Arts & Crafts: Glue Sticks, Glitter and Googly Eyes

HILLARY WALL

I think I must be New Year’s Eve’s target demographic. I am someone who loves a celebration, loves a fresh start and loves a reason to get excited about ideas for the future (I also love fireworks, but that’s because my parents told me that the 4th of July spectacles were in honor of my birthday when I was young). I turned 34 this year. I’ve had enough New Year’s Eves that have not lived up to the hype, leaving me with that familiar New Year’s anticipation deflation. So this year I decided to do something a little different.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve in the afternoon, and invited a small group of friends and neighbors to drop in for a (bubbly-fuelled) vision board creation station. It’s pretty simple: you take a stack of magazines, select and sort imagery and words that speak to you most, then paste them together in a collage to inspire you. Add some sparkly crafty bits and bobs to finish and voila! You’ve got yourself a vision board.

I recently watched an interview of Oprah where she was asked if she still makes vision boards. Her answer (which was so Oprah of her) was: “I don’t vision board anymore because I am a powerful manifestor, and I know that, and I know how to do it without physically putting it on a board.” Well. I don’t know about you but until I graduate to Oprah’s level of manifestation confidence, I’ll just keep my glue stick in one hand and bundle of magazines in the other.

I’ve found vision boarding to be a fun way to express the cacophony of my ideas, hopes and dreams. Since starting the project a few weeks ago, I’ve made several vision boards and had a few great breakthroughs on ideas that I’d been waiting for clarity on. It’s another tool on my creative belt.

If you’re not already wondering where your scissors and magazines are, here are a few reasons why making a vision board might be just the thing you need to kickstart your creativity for the new decade.

It’s easy.
The materials are simple; you might even have everything you need just sitting around the house. The skills required are easy, cutting pieces of paper and pasting them with a glue stick. It reminded me of primary school art class, and made me feel that there really was no wrong way to attempt it.

It’s analogue.
It’s nice to feel purposeful and off-screen. Sitting with and holding the paper, cutting and organising the pieces will aid in feeling grounded. There’s magic when we get to see something come to be through the work of our hands.

It’s intuitive.
Certain pictures and phrases will jump from the pages and every atom in your being will sing “Yes! That’s for me!”. And if your inner voice is not quite that dramatic, it might be a bit more polite: “Yes, I’d like that please.” Once, I cut out a phrase and was holding it poised, ready to stick it onto the board when a tiny voice inside me softly but firmly said, “Oh girl, no.” And she was right. Vision boards help us connect with our inner voice who is going to tell us the truth.

It gives you a starting point.
No matter how creative you consider yourself to be, sometimes starting from nothing is daunting. I like that the starting point here was just flipping through my favorite magazines all over again.

It dares you to dream.
At the most, putting a vision board together is a powerful tool for learning more about ourselves and for giving ourselves the chance to think about what the best possible version of our future could be. At the least, it’s a sensory feast. Either way, we win.

It’s fun.
And fun is good.

Want more vision board inspo?

Tune into episode one of The Cork & Chroma Podcast, on Spotify.