The magic of a vision board
Last year, our most popular event at HUNT & GATHER was our 2020 VISION BOARD WORKSHOP. It sold out, and we even added a second workshop because there was so much interest and so many people literally begging us to let them in even after selling out. It was really amazing even though we had no idea what was about to hit us. Since HUNT & GATHER remains closed due to COVID, I thought it would be fun to create a blog post to inspire you to create your own vision board at home. It’s super fun to do it with loved ones and get the whole family involved as I do, or it can be a great solo project perfect for self-reflection and alone time.
It may sound woo-woo, but I have seen magical things happen with vision boards in my life, my family’s lives, and my friend’s lives. I truly believe in the power of visualization and manifestation. Our intentions, those seeds sprouting from our souls, are very powerful.
For many years I dreamt of owning my own art gallery, and I put it on my vision board. I had no idea how or when this art gallery would come to be, but it did, almost like magic in 2018. HUNT & GATHER may not exist solely because of my vision board, but I believe I manifested it, and the vision board was a major part of that.
One of my best friends created a vision board of her dream house in the woods. We try and get together every year around the first of the year and work on our Vision Boards and create an intention for the year. I was actually with her when she created her dream house vision board at her kitchen table in Oakland shortly after moving out of San Francisco because of high rents in the city. She wasn’t thrilled with the area she was living in at the time, commuting to SF via public transportation for work every day, so she decided to focus on this aspect of her life. Her vision board had two kids in the yard and a man on a ladder working on the house. Within a year, she and her boyfriend bought a fixer-upper, and she got pregnant shortly after. And to top it off, she ended up having another child. When I look at that original vision board she created, it literally gives me the chills. It’s unbelievable how similar the house on the vision board image is to the actual house and the life she manifested. At the time she created the vision board, she had no down payment and no actual plan to buy a house. She could barely afford her rent in a sketchy neighborhood. But she knew what she wanted and when a fixer-upper in a great area revealed itself to her for WAY below market value, instead of thinking it was too good to be true, she allowed her vision to guide her. Amazing right?
An intention is like a seed of energy sprouting from your soul.
Everything in this world is made of energy, and everything is connected, so when you put an intention out there, the universe receives it. Your subconscious mind goes to work figuring out how to make it happen reading signs the universe is sending. Science proves that our thoughts are electrical impulses that can be measured. Thus our thoughts are energy. When you create a vision board with deep intention, there’s no doubt in my mind that you will see magical things happen.
Follow the steps below to create your own vision board and start manifesting the life of your dreams. What would you absolutely love? Don’t allow doubt to get in the way. Even if it seems out of reach, don’t worry about the “how.” Right now, you are just dreaming and visualizing. So have fun with it! There’s really no right or wrong way to create a vision board. The goal is to create a visual piece as you set your intention and remind you of your intention. You can create it any way you’d like and anytime you’d like. These are just general guidelines, feel free to get creative, and customize the process to suit you.
Create a vision board in 6 simple steps:
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- A variety of magazines (such as health and wellness magazines, home, and garden, design, and architecture such as Dwell, lifestyle magazines such as Real Simple or O, business magazines such as, Fast Company and National Geographic is a great one for nature images)
- Glue (try to avoid Elmer’s white glue as the pages tend to ripple when they dry. I like using glue sticks. Most types are repositionable until dry, which is ideal for this type of project.
- A large poster board (22×28 is a good standard size, you can find poster-board at Target, Walgreens, or art supply stores).
1. Set the mood
Put on some relaxing, uplifting music. Here are some recommendations. If you’re on Spotify and are into zen, lounge electronic music, check out this “chillout” playlist or check out Essential Relaxation Mix – Chillout Jazz & Downtempo Tunes.
For more traditional instrumental music, check out the following. If you aren’t on Spotify, you can google the artists and find their music that way.
- Dan Gibson’s Solitudes
- R. Carlos Nakai
- Natural States by David Lanz + Paul Speer
- Guitar Stories by Jim “Kimo” West
I prefer more instrumental music for creative projects like this but find what works for you. Once you have the mood set, sit down in your workspace and relax. Take a few deep breaths and get grounded. Do this for 5 minutes or longer until you feel relaxed peaceful.
