It starts with paper cutouts to make visions a reality
Visionary beginnings, like any other creative process, offer a chance to shape the tone of your direction and focus.
Hello! Welcome to Happy Surprise, a weekly newsletter about creativity and sharing my creative practice. This week I’m sharing my vision board process and prompts to guide you in creating yours. If this creative space inspires you, please consider sharing the love and leaving a comment. Thanks for reading, Susan x
I am working on creating my vision board, something I haven’t done in a long time. I can’t recall what initiated it this time, other than I kept coming across enough articles, and people mentioning the power of it that I have to do it. It has worked for me in the past, but committing to it for an entire year is a new challenge.
But I just want to say I am not trying to woo you in, but rather inspire you to use your imagination and expand your mind and vision to dream up where we can go and what we can achieve. It’s a great way to get intentional, connect with yourself and revisit your goals over the year.
I mentioned some of my goals for the year and that I am working towards a morning routine in my post last week, and part of that is journaling, as well as some other personal goals like walking daily. Two weeks have gone by, and I am following through with these new changes. The more I journal, the more I notice that a vision board and affirmations would help me stay focused, but before I find my affirmations and create those again, I am staring at the vision board.
My introduction to vision boards started as a very young girl creating mood boards to ideas visually communicable and have a sense of direction you want to take - an overall snapshot of the creative vision. I learned to make them during fashion school and I later did them for creating productional videos. As it turns out, it’s much easier for me to communicate visually than trying to write the right words.
To me, vision boards serve as a daily motivational force to propel aspirations forward. Helping me transform goals into visual displays where we see them daily, cultivates focus and a sense of direction. Making them yourself is also it's a chance to express yourself, shaping the tone and style through images, colours, and words on your vision board that makes it unique you you.
“I would visualize things coming to me. It would just make me feel better. Visualization works if you work hard. That’s the thing. You can’t just visualize and go eat a sandwich.” —JIM CARREY
I made this DIY calendar at least ten years ago because I wanted to be creative and feel inspired and I am so glad I kept it. I did visit Sydney that year, but the fun part was that I was not painting then, though still trying to find creative projects. I wanted to, I was drawn to paintings and was at the stage where I admired other people’s paintings.
Vision boards might not turn into reality right away, it might take longer than expected but you can certainly manifest things you desire and make this vision come to life.
So it’s only till yesterday that I scrambled to find more magazines than I realised I had and some really old ones hidden away. Great timing for some decluttering and using what you have rather than buying new magazines.
“In order to find your true potential, what you need to do is simply determine your core values, visualize the person you want to be, challenge common thought traps, and have a clear sense of your goals.” — DR. PREM JAGYASI, Indian Author & Global Speaker
So with all the creative projects I want to do this year, I want them to be with intention and fuel my creative energy. The purpose of creating a vision board is for clarity, focus, and direction which inspires me every day that I get to design.
I’m halfway through creating my vision board, and it’s going to be a fun project to see how it goes, so I will keep you posted.
In the meantime, if you are looking to create your unique vision board, start with what you have—no need to buy new magazines. Ask friends or loved ones for materials, make time for it, and set a deadline. Keep in mind, that there's no right or perfect way; you have permission to unleash your creativity with wild dreams or keep it simple.
Materials Needed:
Pen
Paper
Magazines you can cut up
Images you can collect online and print
Scissors
Gluestick (tape works too, but a gluestick is easiest)
Large paper or other boards you can use poster board or paper (I ended up tapping down multiple pages together to create a bigger sheet)
You’ll need a pinboard or something to hang it up (such as masking tape) and make the vision board visible
The Vision Board Process:
It’s taken me 2 hours just going through the magazine and pre-tear some images that I like, but of course, I have spent reading at times rather than searching. After that, I go through what stands out and cut it a little better.
Top tip: make sure you set up a good music list because it’s better to be listening to get in the mood than trying to watch a show in the background. Listening to music puts me in the flow and helps me follow my vibe or intuition of the moment.
STEP 1 — Focus
Before you start your vision board, think about areas to focus on for your vision board. You can decide to include them all or focus on just a couple/
Personal Growth
Self-development
Health
Relationships
Travel
Home Improvement
Hobby or Recreation
Business
Finance
Career
Self-Care
Step 2 — Journaling
Begin with the exploration of your vision, and dedicate a focused 10-minute making space to explore your vision.
Journal Prompts to Explore:
What is my theme or focus for the year?
What area of your life do you want to improve or attract?
What are some amazing things that could happen?
How do you want to feel? Write down the top feelings…
What does my ideal day look like in my vision?
I dream about…
I cannot wait for the day that I…
I wish for…
What new interest/ hobby do I want to explore?
If fear were no obstacle, I would…
Mantra I want to use...
Words that ignite and guide my journey…
Try and make time with this, grab a cup of tea, a pen and let your thoughts flow onto paper, and allow the magic to unfold. Initially, it might seem strange and awkward but as you gradually embrace the process, you'll find inspiration effortlessly making its way to you.
STEP 3 — Cutout Magazine
Gather magazines, and dive into the joyful process of tearing and prepping. This is the fun part that can span anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours—perfect for those who, like me, sometimes it’s hard to part away from certain magazines or find something interesting to read or inspiration to spark along the way with new ideas for future projects. So if you are limited with time, you might need to set up a timer.
STEP 4 — Arrange
Once you're content with your cutouts, it's time to bring it all together. But first, decide on the size of your vision board. I prefer more space, so mine will be larger than an A4 size. You might have an excess of cutouts that simply cannot fit onto your vision board. Begin arranging your piles into what you like, love, and don't need to keep or set aside for now.
STEP 5 — Design + Glue it (I’m currently at this step)
So you have your piles together; now, it is time to lay it out with the cutouts you will be using. You might want to set a timer for an hour so you don't overthink it, and you stay in the flow. I suggest starting with the bigger cutouts that you can use for backgrounds and leaving the words for last.
STEP 6 — Make it Visible
You did it! I recommend you hang it up where you can see it every day. Mine will be hanging above my desk in front of me, so I can see it every day. But I am also planning to take a photo of it and add it to my iPhone and desktop saver—so it becomes part of my daily habit of looking at it every day.
STEP 7 — Daily Visualisation
Make sure to do your daily check-ins—ask if you're vibing with your vision and plan your celebrations! Feel free to adjust, keep expanding, and dream big. Keep that vision board in sight, draw inspiration, and take those daily steps!
I didn't realize you were in Delft. In 2018, I was living in the US and trying to move to England. My friend Elena dreamed about Delft and was thinking about moving to Italy. I had two little Delft tiles that I had picked up on a visit there, so I gave her one. We made a pact to meet in Delft after we both had moved to Europe. She lives in Spain now and I live in England. I hope that we will make good on the pact this summer. It wasn't exactly a vision board. But the little tiles represented our dreams.
I’m inspired !!! I’m in the planning phase... thank you for sharing!!!