Investigating the beloved manifestation method that everyone’s talking about
By NATALIE SALTER—arts@theaggie.org
Since its creation in 2010, image-collection social media site Pinterest has risen to a position of immense popularity in the culture. A visual-focused platform that allows users to create “boards” full of carefully curated pictures — from outfits to artwork to celebrity Instagram posts — Pinterest has a strong aesthetic appeal and an invitingly simple interface.
In recent years, one of the most popular uses of Pinterest’s board system has been for a very specific kind of curation: vision boards, which intentionally string together pictures and mantras representing the sort of life the creator dreams of living. Though vision boards can be made in a variety of mediums, Pinterest has found itself to be the most popular choice for this sort of visual manifestation.
Open a vision board on Pinterest, and you may find images of one or many of the following: tropical beaches, concerts, pilates routines, designer outfits, penthouses, flowers in the outstretched hand of a romantic partner and glassy-clean skin. Together, they weave a picture of an idealized, perfect life of boundless blessings.
However, the core purpose of a vision board is not simply to dream up an ideal life. When one makes their vision board, they do so with the intention of “manifesting” it into reality. The idea is that by having specific images in mind of what one wants to accomplish, they effectively solidify that it will happen in real life.
You might raise an eyebrow at that statement. After all, spending a few minutes putting images of London on your Pinterest board doesn’t guarantee you a flight over. It might seem more like wishful thinking than actual manifestation.
But do vision boards have any real sway over your life, or are they just a playful pastime? It’s worth investigating, because if the former is true, and a collection of pretty images can bring your dreams to life, it’s certainly worth a try.
The influencers who sing their vision boards’ praises claim that vision boarding creates intention, a sort of unconscious psychological drive inspiring you to make those dreams come true. For example, if you save a slew of concert pictures to your vision board, you’ll supposedly be more subliminally driven to search for tickets and spend on them.
The visualization aspect of vision boards (after all, it’s in the name) is worth considering too. Seeing visual proof of the things you want, like a stylish hair color or a vacation in France, makes them seem more achievable and tangible in your mind. Instead of vague ideas, you are given actual images of your dreams, thereby validating them and making them seem within reach.
All of this psychological work, however, doesn’t substitute for the real costs and demands of making certain goals come true. It is very important to consider that the influencers who insist that a vision board helped them move to Japan are intentionally leaving out the financial privileges and personal freedoms that actually made such a leap possible.
It’s also worth noting that some vision boards encourage you to fixate on superficial aspects of yourself, a mindset that can ultimately be very harmful as it inevitably perpetuates insecurities. It is important to not let yourself feel obligated to fix your physical appearance before enjoying life to the fullest — it’s happening now, and you deserve to live it fully with or without perfectly primped hair.
As sweet as it seems to imagine that your Pinterest board can bring your dreams to life, a crucial truth is that your life is dependent on you. Not every opportunity will magically fall into your lap, and not every dream will bloom without causing you to break a sweat. Most wonderful things take time and effort to create, and not all of it is accessible to begin with.
This truth shouldn’t dampen your spirits or prevent you from throwing together a cute, little collection of images you want to make true. Vision-boarding can help make your dreams feel more real, and even if they don’t leave your board, it’s still a fun way to express what you want to chase next in life.
Written by: Natalie Salter—arts@theaggie.org
