A beginner’s guide to creating your perfect vision board

DesignSelf HelpWellness

Dec 26

Written By Louise Bartlett

If you’ve heard the expression vision board before and you’ve ever wondered what all the excitement is about, then read on, friend. Vision boards have grown hugely in popularity over the last few years helped by celebrities who swear by them: Oprah, Katy Perry and Beyoncé.

So what is a vision board anyway?

A Vision Board is a goal-manifesting collage that transforms dreams into action through inspiring words and pictures.

My vision board story

I’ve been creating Vision Boards in one form or another for two decades. I’ve seen their transformative potential and power time and again. I’ve kept sketchbooks for decades that are overflowing with scribbles, doodles, and collages. So, I’ve got many rudimentary versions of vision boards to draw from.

How do vision boards work?

In order to attract what you truly want, the vision board alone won’t cut it. You must see it, feel it, and embody it. To help you create the best vision board for getting clear on what you want, here are the four essential steps:

Step 1 - Defining your goals
Step 2 - Finding your inspiration
Step 3 - Mapping out your board
Step 4 - Bringing your vision board to life!

Step 1 - Defining your goals

List areas of your life that are important to you right now. These might be family, relationships, hobbies, fitness, wellbeing, finances. See how many things you can come up with (e.g. teaching yoga, traveling around the world, taking music lessons, starting a business.) Don’t spend more than 5 - 10 minutes on this. Jot down the first things that come to mind. This will inform your thinking when collecting imagery in step 2.

Step 2 - Finding your inspiration

Begin looking for words and images that align to the goals that you’ve identified in Step 1. These might be magazines around lifestyle, home, nature, fitness, fashion, yoga, baby, family, etc. But don’t just limit yourself to magazines!

Other places you might find inspiration:

Postcards
Stickers
Catalogs
Wrapping paper
Wallpaper
Fabric
Ribbons
Leaves, flowers, seashells
Clothing hang tags
The possibilities here are endless!

You are looking for words, images, or colours that resonate with you. You may be inspired by colours, patterns, textures, or the imagery itself. Or, a word may stand out to you - so rip it out and place it to one side.

When it comes to manifesting your desires, consider directing your attention towards particular words or images that align with your goals..

Check out some inspiring vision board ideas to manifest EXACTLY what you want, or get my FREE images & affirmations download to get you started and keep you inspired. These are the most popular words & images that I see people use.

Step 3 - Mapping out your board

Now, for the fun part!

Here's what you'll need:

cardboard (A3 or 11x17, but really the bigger the better!)
scissors
glue or glue sticks
markers, crayons, pastels
fabric or ribbons
washi tapes
and maybe stickers, gems or sequins!

Start to lay out your images on your board. But DON’T GLUE YET! I find its easier to lay my images out on my art board before sticking, that way I can arrange or re-arrange before committing.

When you’re happy with your images and layout, start gluing – but don’t glue the edges just yet. You may want to layer some images above or below, so give yourself the option to re-arrange if needed. When you’re happy with the final product, go back and stick down all the edges. You might want to place some books or magazines on top to keep your board flat as it dries.

Watch how I build my powerful vision…

Step 4 - Bringing your vision board to life!

When you’re finished with your vision board, it’s important to find a special place for it. Place it in your office, studio or next to your bed so you’ll be able to view it on a daily basis. Make it your screensaver or frame it and hang it on your wall.

Its important that when you look at this vision, you embody it fully as already being fulfilled — as if its already a reality. Dr. Wayne Dyer puts it best:

“By using your imagination and practicing the art of assuming the feeling of your wishes being fulfilled and steadfastly refusing to allow any evidence of the outer world to distract you from your intentions, you will discover that you, by virtue of your spiritual awareness, possess the ability to become the person you were destined to be.”

— Wayne Dyer

And finally…

Manifesting is not an act of creating something new, it's simply re-aligning yourself with what already is and who you are meant to be. When you’re able to visualise your dreams, goals, and desires, and live as if they’re a reality, there’s no end to the possibilities life holds for you.