I have never believed in vision boards.
I believe in collages! I love a good collage. But I’ve always had a hard time with the idea of ‘manifesting.’
Like, I don’t think I’m gonna manifest a million dollars or a dream home. I don’t think cutting out pictures of houses I like next to positive affirmations is going to do anything. I think making a nice physical Pinterest board is about as effective as avocado toast in affecting my future as a home owner.
I also think that, in general, imagining a future has never been an easy task for me. I’ve never been good at those questions about where you see yourself in so-and-so years. When I was in high school, my answer for where I saw myself in ten years was dead! Of course, I always said it like it was a joke, but years later, it was probably also depression. Whoops! 🤡
And really, I think the reason why manifesting, vision boarding, goal setting, etc never worked for me then is because how could I picture an ideal future when I was just surviving the present? What do I want? For things to be better! How? How the fuck should I know? If I knew, I would be doing something about it!
Of course I still tried. I set new years resolutions. I set birthday goals. I make a lot of lists. Inevitably, I would put the same things. I want to write more, be more productive. I want to work out more, be healthier. I want to wake up earlier. And those things, for the most part, never worked because I didn’t know why I wanted to do those things. I just thought it would be a good thing to be. Healthy. Productive. Fit.
As I’ve gotten older, though, I have realised that while I don’t keep the structure of the goal (work out minimum 3x a week!), I’ve kept the spirit of my goals. For instance, I don’t run 5x a week like I thought I would, but I’ve been more mindful of my health and my body. And I’ve learned that what’s important to me is not some far-off ideal of health, but things like, knowing I value being kind to my body and soul, and that means eating more greens because it makes me feel good. Making sure I take a walk in the sunshine when I work from home because it improves my mood. Skateboarding because it’s fun and it helps me deal with my anxiety.
And making sure I keep that feeling and honor my values is far more important than keeping an arbitrary productivity goal.
Vision Boards feel very woo*, but more than manifesting like, a legit winning lotto ticket or a hot bod, what they do is help you focus on what you want. What you value. What you need.
And who doesn’t love an excuse to collage?
So I might give vision boards a fair shot.
Listen, the idea of ‘you can’t change the world, but you can change your attitude’ or whatever the fuck is still pretty bullshit because a positive attitude is useless without like, voting and advocacy and actually taking any kind of responsibility for your role in the world. But I think when it comes to something like manifesting or goal-setting, it makes sense. I can try to manifest writing a NY Times Best Seller, but even Octavia Butler was subject to the capricious whims of a racist publishing industry, and didn’t make her goal until this year.
I can’t control the publishing industry! But I can control me, how I value my work, and how I’m going to push for what I want, and how I will stay steadfast no matter what bullshit comes my way.
And when you read Octavia Butler’s manifestations, you can clearly see what she values, and what she was fighting for: Independence! Racial justice! Self-advocacy! Giving back! Knowing your worth and making damn sure it’s recognised and respected!
And I think I could manifest those things for myself, even if I’m not a ground-breaking, best-selling author.
So be it! See to it!
If you’re gonna join me, I highly recommend reading Autostraddle’s article on vision boards which helped me articulate how I feel about them:
“It is difficult to manifest an item, but you can manifest a feeling. Having a vision board in your home will keep those desired feelings at the forefront of your thoughts.”
*But really, are they very ‘woo’, or are they just a more feminine, artistic version of the masculine idea of ‘goal-setting’? Hmm.
Thanks for reading! Have a treat:
"The Pink Choice" by Vietnamese photographer Maika Elan is a series that depicts LGBT Vietnamese couples, "focusing on living spaces, the affectionate touches, and more importantly, the synchronized rhythm of lovers sharing life together." This one is one of my favourites.
Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (1991, worker) and Dam Ngoc Hoang (1994, tailor) are watching a horror movie together after dinner in Ho Chi Minh city, Viet Nam on 08 June 2012. They lived together for more than four years.