Most people know what is meant by a “vision board,” even though they may never have created one. The vision board is, generally speaking, a visual representation of the maker’s goals, plans, dreams, hopes and aspirations. It is often made up of images, words, signs, and symbols, which represent the concepts the person wants to illustrate and manifest. The intent behind the making of a vision board is to inspire, motivate and envision the creator’s own mental and emotional visions—to manifest into material reality a combination of thoughts, mental images and imaginative dreams for the future.

An article in HuffPost called “The Reason Vision Boards Work and How to Make One,” explains some of the hows and whys of making one. And for rebellious creatives, here’s something to consider: there is only one major rule to creating a vision board that works, and it’s there aren’t any rules! The article states that creating one can be a “sacred space” that displays what you want and how to bring it to life. What we focus on expands. When you create a vision board and place it in a space where you see it often, you essentially end up doing short visualization exercises throughout the day.” This explanation helps us understand how it works, because by creating and then afterward looking at a vision board frequently, a person ends up carrying around a mental image of the creation.

What we focus on tends to expand in importance. What we focus on looks bigger, more important, and more powerful merely because we are focused on it. When focused on something, we tend to use our ability to visualize, and visualization is a powerful mental tool. Remember the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”?

Canva, the popular online design platform that allows users to create visual content, is one way to create a digital vision board. Canva allows a person to create social media graphics, videos and gifs, posters, newsletters and, of course, vision boards.

On Canva, you can make a stunning vision board for one or more areas of your life, including health, career, vacation, residence, retirement and/or relationships. Canva provides a special page just for vision boarding, where you can drag and drop images, use quotes and affirmations, and they provide other vision board ideas to create a design that will inspire and motivate you and others.

Having said that, many people like to make a vision board as a physical object, using some type of supportive paper, cardboard, or even wood, and then by using an adhesive to attach paper images from magazines, newspapers, and other 2-D sources. You can add anything that can be attached or fixed to the board, including paint, collage elements, and even small 3-D objects. Or you could choose to make a more elaborate, three-dimension vision board with multiple sides.

Another alternative is to start a vision board notebook or visual journal, that you could work on regularly or periodically, depending on your preference. My suggestion is that you begin to make one as soon as possible, esp. now that 2024 has come to a close and 2025 is beginning. And, of course, you could create one by yourself or get together with coworkers, family or friends. I recommend that workplaces and offices set aside some time so that people can work on them in a group. An introductory session would help people get started on their vision board, and then people could work on them at home for a while. A final session can then be scheduled, for people to bring their finished or about-to-be finished board back into the group and the boards can be shared with each other. There are numerous helpful resources out there to help you get started, including articles, books and websites. Some of these are listed below.

Resources for Furthering Your Vision:

Are you looking at setting yourself up for success this new year? Our clinicians would be happy to help! You can reach out to our intake team at 518.465.3813 to schedule an appointment.

By: Terry McMaster, LMSW, EAP Counselor