March is National Craft Month!
You know that I adore anything and everything creative.
I’m a right-brain kind of girl!
From drama courses I took in college.
To being a summer day camp counselor when I was in high school during the summers and involving my kids in arts and crafts.
To decorating my planner pages using my Sharpie collection, gluing images from magazines and catalogues and utilizing fun stickers on the pages.
I even attempted to bedazzle a girlfriend’s walker when she had a hip replacement (yes, I really tried that, but she wasn’t having it!)
I’ve always loved the artistic side of life.
National Craft Month is a unique time of the year when people across the country celebrate creativity, the creative arts, and associated activities.
Originally started to cheer on the creative side of those who want to dip their toe in the artistic side of themselves each year, this month celebrates everything creative from such fields as sewing, pottery, jewelry making, scrapbooking, metal work, sculpture, wood art, decorative journaling, pen and ink art, mural painting, chalk designs, you name it!
If it’s creative or having to do with art or crafts, it’s part of this annual celebration!
A post on the NationalDayCalendar.com website posts a terrific article explaining what this month is all about relating to crafts. You can see their post HERE to gain more insight on this intriguing day celebrated each year.
There is also discussion about people who include crafts and art into their life live healthier lives as well in the piece written on the NationalToday.com website HERE. Healthier? Go grab those markers and paints and get creative in that case!
As a nod to National Craft Month, I chose to write about a type craft that has a lot to do with mindfulness. The craft of creating a vision board!
What Is a Vision Board?
What exactly is a vision board? Well, it’s a board of some sort that you post images on relating to your desires in this lifetime. You can consolidate a single board for this, or you can have multiple boards depicting images of specific areas of your life that you want to bring into your experience.
The basic idea is to focus on your completed vision board multiple times per day and focus on the things on it to manifest them into your life. Some might think this is a little woo-woo, but it’s actually a proven method for creating a life that you love.
ScienceofPeople.com is a website that explains this methodology excellently in an article titled, “How to Create an Awesome Vision Board in 8 Simple Steps.” You can reference that post HERE. In their article, the author gives ideas about different platforms for your vision board with suggestions for virtual versus physical boards, planning and organizing ideas for your creation of the board, as well as some terrific questions and replies to commonly asked inquiries about this subject.
Organizing Your Vision Board
Organizing your vision board is important. You have to know what images on your bord to manifest, so organization of what goes into it is an important part of the process.
Take an inventory of the material things you want in your life, the types of people you want to meet, the sort of job you want, the destinations you would like to travel to and visit, relationships you want to be involved in, events you want to occur, accolades you want to receive, clothes you’d love to own and wear, weight you’d like to lose (or gain), clubs or memberships you would love to be a member of, and anything else you can think of in detail that you’d like to attract into your life.
Starting with general ideas of these and other categories is helpful. But the main idea after that is to home in on the details and specifics of each category you create for your vision board. For example, if one of your items is to own a beautiful home, get down to the specifics…
How many bedrooms does it have?
Is it a 1-story home or does it have multiple levels?
What color is the exterior? Is it a brick home, stucco, or does it have a Hardie plank exterior?
What rooms are inside and what color are the walls of those areas? What are they used for?
Do the interior rooms have molding with or without dental work?
What do the front and back yards look like? Is there a garden? What type of trees are there? How old are those trees? Is there a pool? A pool house? An outdoor kitchen? A firepit?
Does the house have flower boxes beneath the windows outside? If so, what kind of flowers are planted in those?
Then you can get down to the specific details…
In the kitchen, what kind of drawer system does it have? Is there a specific space for spices? Is that in a pull-out drawer, in a pull-out shelf, or located in a walk-in pantry in a custom-built spice rack? Is there a walk-in pantry in the kitchen area? Does the home offer electricity or gas? What brand of appliances does it have? What color are those? What is the depth of the French Door refrigerator?
See what I mean?
You can get down to the nitty gritty with this. Seriously! I even noted and provided images of the pots and pans that would be stored in my cabinetry system in my dream kitchen.
An example of that is the set of blue Lodge Dutch oven and skillet that are currently sitting on my stove cooking inner for tonight!
Seriously put effort into this, because if you don’t, what you manifest may not specifically be what you were hoping for.
The idea is to get specific.
You must get specific for the Universe to start working its magic to create ways for you to obtain these things that you desire.
I mean very specific.
Down to the brand and model of that high end refrigerator you want so much.
Details, details, details!
If you want specific things, you have to supply specific details.
That’s just how it works.
Creating Your Vision Board
The creation process of your vision board is something that requires your full and undivided attention.
Think of this step as you creating your future life.
Get serious about it, because this entire experience is a real thing.
This can also be a very fun and enjoyable experience. You are basically creating your future when doing this.
Get creative.
Let your inner Picasso out.
Have fun with this!
1. Materials You Will Need
The material you use to put your vision board together make a difference. The images you create or cut from magazines and newspapers create the focal point of what you are trying to manifest. So don’t doubt the fact that this is a crucial and very important step in the vision board process.
