Do you need to increase motivation or find a bit of direction for your life? Creating a vision board with images that inspire you can help you focus on what’s important and visualize the future you want.
A vision board (also called a dream board) is a collage of images, pictures, and affirmations that represent your dreams, goals, and desires. It's a visual representation or roadmap of how you envision your best life.
Making a vision board is meant to excite you about the future. You can use it as a chance to express yourself and begin self-discovery.
We’re going to walk through how to create a vision board, from gathering inspiring images, words, and materials to arrangement ideas and tips for displaying it. If you want help coming up with vision board ideas, use this resource to guide you.
What is a vision board?
Vision boards are collections of images, drawings, and other visuals arranged together to represent your goals and ambitions. Each one is an inspiration board that can help clarify your aspirations so you can manifest your vision. Also called a goal board or dream board, this collection of images can be physical or digital.
Vision boards are highly versatile tools. You can use them as a manifestation method for your personal goals or professional goals. Vision boards focus on creating a visual representation of a personal vision statement. They’re perfect for helping you imagine the specifics of your life.
How far ahead your vision board should look is up to you. You can create a vision board for the year ahead or one that considers long-term goals like your 5-year plan. If you have time, why not create a vision board for each phase of your life plan?
People who use vision boards usually place them where they’ll see them often. For instance, you can put a vision board on your mirror to refocus on your goals while you get ready in the morning. Or, you might choose to hang it in a room where you often relax to read or journal.
Do vision boards work (and will you accomplish your goals?)
If you're skeptical about whether staring at a piece of poster board will do anything, we get it. However, the idea behind vision boards is rooted in visualization and the law of attraction. It suggests that by regularly viewing and engaging with visual representations of your goals, you can better align your thoughts and actions toward achieving them. Sounds straightforward enough, right?
By placing the vision board in a prominent location and reviewing it frequently, you can reinforce your goals in your subconscious. This potentially can increase your motivation and awareness of opportunities. It's all about having a reminder front and center in your everyday life.
This isn’t magic, though. It still includes hard work, commitment to goal setting, and the creation of good habits. So, do they work? Lots of people swear by them. But don’t think of it as a no-fail option; it is more of a visualization and reminder technique to help keep you on track and maintain your inspiration.
What to include in your vision board
How do you create a vision board that accurately displays your dreams and aspirations? Creating a vision board representing your ideal life can be overwhelming at first.
There are so many possibilities that it may take time to decide what to include. Do some Inner Work® and think deeply about what you want your vision board to be. Considering some examples can narrow your focus and help you decide how to begin.
Vision board ideas
How to create your vision board
Vision board creation can be fun and easy. You don’t need to overthink the process. Engage with your creativity to build your dream board. Your vision board is totally personal to you, so don’t worry about defending yourself or impressing anyone.
To create a physical vision board that you can hang anywhere in your home or office, try following these steps:
- Take some time to clarify your vision and intention
- Gather your materials, like images and art supplies
- Find images and words that represent your vision
- Arrange your materials, such as poster board
- Place your vision board where you’ll see it often (even if it's an online vision board)
Let’s break down each of these steps of the process.
1. Take time to clarify your vision
A vision board requires you to reflect on your desires and aspirations. Before starting your vision board work, clarify your goals. What do you want to manifest with your vision board?
Get as clear as you can about your personal vision. Don’t rush this step, as it's the foundation for your entire vision board. You will find that you get even more clarity and detail as you create the board.
Avoid distractions while thinking about your vision. It’s important to maintain self-awareness as you clarify things. You can start journaling as a brain dump and a way to gain clarity about your life.
2. Decide on a medium
There are several mediums you can choose from when creating a vision board. Here are some popular options:
Physical board
- Foam board
- Poster board or cardboard
- Wooden board or canvas
- A wire board
- A whiteboard
- A magnetic board for your fridge
- Cork board
However, your vision board doesn’t have to be a literal board like a poster board. You can use paper or other materials. For a cheap alternative, you can cut out a piece of cardboard from a box you already have. A nearby dollar store or secondhand store may also have a suitable material.
Digital vision board
- PowerPoint or Google Slides
- Canva or other design software
- Pinterest board or private online board
Digital boards are easy to update frequently as your visions change. You can re-size and rearrange elements seamlessly.
Journal or binder
- Scrapbook or blank notebook
- 3-ring binder with page protectors
This portable option lets you carry your visuals with you and add items as you go.
