Dreams and ideals – Manifest with vision boards

I'm about to get a bit spiritual with this post. The notion of manifestation has been quite trendy but it's not new. I remember creating vision boards back in early 2000s. It was perceived as an airy-fairy concept, it seems only to be taken very seriously by teenage girls, hippies or spiritual persons.

"Manifestation" word upward trend starting in 2000s

I'm not sure I'm 100% bought over, but I like to believe with optimism. In my experience, there is something about thinking up a grand dream and subconsciously working towards it. There are many ways to manifest - but the one I like to rely on is still a trusty vision board (either in pictures or words), just to be reminded of a vision I once had.

In business context: Building a vision

Having a vision board draws similarities to branding workshops I've been in where the first exercise usually entails some sort of vision creation. It's usually a great start but is one of the tougher exercises to get through as we are getting brand owners to truly think through their business direction and vision for it. What would their business be in the next five years, 10 years and 15 years? A clear vision is important to have as it influences long-term business decisions to ensure the brand stays in the right direction.

Branding exercise for a company's vision

Manifest with vision board

In the past, I've done a quasi vision boards in the form of words or bullet points because it was quicker to get these thoughts down on Notes app. This year, I got motivated by a Masterclass module from Kris Jenner on personal branding and one of the "homework" that she assigned was to create a vision board. So here's my vision board for the decade:

My vision board, Vision 40

Upon completing this vision board, it struck me how warm it looked. It started unintentionally but as I sieve through photos online, I consciously gravitate towards a warm palette which makes the board looks welcoming. Most importantly, it made clear that what I want to achieve could be coherent and fit nicely with one another.

How to create a vision board

I'm certain there are lots more resources as to how to create a vision board and how to manifest it to life. Since you're here, below is a quick breakdown of how I did it. The board above took less than an hour as an estimate.

Three-step process:

1. Think of the ideals in your life

   A white blank vision board might be intimidating - where do you start and how should you go about it. For some, this may not be an issue at all. But here are some prompts after the initial list of wants and desires are out of the way: - What are some bucket list items you have?

   - What are dreams you don't dare to admit to?

   - Who do you look up to? Could be real or fictional

   
   

2. Choose your medium

   I'm all for getting out magazines, glue sticks, and scissors to turn this into a fun arts and craft session, but I also wanted fuss-free and easy. I chose to go digital instead and created the board using Keynote (Apple's version of PowerPoint). In the same vein, you could create other platforms like Canva, or stick to physical ones too.

   

   Vision board in keynote. Also not me being distracted to create another for fashion style in the next slide.

   
   

3. Find photos and arrange them

   This is the fun part. Once you've your list of ideals and dreams down - it's time to find some visuals. Pinterest, Google images, Instagram, and Unsplash are great photo libraries to look up for these. You could work with your favourite colours and start to select photos that has elements of it to create a more coherent look and feel to your board. There is no hard and fuss rule to arranging the photos, however I like things to be neat and tried to align them to photos around it.

   
   

   Layout tips! - Spread out the warm and cool tones of each photo to balance out the board visually

   - Choose some photos to remove background to add interest (e.g., white terrier)

   - Play with sizing – some photos can be bigger than others for added emphasis

   
   

4. Post/Paste it somewhere (optional)

   Once you're done, think of where to display it. This step feels optional but I like to look at the vision board to be reminded of what I want to work towards. I set it as my phone screen as that's easily something I come into contact with everyday. It's also a reflection of your personal expression, and a potential conversation starter for anyone who notices and comments on it.

I hope this mini vision boarding exercise gets you excited and motivated. It feels like the start of something when I gathered up all that I want from life into something tangible and visual to see instead of swimming in my head. Till the next!

---

Little line of afterthought:

• What does an ideal life look like if money wasn't a consideration?

• Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

• What would make you contented in life? What counts as success?