Hey friends! OK, I’m really excited about today’s post because it’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing (going all the way back to like high school) and is a fun activity that can help spark some motivation! It can also double as some pretty amazing wall decor in your office. 😉 So, what am I talking about? Inspiration boards! Have you ever made one? Or maybe you’ve thought about it but weren’t sure where to start? It can feel a bit daunting – especially if you’re making a big one, but the process is actually super relaxing and even therapeutic if you ask me!
Whether you’re completely new to inspiration boards or have made one but want some new ideas, I’ve gathered all my best tips below. I’ve made several over the years so I like to think I’ve got a few hacks that can get you started. Also, since Pinterest serves as a major source of inspiration these days, I thought I’d share how to make a DIGITAL inspiration board as well as a physical one. Either way, it makes for a great weekend project, so block off a Saturday afternoon and get to thinking about what inspires you!
For a Digital Inspiration Board
Create a new Pinterest board
I love that Pinterest offers the option to have secret boards. This way if you want your inspiration board to be for your eyes only, you can. You’ll see this option when you go to create a new board. So that’s your first step! Create a new board and choose all the settings for it – public or secret, the category it falls into and a description of what that board will mean to you.
And as a side note, a great thing about creating a digital inspiration board is you can make a ton of them depending on what kind of inspiration you need. Maybe you create different themes depending on your mood or create them by category. For example, maybe you’re planning a big trip and you want that trip to have a certain feeling surrounding it, so you can pin images that capture that. Or maybe you’re updating your wardrobe and you’re looking to embody a certain style. Or you can create one big board that captures everything you want to embody all in one place. The options are endless!
Follow any person/brand that inspires you
When you’re going the digital route you want to be sure to follow all the people and brands that give you life. Like the ones that are constantly posting photos that make you stop in your tracks and really look at it and think. This will help curate your Pinterest feed to really reflect your style/things that inspire you, which makes the next step super easy!
Start pinning!
I don’t know about y’all but when I get really into Pinterest I can fall down a rabbit hole that lasts for hours. It’s so much fun! You can easily save your pins to your inspiration board and then they’ll always be there for whenever you need a dose of positivity.
For a Physical Inspiration Board
Decide how you want your board to serve you
Since you can’t as easily change a physical inspiration board, you’ll want to give the vibe and aesthetic of your board some thought. Think about how you want it to serve you and what you want to get out of it. Do you want more text or images? Consider what inspires you more – maybe you want lots of quotes and motivational messages. Or maybe you want bright colors to lift you up if you’re having a bad day. There’s no wrong answer here!
Gather your content
To gather your content you’ll want to utilize Pinterest and Instagram to find images and words and moments that you want to print off and include on your bored. But don’t be afraid to get off the internet and really get creative. I love fashion magazines and all the editorial fonts you can find, so I like to go and buy a copy of Vogue or Vanity Fair when starting a new inspiration board. I also think it’d be cool to go to a craft store and pick up swatches of any fabrics I love or maybe even faux stems or flowers. Anything that inspires you can go on your board – even your own photographs if you have some you really love. Nothing is off limits here!
Start experimenting
Now comes the best part! Once you have all your content gathered, you can start experimenting with how you want to arrange your board. You can play around a bit first, rearranging and trying different set-ups, and then glue everything in place or you can use tape or thumb tacks if you’re going to want to be able to mix things up down the road. Whenever I’m creating a physical inspiration board, I like to create a lot of contrast. So I’ll put something with words or a pattern/print with some dimension next to an image. I also try to make sure I’m not putting anything in a straight line while arranging my content. I like my boards to feel really organic – like I just dropped everything and they kinda fell that way, know what I mean? But this board is completely unique to you so do whatever you want! I just wanted to give y’all some ideas to get started!
Once you’ve decided where you want everything to go and have attached it all to your board, hang it up in a place you’ll constantly see it! That could be in your office/at your desk, in your bedroom – wherever it’s going to serve you best.
OK, so what do you think?! Sounds pretty fun, right? It really is a great activity (digital or physical) and kinda provides some time for self-reflection, which y’all know I love. Have fun with it and if you make one and share it on social, be sure to tag me so I can see your creation!