Photo album or box
- Physical photo album
- Decorative box or memory box
Useful for a 3-D collage style board you can hold items in.
3. Gather your materials
Images
Once you’ve decided on the base and format, you’ll need images or items to add to the inspiration board. Your images can come from a variety of sources, including:
- Old magazines and catalogs
- Digital images
- Photos from your personal collection
- Postcards
- Create your Pinterest board
- Stickers, sketches, and other elements
Adhesive tools
If using a physical base, you’ll need something to secure your items to it. Pins and clips work well. You can also use glue sticks or tape. If you’re making a magnetic board, you’ll need small magnets to secure each image.
Here are some common adhesive tools that can be useful when creating a physical vision board:
- Glue sticks: These are great for adhering lighter items like printed images, words cut from magazines, and lightweight paper items to your board surface. Look for acid-free, photo-safe glue sticks.
- Rubber cement: This thick, re-positionable adhesive allows you to temporarily mount heavier items like fabric scraps or three-dimensional objects, and adjust positioning before it dries permanently.
- Foam adhesive squares: These double-sided adhesive foam squares create dimension by raising images and objects slightly off the board surface.
- Washi tape: This decorative, gentle masking tape can adhere light items while also adding splashes of color and pattern to your design.
- Straight pins or thumbtacks: For using a corkboard or foam board surface, pins allow you to easily rearrange images and elements as desired.
- Hot glue gun: A hot glue gun provides strong, Quick-drying adhesive for permanently mounting bulkier three-dimensional items securely.
- Adhesive putty or poster putty: This reusable adhesive allows you to temporarily mount images and objects, making rearranging easy.
Having different adhesive options gives you flexibility in incorporating various materials and creating textured, multi-dimensional effects on your vision board.
Additional crafting tools
If you're not going the digital vision board route or making an online vision board, you’ll need a variety of crafting tools, such as pens, markers, paint, stickers, or anything else you want to use to embellish your vision board. You can use as little or as much of these materials as you desire.
- Scissors: a good pair of sharp scissors will allow you to precisely cut out images, quotes, and shapes from magazines, photos, fabric, etc.
- Paper trimmer/paper cutter: this tool gives you a straight, clean edge when trimming paper elements.
- Hole punch: use different sized hole punches to create patterns, borders, or to punch holes for stringing items together.
- Stencils: alphabet stencils let you add motivating words and phrases. Shape stencils allow you to trace and cut out designs.
- Markers/pens: colorful markers and metallic gel pens are great for writing affirmations and doodling decorative elements.
- Stamps/ink pads: rubber stamps with inspiring words or symbols can add visual interest when stamped repeatedly.
- Stickers: motivational quote stickers, puffy alphabet stickers, or themed decorative stickers coordinate nicely.
- Ribbons/trims: incorporate different textured ribbons, frayed fabric strips, lace or other fiber embellishments.
4. Find images and words that represent your goals and aspirations
Once you’ve gathered your materials, it’s time to add images and other details to display on your board. Photos and images are the most popular media to use on a vision board. The type of images you use will depend on the focus of your vision board.
Here are some ideas for images to add to your vision board:
- Images of graduation caps or degrees
- Images of sports trophies
- Images of vacation destinations
- Images of things representing dream jobs, like an image of ocean animals for marine biology
In addition to images, you can find inspiring quotes to add to your vision board. You can print out words representing your ideas or write them yourself.
You can even add craft items like scraps of fabric or confetti. You can also include natural items like tree branches if they symbolize your goals or best life. For example, adding some pressed flowers could remind you that you want to spend more time in nature.
It’s common practice to add words to your vision board as well. Try including inspirational words or words you want to associate yourself with. Much like with positive affirmations, the words you see and use have the power to shape your reality. Positive and negative self-talk has been found to impact athletic performance. Research has also found self-talk impacts brain functional connectivity in cognitive tasks.
5. Arrange and place your materials
Now, it’s time to arrange everything you’ve prepared on your vision board. Lay out magazine images from your collection, writing utensils, and anything else you plan on using.
You have endless options when laying out your images. Here are some ideas to inspire your creativity:
Here are some tips for arranging images in an effective and visually appealing vision board:
Layout
Use a grid or section off your board into categories like career, relationships, health, travel etc. This creates a nice flow. Alternatively, you can arrange images more randomly for an artistic, free-flowing look. Or you can start with a central image that represents a key aspect of your vision. You can build outwards from there, grouping related items. Remember to leave some blank space – too many images can feel cluttered.
