Vision Board Ideas: How to Create Your 2023 Vision Board

An open notebook sits on a white table with assorted notes, drawings, pictures and items on top — Unsplash

Do you have big dreams for 2023? One way to give yourself clarity and help guide those dreams into reality can be to channel them into a vision board. And, while you can create a vision board at any time, the start of the year is the perfect time (in fact, January 14 is officially National Vision Board Day — a day that’s practically asking you to manifest your hopes and dreams to make 2023 the best year yet!).

But mapping out the vision for your year can be overwhelming. So, we broke down some vision board ideas and tips to help you create a vision board that’s perfect for you.

You may also like: These are your January 2023 horoscopes.

A young woman wearing a colourful top cuts out pictures for a project — Pexels

What is a vision board?

A vision board is a visual representation of things you want to bring into your life, says life alignment coach Keidi Janz. This can look like a collage of pictures, words or anything visual to remind you of your goals for the year.

“It really helps us stay connected to the things we want to be bringing into our life,” Janz says.

Why should you make a vision board?

The stereotypical vision board is one filled with material items: million-dollar cheques, cars, purses, vacations. But Janz sees a vision board as more than a visual checklist of stuff you’d like to acquire. She uses her board as a way to figure out how she wants her year to feel.

“Where people disconnect from their vision boards is not to have anything that’s feeling-related about it,” Janz says.

Don’t fear if you’ve been thinking about material items! You can still put them on your board. Plus, you can use them as jumping off points to figure out what feelings you want to bring into 2023.

Here’s an example of how putting something material on a vision board can actually go deeper and connect with the feeling that you want to bring into your life this year. Let’s say that you want a certain kind of purse this year. What does this purse mean to you? Will it make you feel confident? Will it make you feel free, or have peace of mind, because you have enough money that you can spend without thinking? Ask yourself those questions before you pin it up on your board.

A woman sits at her computer, while assorted images are pinned onto the white wall in front of her — Pexels

Can my vision board help me manifest?

Manifesting is the whole reason to make a vision board. It’s a great reminder of what you want to attract, as well as remind you of the actions you need to take to make these things happen.

But getting what you want is a funny thing. Janz says that you need to be open to receiving those things you want in interesting ways.

“Once you start having a more expansive version of the realization of that feeling for you, it makes your vision board more exciting,” Janz says.

This happened with Janz’s vision board in 2022. She put a picture of birds and nature on last year’s board because she wanted to feel more connected to nature. The way this manifested for her was that she ended up moving into a house with a large backyard, filled with birds and trees.

Janz never put a picture of a new home on her vision board, but she still got that result she wanted. It just looked different (and better!) than she expected.

Should my vision board be on paper or digital?

When it comes to the medium you use to create your vision board, try not to stress — there’s no right answer! Janz says to do what’s best for you.

So, if you like the tactile DIY feeling of creating a physical vision board with paper, scissors and glue — then go for it. Or, if you prefer a more digital route, you can even use an online vision board template (Canva offers some vision board template options, for example) to help you get started if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

As long as your vision board is somewhere you can see it every day, that’s what’s important. Whether that be as your phone background or hung up in your bedroom, you just want to constantly be reminded of what you’re trying to bring in for 2023.

A person wearing a grey comfy lounge set sits on the floor — Pexels

How to make a vision board for manifestation

Ready to create your goal-setting vision board? Here’s a quick guide from Janz with tips for getting your 2023 vision board ready:

Ask yourself what kind of feelings you want to evoke in 2023. Joy, love, confidence – whatever comes to mind is the right answer.
Find visuals that match those feelings. If you want to have more body confidence, for example, a fashion magazine may not be the best place for those visuals. Perhaps print or pin pictures on Instagram of your favourite style icons.
Arrange your visuals in a beautiful way. Whether that be on canvas, bristol board or Canva, just make sure you love to look at it.
Put your vision board somewhere you’ll see it every day. Whether that’s IRL or on a phone or computer, you just need to remember what you want this year to feel like so that you can make it happen.
Keep adding to your vision board. As the year goes on, things change. Don’t be afraid to add on to your vision board.

With these tips in mind, you’re ready to create a vision board — and to manifest the life you want. So go out and make your vision board for the best year yet!