Vision Boarding
Vision boarding is one of my favourite nurturing activities, and I actually do it myself quite often. The way I recommend doing this is to start with a piece of cardboard—whatever size you like. Ideally choose something lightweight so that when you’re finished you can pin it to a wall or blu-tack it somewhere you’ll see regularly.
Next, gather a pile of magazines. If you don’t already have some lying around, you can usually find them at an op shop, or someone you know will almost certainly have a stack they’re happy to pass on. Sometimes I even grab a magazine from the supermarket. You just want a variety of visual material. And if you have poetry, printed words, or anything else calling to you, feel free to include those too. There are no rules here.
Vision boarding is about getting out of your head and into your hands—into the sensory, intuitive, creative part of yourself. It’s a practice in learning to recognise the yes and no in your body. When I run this as an in-person workshop, we tend to have glitter, glue, paint, and all sorts of materials. You get to choose whatever feels good for you. I can easily spend a whole weekend tinkering with a vision board, or dip in and out of it over a week. The goal is to create a nurturing, beautiful space. You can do this alone or with friends—whatever helps your nervous system feel calm and regulated.
When you start, flip through the magazines without judgement, without overthinking, without trying to “get it right.” When you see a picture, word, phrase, colour—anything—that pulls your attention, simply tear it out and set it aside. Collect first, create later.
When you’re ready to assemble, tune into your body as you go. If something doesn’t feel good, don’t include it. This practice is about noticing what you feel drawn toward. If something feels flat or meh, let it go. Try to get your head out of the way—release all the shoulds. This is pure play, creativity, and intuition.
Like some other practices in this course, vision boarding sits at the crossroads of science and magic. We create an external visual anchor we can return to when we feel lost. It’s not about making a board with a Ferrari and expecting it to appear in the driveway one morning. Instead, it’s about training our system to recognise the things we truly desire—objects, places, feelings—so that when they show up in real life, we’re able to notice and move toward them.
This process activates the reticular activating system—the filtering and sorting part of the brain—but in a fun, tactile, creative way. No rules, no good or bad, no “pretty” or “ugly.” Just whatever feels beautiful and true for you.
Vision Boarding Process
Vision boarding is another way of creating space to listen to yourself—just like journalling and visualisation—but this time through your hands, your senses, and your intuition. Use this process to guide yourself gently through it.
1. Prepare Your Space
Choose a place where your nervous system feels calm and regulated—somewhere you can breathe deeply and drop into your body.
This might be:
- a cosy corner of your home
- a sunny spot outside
- a favourite café
- or a quiet nook you return to often
- A dining table or lounge room floor takeover
The important part is that your body feels safe and soft so you can hear yourself clearly.
2. Gather Your Materials
You’ll need:
- a lightweight piece of cardboard (any size that feels right)
- a stack of magazines (op shops and friends are great sources)
- scissors or the freedom to tear pages
- glue or tape
- optional extras: poetry, words, paint, fabric, glitter, pens—anything that feels beautiful or expressive
Remember: there are no rules. Choose what feels good.
3. Shift Out of Your Head and Into Your Body
Before you begin selecting images, pause.
Close your eyes.
Take three slow breaths.
Place a hand on your chest or belly and quietly ask your body to lead.
This is the same awareness you use in journalling and visualisation:
- A yes feels open, warm, alive
- A no feels tight, flat, or dull
Let this guide the entire process.
4. Explore the Magazines Without Judgement
Flip through the pages slowly.
Without overthinking, pull out anything that:
- draws your eye
- gives you a little spark
- makes you exhale
- feels like a soft yes
- feels beautiful, nourishing, or intriguing
This might be:
- images
- single words
- colours
- textures
- phrases
- random objects
- places
- landscapes
- emotions you sense from the image
Do not analyse.
Do not ask if it’s “realistic.”
Do not ask if you “should” want it.
This is intuition work, not logic work.
5. Create Your Collection
Gather your cut-outs into a loose pile.
This is your raw material—your inner world, externalised.
You can walk away and come back later if you want to let the process breathe.
6. Begin Arranging Your Board
Lay your pieces on your cardboard before you glue them.
Play. Move things around.
Let it feel like a gentle sensory meditation.
As you place each piece, tune back into your body:
- Does this feel like a yes?
If something feels flat or “meh,” gently remove it.
This is important—this entire practice trains your intuition by practising the art of saying yes and no.
7. Glue Everything Down
When the arrangement feels good start gluing.
8. Place Your Vision Board Somewhere You’ll See It
Pin it up somewhere you can look at it regularly as an anchor. Your vision board helps your brain (specifically the reticular activating system) recognise what feels good to you – where the science meets the magic.