Prioritization
Place your most important, inspiring images in the center or at eye-level to draw focus. Arrange secondary images around the perimeter or in the corners. Use larger images/fonts for top goals and smaller ones for supporting visuals.
Color Scheme
Create a cohesive color palette, even if eclectic, to provide visual harmony. Use contrasting hues or a background color to make images pop.
Textures & Layers
Include fabrics, quotes on colored paper, stamps etc. to add tactile interest. Overlap and layer images in a visually appealing way.
The most effective vision boards are those that excite you and keep your eyes moving across all your motivating images and words. Have fun with this step. Get inspired by the momentum and play with different layout options until it feels right. This arranging process is part of developing a clearer, more detailed vision for the future.
When you’re happy with the layout, secure everything in place with your chosen binding. Take time to make sure you’re happy with your design. If you’re using pins or clips, it’s easy to change things around as you go. But if you’re gluing or taping your materials, it’ll be much more difficult to change your mind afterward.
6. Place your vision board where you'll see it often
It’s finally time to place your vision board. A key part of your vision board’s value is looking to it for continued inspiration. When it comes to placement, choose a location where you can access it daily.
You can try placing your vision board in one of the following locations:
- Your fridge
- An empty wall in your kitchen
- An altar
- A mirror
- Your nightstand
- In your work-from-home office
- The back of your front door
- Across from your bed
No matter where you place your board, be sure to check it regularly. Looking at your board is essential to remembering why you created it to manifest your dreams.
7. Continually update your vision board
Your vision board should evolve as your goals change. Regularly replace old images with new ones representing your latest dreams. When you achieve a goal, celebrate by moving that image to a "victory" board or scrapbook.
Continuously add fresh visuals and words inspiring you toward your next ambitions. These suggestions with help keep your vision board updated to match your ever-growing aspirations.
8. Share your vision board with others
Whether you're using a poster board or a digital vision board, you don't need to broadcast it on social media or share it with your entire family. Instead, consider sharing it with a few select individuals. Who do you live with—a roommate or a partner? Do you feel comfortable sharing your goals and aspirations with them?
If the answer is yes, show them what you've created. You're not looking for them to judge your creativity or the goals you've set; instead, you're inviting them to understand you better, help keep you accountable, and be a partner in goal setting.
9. Be ok with starting from scratch
Goals change, life changes, and even your definition of success will evolve over the years. Because of this, sometimes you need to start fresh and create something from scratch. Maybe you've just done some inner work and taken the time to reflect on how far you've come. But perhaps in doing so, you've realized you're ready to head in a different direction. That's okay! In this case, grab a new, fresh poster board or create a new digital vision board. Realign yourself with your goals and inspirations, and set yourself up for the next stage of your life.
Backed by science: why do vision boards work?
In a 2024 study, researchers at the Journal of Research in Personality found that visions inspire and create positive emotions. They create positivity because they make you believe your dreams are within reach. By putting your goals on something you see daily, you can focus on what matters.
Vision boards are just one type of visualization technique. Such techniques work by cementing an image in your mind until you believe it’s possible.
Finding images and words that inspire you can increase your motivation to create an ideal life. Inspirational tools like vision boards can be powerful for making your dreams a reality. By reminding yourself of your life goals on a daily basis, you can start being more intentional. You can direct your daily actions toward a greater purpose or goal.
A vision board helps you stay focused on the bigger picture. When you have a clear direction for your life, you can take actionable steps to achieve your dreams. Each day becomes an opportunity to work toward your big goals.
Vision boards encourage you to think deeply about what you desire so you can live a happy life. They’re an opportunity to see if your personal values align with your vision. Plus, creating a vision board is a customizable activity that’s fun to do alone or with friends. Learning about each other’s goals can strengthen your relationships.
Using a vision board to manifest your dream life
Manifestation is the act of bringing something into reality through visualization. There are plenty of things to manifest in your life and goals to work towards, whether it's getting the job of your dreams or making friends.
Manifesting something is just placing your focus and energy into that area of your life. When you make a vision board, you’re welcoming a path for your future. You’re saying yes to the possibility of getting what you want.
Working with a BetterUp Coach can help you achieve the dreams you’ve outlined on your vision board. Coaching is a tool to help you identify your life goals and create a plan for reaching them. You’ve already done the first part with your vision board. By pairing with a coach, you can clarify your ambitions and create a life you’re proud of.
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