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Magazines, scissors and glue sticks piled high atop a table in the Shepherdstown Public Library last month. Seated around them, several residents of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle cut out images to represent their goals for the new year.
By the end of the hour, images of workout equipment, home decor and tropical landscapes covered sheets of paper with “2025” written in the center. And crafters walked away with their very own vision boards.
“A vision board is a visualization tool that combines images, words and affirmations to help individuals manifest their goals and dreams,” said Carol Richmond, an adjunct professor for the non-credit adult education program Lifelong Learning who led the Dec. 16 workshop.
New Year’s resolutions can be easy to forget. But some say creating that visual reminder of their yearly ambitions can help with follow-through.
“It will remind them where they’re headed, and [to] stay positive about those,” Richmond said. “It’s a very powerful tool.”
Vision boards can take different forms. In Richmond’s workshop, participants glued images onto different quadrants of their boards representing different aspects of life: careers, wellness, relationships, recreation and more. By collaging images that represent their goals, Richmond said crafters take time to really think about what they want.
Vision boards have long been a passion for Richmond. As a teenager, they helped her imagine her adult life. As an adult, they prepared her to make big life decisions.
Sometimes, that visual goal-setting really worked. Earlier in life, she created a vision board depicting the interior of a home with a fireplace to represent her dream home in New Mexico.
“I had no idea what the houses looked like there,” she said. “But I imagined the house that went with it, and I found a house with two fireplaces.”
For many participants at the Shepherdstown library, goals for 2025 centered around spending time with loved ones, seeing more of the world and exploring new experiences.
Dawn Dunbar of Shepherdstown created a vision board featuring townhomes, natural scenery and people spending time together.
“The house here is for family and friends,” she said, pointing to her collage. “And I’d like to travel with my husband [as] a way to spend more time together. So that’s what the waterfall’s for. Hopefully we’ll travel somewhere warm for 2025.”
Sandy Crouse of Martinsburg expressed similar goals with her vision board.
“I want more time with family and friends, and having a good time traveling,” she said. “Hopefully, I can find romance that leads into a huge relationship and travel buddy.”
Richmond said the end product of the craft is something intangible. It is not about pursuing material goods, but rather prioritizing the things that make one happy, she said.
“It works, but it takes some time,” she said.
Plus, Richmond and several residents said they plan to hang the vision boards in their homes — a visual reminder of their hopes for 2025, which they can look to year round.
