By: Sydney Henry ‘24

Happy New Year everyone! 2021 may have not been the best year for you, but 2022 is all about increased positivity and making it the best year for you. So, how exactly can you map out 2022 to make it the best year for you? Try creating a mood board to help you accomplish all that you are looking forward to in 2022.

Taking a step back into the past for a minute, last year I posted about creating a mood board for 2021. You can go check out that post here. The advice I gave in that post still applies to this post as well, but there have been a couple changes in my creative process that I thought I should share.

Before jumping into the creation process it is always important to start with a definition.

A mood board (or inspiration board) is a physical or digital collage of ideas that are commonly used in fields like interior design, fashion, and graphic design.

However, in this situation we want to focus on and map out how 2022 will go for us personally.

Next up let’s go through the steps on how to create a mood board. Since I have done a post about this in the past, I’m going to condense these steps so we can get to the new tips I have to share. Again, you can read through each of the steps in detail here.

STEP 1 - BRAINSTORM

This one is super simple. Grab a piece of paper and start writing. Come up with several different points you want your mood board to focus or touch on and bring Google into the equation if necessary.

STEP 2 - GATHER ALL YOUR MATERIALS

There are several ways to go about creating your mood board. Whether you want something more traditional or something more digital based, either will be equally effective.

Way #1 (Traditional): The traditional way includes the use of poster boards (aka oak tag or Bristol board), magazine cutouts, photo prints, and handwritten words here and there.

Personally, for mood boards I have created in the past, most of the materials I’ve used were found in the dollar store or were already laying around my house. However, for the photo prints I used I opted for ordering them online for a nicer look. I used the website Snapfish, but you can also try something more local like Staples.

Way #2 (Tech-Savvy): Instead of going outside and grabbing all the materials to put the mood board together, you can opt to just create it right on your computer or iPad.

This year I chose to create my mood board on my iPad. I used the app Procreate which you can buy from the app store. The price is on the higher end, but i think it’s worth it for all you can do using it.

You can also make use of Microsoft Publisher or Keynote to create a simple collage of text and images to represent your mood board. Another option is to use a site like Canva which lays out different templates for you to use to organize your ideas and create your dream mood board.

STEP 3 - CREATE

This one is pretty simple. Just put it all together!

Make it all your own because it’s all focused on you. Put more images than text. Put more text than images. It is all totally up to you.

Now’s let’s get into the new changes I have made to go along with my mood board.

I have started MANIFESTING the goals on my mood board.

Manifestation refers to various pseudoscientific self-help strategies intended to bring about a personal goal, primarily by focusing one’s thoughts upon the desired outcome.

Disclaimer: Manifestation is not meant for everyone. It is still possible to create the mood board and not manifest and those goals depicted on the mood board can still come true or be accomplished. Manifestation aids in helping you constantly remember those goals and speed up the process of achievement.

Usually for me, manifestation meant repeating the goals depicted on my mood board either in my head or out loud both randomly and also when I saw my angel numbers. Angel numbers could be a whole other post so I’ll just include a definition and a video as to what they are.

Angel Numbers are recurring sequences of numbers that have spiritual significance, according to numerology.

You can check out a video about angel numbers here.

While manifestation can be just through thought, I have decided to take it a step further.

Envisioning how I would look during the moments where I am accomplishing those goals.

Basically, don’t be afraid to daydream. But do it with intention. How would your life look *in the short term* at the moment where you finally see your mood board come into fruition.

Write down the goals hidden inside your mood board and be specific about them.

Include features, practices, strategies, etc., that will allow you to progress toward them.

For example,

Goal: I will buy my first car soon.

Next, write the features of the car that you write including color of the interior/exterior, the year it was made, the make and model, etc. After that go into detail about the practices you need to implement in order to achieve this goal. For example, saving a set amount every paycheck or envisioning yourself and your life with this new car.

Tip: Instead of setting a specific time period use the word ‘soon.’ Soon usually implies 5 years or less.

I am definitely no expert on manifestation or how exactly it works but I will link a video here that goes into a lot more detail about it.

2022 is the year for you to focus on you and how you want your life to look. Embrace this new year with positivity and strive to carry that positivity throughout it. It’s time for all of use to live our best lives and as always #FightOn!

Want more from Trojans 360?

Visit Trojans 360 on Facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with more student content! You can also Ask A Trojan an anonymous question, and we’ll try to answer it in a future post. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

Trojans 360 is USC’s official student-run blog. Content created by students, for students.