Art Therapy: How to Make a Vision Board
With the current increase in mental illnesses worldwide, several modalities have been advanced to manage the conditions. Art therapy is among the complementary therapeutic approaches that have been shown to work. It is an integrative therapy allowing people to express their thoughts and emotions using artistic mediums. Unlike traditional psychotherapy, art therapy accesses the parts of your brain that language cannot. It focuses on symbolic and sensory techniques led by trained mental health professionals to achieve certain benefits. Making a vision board is one technique of art therapy. The board is a visual and tactile tool used in treatment to help you set goals you want to achieve in different areas of life. Below are the main steps involved in making a vision board.
Think About Your Objectives
When making a vision board, you should first dig deep and explore what you aim to achieve in therapy and overall life. For instance, you can ask yourself what you want to accomplish by year-end, how you see yourself in two months, or what skill you want to perfect. Setting your intention is a powerful step in therapy, so take time to think carefully about what you want. Experts recommend answering your questions on what you want to achieve in the present as if you have already reached the goals. This motivates you.
Gather Your Supplies for a Vision Board
Some of the supplies you need for a vision board include an art journal, photos, paper, magazine pictures, words, and decorative materials. For the journal, you can use any notebook to write down your goals and what you want the vision board to look like. You will glue your words, decorative materials, and pictures on the paper. If you want a large and durable board, you can consider using cardboard or manila paper instead of simple paper.
Go through magazines and books to find pictures, words, or quotes that best represent your vision. The internet is also teeming with photos that can work for your board, so consider this as your source of supplies as well. The decorative materials are meant to draw your attention to the board, so pick something that will instantly capture your interest and keep you grounded in your vision.
Put the Vision Board Together
After gathering your supplies, get a quiet space in which you can put all of them together for the vision you have. Consider this your sacred time when you get to map out what you want to achieve and combine materials according to your goals. Place the materials on the vision board without gluing them first to see how they all look. You can then shift them into different sections depending on the look for which you are aiming and what best motivates you.
Once you have a vision board in place, your therapists will recommend hanging it in a prominent location to always be within your view. This way, you have minimal chances of forgetting what you are working towards. Think about the behaviors you can adopt to ensure you actualize your vision and aim to control your beliefs so that you do not get discouraged by negativity.
One Final Thought
Achieving everything you have on your vision board will take time. Learn to take small steps and let go of the fear of failing for you to keep yourself grounded. Remember to make the goals on your board practical and realistic so that you do not become discouraged and give up. Even as you engage in art therapy, stick to the options that a mental health professional has for managing your condition for the highest benefits.
Board-certified Doctor of Oriental Medicine and the owner of White Crane Clinic in Tarpon Springs, Florida. With over a decade of clinical experience, she specializes in integrative care that blends acupuncture, herbal medicine, and regenerative therapies for whole-body wellness.
