Ah, spring has finally arrived. Many of us can’t wait for beautiful blooming plants, adorable newborn animals, graduations, and the beginning of wedding season. These and other aspects of spring are representations of birth/rebirth, renewal, and growth. Because of this, spring is a great time to create a vision board so that you can experience growth that you are seeking.

Below you will find common questions and some guidance on how to make a vision board. Feel free to reach out if you have questions!

What is a vision board?

A vision board is a collage of words and images that you choose to represent your goals, desires, and intentions.

What is the purpose of making a vision board?

Vision boards are used for the following reasons:

•   To identify and clarify goals

•   To inspire and motivate you to reach your goals

•   To focus on your intentions

•   To self-reflect

Some people believe that when you invest your energy in and surround yourself with a concrete vision of what you want in life, your life changes to match that vision.

Who should make a vision board?

The short answer to this is that anyone who is interested should make one! The longer answer is anyone who is experiencing the following:

•   Looking for self-reflection, self-care, or creative expression

•   Feeling stuck

•   Ready to make changes but not sure how to do so

•   Wanting to feel prepared, empowered, and motivated to attain goals

What supplies do I need to make a vision board?

You likely have most, if not all, of the supplies you need at home:

•   A piece of paper, cardboard, canvas, etc. (ideally, the sturdier the better if you plan to keep your board for a while)

•   Magazines, catalogues, calendars, etc. that have a lot of words and images to choose from

•   Scissors

•   Glue or tape

•   Optional: stickers, glitter, fabric, ribbons, buttons, etc.

•   Optional: Mod Podge or other sealer to protect your final product and a brush or sponge to spread the sealer on the board

How do I actually make a vision board?

There is no right or wrong way to make a vision board, as all that matters is that it inspires you. However, for the sake of providing some guidance I suggest the following: look through the magazines, catalogues, etc. and cut out any words and images that represent your goals, desires, or intentions. Cut out anything that gets your attention, and you can always decide not to use certain ones when it is time to put the images on the board.

Once you have enough words and images to fill your board, play around with the arrangement before you commit to gluing or taping them to the board. Then glue/tape them and add any other items or sealer to the board.

Keep in mind that you can make the board as full as you want and can arrange your words and images in any way that works for you. Some people choose to fill the whole board with words and images while others choose to have a lot of blank space on theirs. Similarly, some people choose to overlap their words and images while others prefer not to do so.

Feel free to include affirmations or sayings that motivate you. Examples of affirmations include “I am calm”, “I am healthy”, or “I am centered”. Examples of sayings include “Slowly but surely”, “Keep going”, or “I’ve got this”.

Things to keep in mind when making your board

It is helpful to focus on the following:

•   What you want to be, have, or do

•   What is personally important to you, not what others want for you

•   How you want to feel (e.g. happy, proud, enthusiastic, healthy, etc.)

•   One or more of these common areas of goals: health, relationship, home, financial, career, educational, spiritual, travel, or personal growth

•   Goals that are related to growth, connection, and contribution as opposed to things like beauty, money, or popularity

• Goals for the upcoming year or upcoming months (try to not to think too long term for your board because it’s easier to concretize and work towards shorter term goals through this process)

What if I don’t know what my goals are?

You can still make a vision board if you don’t know what your goals are. The idea is that your goals will become clear as you look through the magazines, catalogues, etc. because the words and images will provide inspiration.

What if I’m not good at art?

There is no need to be talented in art to make a vision board. The process of self-discovery that happens while making one is more important than the final product. Also, the only thing that it is important about the quality of the final product is that it inspires you, not anyone else.

What do I do with my finished board?

It is helpful to keep your board somewhere that you see it often so that it can inspire you consistently.

It is also helpful to share your board with trusted loved ones. First, this allows your goals to become even further concretized by speaking them aloud and to someone else. Second, your loved ones can help motivate you and help keep you accountable while you’re working towards your goals. Third, if you have loved ones who share the same goals they can help by being an active part of attaining those goals, such as by being a workout buddy or joining a book club with you.

My next blog post will give you further ideas about how to use your board to work toward your goals, so keep your eye out for that!

Other actions you can take

Feel free to share below if you’ve ever made a vision board. Did anything surprise you while making it? Did you find it helpful to make one?

If you live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, you might wish to attend one of my vision board workshops. In addition to helping people make vision boards during the workshops, I help people further clarify and concretize their goals through drama, rituals, gentle movement, and creative techniques.

* This article originally appeared on the Psychology Arts website, which is no longer active.