2. Set an intention
You can do this by coming up with a word or a mantra. Think about the different areas of your life:
- mind/body wellness
- love + relationships
- vocation/career
- time + money freedom
- spirituality
Imagine thriving in each area, what would that look like? What words and images come to mind? Take a moment to really get into it. Do this while meditating and continuing your breathwork from step one or you can grab a piece of paper or download our BRAINSTORMING PROMPTS. Set a timer for 10 to 20 minutes and start brainstorming. Quickly write down everything that comes to mind… words, goals, dreams, images. Try not to get caught up in what you “should” want. What feels right to you? If you could wave a magic wand what would you wish for? What areas of your life do you feel discontent? What do you long for most? Don’t worry about how, or when. Right now you are just having fun dreaming. So enjoy the process. Think about what you would really love in the next year. Once you have a good foundation, move on to step three.
3. Brainstorm a word or mantra
Step three is optional but could be very powerful. Think about all the hopes and dreams that came up in step two and the changes you would love to see in your life in the coming year. When you look at each area of your life, is there a common thread? What one thing would affect the other areas most? Such as more sleep, maybe focusing on a bedtime ritual. RITUAL or RELAX could be your word. If you want more abundance, then focusing your energy on generosity could be a great direction to go in, and your word could be GENEROSITY, PROSPERITY, ABUNDANCE. Consider a mantra, phrase, or quote that could carry you through the year. Masters throughout the ages agree that “I am” is THE most powerful phrase in the English language because whatever follows “I am” shapes your reality. When we say those words, it’s like programming our brains. Think about creating an “I am” statement that if were true would be life-changing. Put it front and center on your board. Use our BRAINSTORMING PROMPT WORKSHEET to guide you through this process.
4. Choose images + words
Now for the fun part! Go through your magazines and start cutting out the images, words, phrases that resonate with you and support your vision. Keep the word or phrase you chose in mind and look for images that support that word’s energy. Cut out letters that spell the words if chosen word or phrase doesn’t show up in one of your magazines. Do you desire something specific, a new pet, a car, a house, to live in a different neighborhood? Do you want to spend more time in nature? Keep that vision in mind as you go through the magazines clipping images until you feel like you have a good amount to work with. You can also google specific images and words and print them out if you didn’t find exactly what you were looking for.
5. Arrange the layout
Once you have a good amount to work with, start arranging your images and words on your poster board but don’t use glue until you have a pretty good sense of where everything will go. I like to visualize myself thriving in the five areas of my life and then use each corner of the board and the center for my life’s specific areas. For example, on my board this year, I put myself in the middle and used the middle to represent mind and body goals. Then I went around my image starting at the top left with Spirituality, then moving clockwise around my photo in a circle to the top right with Relationships and Time + Money Freedom, then bottom right I have Home and Family, and eventually to the bottom left corner with Business and Career goals. Feel free to come up with a layout that makes sense for you. And remember, the possibilities for your life are endless. What would make the biggest, most positive impact on your life if you achieved it this year? As my friend did with her dream house in the woods or in various areas like I did, you can focus on one area. When you have a good layout, start gluing everything down.
6. Finishing touches
Lastly, add the finishing touches. You could add glitter, use paint to fill in areas, or paint your word or mantra if you didn’t find the word you chose in a magazine. Consider printing a beautiful photo of yourself and paste it right in the center along with the word or mantra you came up with. This is optional but can be very powerful. See the sample image for this post, my vision board with me at my goal weight, glowing, looking confident, and happy right in the center, along with my word, TRUST.
This year I plan to get in the best shape of my life, have my best financial year yet, spruce up my wardrobe, get more organized at home, spend more time in nature with my family, and trust myself more. TRUST is the foundational intention I want to focus on this year, and I believe it will impact all the areas of my life. If you look at my board, you’ll see it’s all there with the word trust right in the middle above my photo. What are your intentions for 2021? Do you plan on making a vision board? I sure hope so! Let me know in the comments below.
