The inspiration board, (also known as a vision board, mood board, travel board, a basic girl’s hopes and dreams on a wall, etc.) is probably the single most effective motivator in my life. I’m a visual person. I make lists, draw diagrams, stare at maps, etc. So naturally, having a bunch of pictures on a wall is right up my alley. I saw this idea a few years ago on Pinterest (of course) and totally fell in love with it. It’s helped me save money for travel, stay on track with the goals in my life, put me in a good mood on a rainy day and basically everything in between.

So how do you do this thing?

• Make sure you pick a prominent place where you have to see it constantly but not super in the way that it messes with your decor (#keepitclassy).
• Start with a cork board in a frame. Doesn’t have to be a fancy cork board or a fancy frame. It’s just easier to pin/staple stuff to a cork board than a wall and the frame just brings it together.
• Put stuff on it. Literally anything. Pieces of pretty wrapping paper, postcards, printed pictures, wristbands, stickers, boarding passes, magazine and newspaper clippings, paint chips, wrappers, leftover currency, photos, scrapbook paper, pressed coins, business cards, anything that brings back a good memory or inspires wanderlust.
• The inspiration board can be your motivation for anything including workout goals, wardrobe goals, travel goals, help you avoid writer’s block, something that just makes you smile every time you look at it, the sunshine on a rainy day, the rain on a sweltering day. Anything.
• Add to it and change it up so you don’t get bored of it. It’s not set in stone and inspirations change all the time. If you take a new trip or some amazing life event takes place, add/remove things accordingly.
• The point is not only to motivate you for upcoming things but also to celebrate the past. If you were inspired by a certain place you visited or thing you did, chances are you will be inspired to go back and/or feel happy when you see pictures from it. Add it!

On my board.

My inspiration board initially began as sort of a visual ode to my two favorite cities (at the time), N.Y.C. and Miami. I had postcards of N.Y.C. landmarks, tissue paper from Bendel’s and printouts of Audrey Hepburn on the right and all the ocean vibes of turquoise perfection on the left. However over time, and as I traveled more, I fell in love with every place I visited. Also with each trip I made, I gained new perspectives which shaped my goals in life. My board soon began to look more like a coffee-powered travel log/bullet journal stuck on a wall and covered in glitter. But what matters is that every single time I see it, I get the butterflies I had on that rooftop in N.Y.C., feel the California sunshine, hear the street performers in Paris, or smell the salty air on Malecón. Pieces on that board vary in size and overlap with each other but cookie cutter perfection is overrated. Each piece has character and a ton of memories attached to it.

There’s really no right or wrong way to be inspired. That’s the art of it.