Some items to help you get started including a pile of magazines, newspapers, a pair of scissors, glue sticks or tape, photographs, pens, markers, and anything you deem necessary to carry through with your vision of how you want your life to look and be like.
The more detailed, the better outcome you will have.
2. Types of Boards You Can Choose From
I’ve had several vision boards in my life.
I have had combination boards with images of many items on a single board.
I have made assorted styles of vision boards, including large poster board sized vision boards specifying each room in my desired dream home with each poster board representing a specific room of the property and outdoor spaces.
I have created portable vision board inside my planner with custom-made laminated pages depicting how each room will look like and what things would be in those rooms. Then I punched holes in those and inserted them into a section of my planner titled “Vision Board” so I can carry it around with me and continually visualize.
Some examples of the different types of boards you can use include basic poster boards in whatever color you feel is right for you. Standard white? Black? Pale pink? What’s your color?
You can also use bulletin boards, framed boards customized to your liking, the entire inside of a closet door for your images and words.
You can even create a portable vision board customized to fit in the back of your daily planner like I did.
There are also apps for customizing and making your vision board that you can easily and enjoyably add to the home page of your smartphone or main screen of your personal computer at home or at your office.
3. Examples of What to Add to Your Board
Now that you have organized your thoughts and desires regarding what the things are that you truly desire for your life experience, it’s time to craft those thoughts and mental visions into images on your board.
For example, if you desire a specific designer watch, then locate a picture of that watch online then print it out and paste it onto your board.
How about that beautiful home with all of the specific details I spoke of earlier? Add a picture of that onto your board as well.
Words also create a great way to manifest things you want to bring to fruition. I like to cut out individual phrases and words from magazines and create sentences with those to make my intentions even more profound when crafting my boards.
Color images from magazines and catalogues are terrific resources for that. How about that vintage sports car you never thought you could even put a downpayment on?
Why not?
How about that lake house you’ve wanted forever?
Who says “no” to you? Why can’t you have these things that will bring you joy?
Things you want.
Places you want to travel to.
Experiences you want to have.
People you would like to attract into your life.
Positive situations you want to happen.
All of these things are important.
So, put some effort into this process, and trust that it will provide a starting place for you to attract all that you desire in this life.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. It only has to be meaningful and make sense to you.
Where to Keep Your Vison Board
I have experienced several places to keep my personal vision boards over the last several years that I have used them.
Here is a list of some of the places you may also like to display yours…
- On a poster board hanging on a wall that you pass several times each day
- On a bulletin board hung somewhere that you will see every day
- You can post a small version of your board on a bathroom mirror
- Take a picture of it with your smartphone and display it on your phone home page or personal computer home screen
- Place your vision board images and words on the inside of a closet door you open every day
- On the wall of your home office on a blank wall that you face all of the time
- Make a mini version of it in the back of your daily planner as a portable vision board to carry with you everywhere
- Put your vision board inside of a beautiful frame on your desk
- Tape the images you want to manifest to your refrigerator
- Place the images and words under a glass topped office desk to see them every day
- Tape your visuals on the ceiling over your bed where you sleep at night, so they are the first thing you see before going to bed and the first thing you see when you awaken in the morning (Please have someone help you do this for safety reasons!)
How to Use Your Vision Board
You’ve crafted an amazing vision board. You put effort and thought into it and you are now proud of your creation.
So, what do you do now?
Creating a vision board is not the end of the process.
You must put action and forward motion into it as well by setting aside time every day, multiple times a day if you can, to focus on the images and actually get your thoughts into a mindset of feeling the excitement of having those things in your life.
So how do you do that?
First of all, take that time to focus on your creation. Put your vision board in a location where you will see it multiple times a day.
Take a photo of your board with your smartphone and use that picture as your screensaver so you have it handy at a moment’s notice when leaving your home.
Actually feel the experience of getting that specific thing.
Feel the smile cross your face when you think of those things actually happening.
If it’s a sports car, feel the leather wheel in your hands as you grip the steering wheel.
Notice the vibration of the vehicle when you rev the engine and hear the rumble of the car getting ready to take off as soon as you step on the gas pedal.
Smell the tires on the pavement as you release the brake and take off.
Did you put the top down? Notice the sensation of the wind blowing through your hair.
Involve all of your senses.
Make it real.
That is how you do this.
The key is to focus on your images and actually feel the emotions you will have once those things are brought into existence, and you manifest those things into your life.
Emotion is the secret! The more emotion put toward it, the more you will attract and manifest those things into your life.
Wrapping up this post, I want to stress that manifesting is a unique, intriguing, and intuitive method for bringing into your life the things you sincerely desire for your experience. Once you start using your vision board to manifest those things, you will be appreciative of them actually appearing in all sorts of ways before you know it.
Remember, once you start to see and receive those blessings from the Universe, give thanks and always be profoundly grateful in order to keep manifesting more and more into your life.
MY MINDFUL REQUEST
My mindful request is to take some time thinking about this project. Really put effort into making a list of the things you honestly desire in your experience that will bring you joy, serenity, happiness, and everything amazing and positive.