In 2024, I think we can all agree that we’re much too evolved for those shaky, unattainable New Year’s resolutions that are only good for coming back to haunt us come October. Due to the NYRs’ infamously fragile history, I’m here to propose an alternate form of resolution that is incapable of manifesting itself into any future guilt.
From now on, the vision board should be regarded as the NYR’s hotter and wiser sister. If we think of New Year’s resolutions as occurring on a micro scale, then we can think of vision boarding as taking these micro resolutions and transforming them into an aesthetic macrocosm of overarching goals and lifestyle expectations. In other words, if your resolution is to walk 10k steps a day, rather than having that relatively narrow goal just sit in your head with no further substance, with a vision board, you now have a physical and mental picture of completing this goal and the lifestyle that follows it. Vision boards are also oozing with manifestative power since they require active visualization.
I just finalized my 2024 New Year’s vision board, a tradition that I started three years ago. However, in 2022, my vision boarding ritual was mere child’s play. After completing my most recent board, I can confidently say that I have perfected my process from start to finish, and lucky for you, it’s a process that can be easily replicated.
- curate your environment
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Making a vision board can take as much or as little time as you want it to. I personally think that making it into an experience makes it much more enjoyable in the moment and also more rewarding at the end, so if you can, carve out a few hours of your time that is dedicated to just vision boarding. This year, I decided to do mine with my mom, which was also the first time that I’ve done it alongside someone else. While she did need a little (or a lot of) extra help on the tech side of things, having someone that you can share this time with makes it much more special. To set the mood and get us excited, we lit candles, shuffled a playlist, set up a delish salad bar, and made homemade lattes. In addition to this ritual being inexpressibly grounding and motivating, we just had so much fun being in each other’s company. When I tell you we blew an entire afternoon doing our boards, I’m not exaggerating, but wow, was it beyond worth it.
- make a pinterest board
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After getting situated, create a Pinterest board that is dedicated only to collecting images for your collage. I usually start my search using broader categories, like wellness, exercise, travel, etc. I recommend selecting images that may seem niche but convey some kind of personal meaning to you. For example, I’m hoping to study abroad in Singapore, so I added an image of the city’s skyline that may not be obvious to others but means something to me. What is great about Pinterest is that once you start to build your board, it will suggest new pins for you to add that fit its vibe. So, once I have a broader start, I begin adding more specific content like quotes, career and academic motivation, relationship intentions, and images of people or characters that I admire — it should be no surprise that my vision boards display no shortage of Carrie Bradshaw and Jo March content. I personally like when my vision boards are busy, but still aesthetically cohesive, so I recommend gathering around 50-70 pictures. This way, once you get crafting on Canva, you can pick and choose what images look good together and discard the ones that don’t work as well.
- get crafty on canva
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Whether you’re familiar with Canva or have never even heard of it before, fear not! Canva is undoubtedly the most user-friendly graphic design platform that I’ve used and it’s totally free. I recommend editing on a computer, so when you’ve accessed the website, click “Create a design” in the top right corner and then search and select “Desktop Wallpaper.” From here, it’s as simple as copying and pasting images from your Pinterest board into your Canva document. I like to split the collage into sections based on the theme of the images, and then resize/organize them accordingly. If you want to be an aesthetic overachiever, I am also a proponent of subtle color blocking. Once you have your photos organized, I use an outline style font to type out the year, (Horizon Outlined is a great one), and superimpose it over the collage. Then you’re ready to download (or print!) your final product.
- display it
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Undoubtedly the easiest step, but arguably the most important one; there is a reason that we say, “you have to see it to believe it.” Display your vision board in a place that will be visible to you on an everyday basis; my area of choice is always my laptop background wallpaper, which I find to be very conducive to homework motivation. If you’re more of a traditionalist, print out a copy and hang it in a spot that you frequent daily: a bathroom mirror, above your desk, beside your bed. Really, the opportunities for visual manifestation are endless!
Despite the fact that I have provided this written tutorial, the best thing about vision boards is that you can choose to follow the script or disregard it all together. Vision boards are only effective if they are tailored to you; your collage should emulate the way your brain likes to envision and plan out your goals, so if that means only having 10 main pictures so it’s not as convoluted, go for it! If it means adding in labels to remind you of a specific cluster of photos’ meaning, do it! Instead of conforming to those same old Notes app resolutions, embrace your creative side with a vision board — yes, even you supposed left-brainers out there — and start manifesting your reality!