just take one action every day in the direction of healthy. One day I would ride a bike 10 miles, the next, I would eat an apple. Maybe I would read the chapter of a self help book or walk to the end of my driveway. I decided not to judge the action or the immediate result of the action, committing to that change. Over the next six years, I lost over 175 pounds. Thank you. I really should have brought in, like, my before jeans or something, but I didn't think of that. I could actually probably make a before Jean outfit with how big they were. True fact. So I started thinking about this idea of daily intentional action, and I thought, can I apply this to other areas of my life? And I started thinking about my art again. See, in 2007, I had graduated from one of the best art schools in the country and promptly stopped making art. Didn't do anything. So I decided five years later, in 2012, it was time to start again. So I committed to use what I had, and I set out to make one collage every day. I decided to post them on Instagram, and I remember making my first one so quickly that I didn't have time to second guess myself. This was my first collage. I think five friends liked it out of obligation. I'm pretty sure they're in the audience, and I would just like to thank them. This is my first week of collages, my first month and year. Two years, 735 collages later, and I have not missed a single day. And I don't plan to for the rest of my life. So this is pretty much what my process looks like. I go to way too many estate sales, and I buy way too many old magazines. I page through each one and I cut out whatever strikes me. I carefully trim and intuitively place each composition together. I cut and scan each piece before I post it online. I hashtag it, date it, and post it to Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, my website. And what started as a daily intentional action, something just in my head goes out into the world and has a life of its own. So it's kind of an amazing impact that I can have. I get likes from all over the world. I get a whole fan base. Sometimes there's mountains with chains, gigantic dancing legs, blond birds, bears that love ice cream, because we all know they do. Or this. So I know you may be thinking, really? One collage every day. This is totally the mo of an overachiever, which I assure you I am not. In fact, for me, it was a remedy of an overthinker. See, constant worry about essentially everything was what kept me from creating all those years. What I had to do was create faster than I could think. Suddenly, today, it becomes more about intuition. I trust my unconscious and let whatever wants to come out happen. Themes emerge. Themes emerge about gender, materialism, conflict, violence, war, peace, environmentalism, cats in lingerie. See, the secret to transforming your life is that you have everything you need already. I know it might be pretty meta touchy feely, special snowflake style, but it's also true. It might not be quick, but it's true. See, when you commit to act every day and let go of judgment. That's the path of progress. We are all unconsciously changing and creating habits every day. So why don't we wake up and participate? I have no clue where my art will take me, but I know I'll be there every day to find out. Here's today's collage. Thank you.