Turning a Creative Mood Board Into a Planning Powerhouse

Hey friends! D. Michele Perry here from The Wonder Habit™ Substack & Instagram.  

For years I have made vision boards and mood boards and brand boards… for almost every single project I ever thought of. Suffice it to say, I have made a lot of mood boards in my day.

They are fun to make and generally helpful, but it wasn’t until I switched up a few things that I started to see their full potential.

I tend to think of vision, mood, and brand boards as slightly different.

Vision boards are a general way to create a collaged picture of a goal or a direction I want to explore, whereas mood boards tend to be more project-based and specific. Brand boards can be a little of both, but for a brand or business. 

I’ve found creative mood boards turn into planning powerhouses when we pair our images with specific annotations that capture the purposes of and thoughts behind the imagery included. 

Once I started making notes and observations on the mood boards themselves, I noticed far more creativity and clarity on the related projects.

So let’s jump in and I’ll show exactly what I’m talking about.

The Supplies

Here are the supplies I use regularly in my garden journal.  (You can use my code DMP to get a discount on any of the supplies you pick up from Archer and Olive.)

• Archer and Olive Dot Grid Notebooks:  I’m using an A5-sized notebook in this project.
• Archer & Olive Washi Tape: They are just gorgeous.
• A permanent ink fine liner
• Watercolor, gouache, acrylic paints
• A pencil
• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Images and papers to collage (make sure you grab our free download below where I have listed all my favorite go-to sources for these).

If you are more of a video watcher than a post reader, here is the link to the video version of this post on YouTube.

What’s Included In a Creative Mood Board?

The sky is truly the limit. 

Let’s break down some of the most common elements I include:

• Brown paper packages… tied up with strings… well at least the brown paper part! Packing paper can be used to create so much depth and texture.
• Handpainted elements… like my painted painter’s tape.
• Washi tape and stickers Archer and Olive has some of the most gorgeous washi tape I have ever seen. 
• Images from catalogues, magazines, print media
• Color swatches of paint
• Acrylic skins, i.e. acrylic paint that dries on parchment paper or silicone you can peel off.

Want my complete list of ideas?  Grab this PDF where I spill all the tea.  PS you can also used spilled tea to dye/age paper.

Why Aren’t You Just Making a Pinterest Board?

Pinterest boards can be super helpful for a lot of things. But they do not give your brain the same experience physical art-making and writing do.

Studies have shown that the physical act of writing notes deepens the ability to process information when compared to simply typing or interacting with it digitally. 

Creative mood boards allow you to use so many parts of your brain at once, it is no wonder why this exercise helps us make connections and come up with new ideas.

You are stimulating parts of your brain that deal with spatial awareness, ideation, analysis, language, color, abstraction, prioritization, writing, sight, touch, synthesis, and working memory to name just some of the ways moodboarding can be such a powerful practice for your brain.

Let’s Create a Simple Project Mood Board Together

This creative mood board is for a miniature cottage project I plan to create in the next few months.  

I wanted to capture the essence or vibe of the project, drill down on the color palette, understand the style, and create a cohesive visual snapshot that will keep me focused and inspired.

STEP ONE: I begin by sorting through a stash of possible papers and images. 

I’m calling this miniature project the Artist’s Forest Cottage. The vibe I’m going for is organic, natural, whimsical, and English cottage in the Cotswolds with forest elements and nature-inspired textures

STEP TWO: I start laying things out and move them around until I am happy with the layout. 

I love mixing many textures and details that add dimension to the board.  It is the same basic process I use when styling elements for a flat lay photograph. 

Fiddle with space. Layer objects. Arrange. Rearrange. Connect them with washi tape or paint or pencil scratches. Lean into your intuition. Let the collage carry y

 STEP THREE: Add in handmade elements. I painted this on blue painter's tape because I had leftover paint when working on another project. It transformed into one of my favorite elements on this board.

STEP FOUR: When everything is arranged to your liking… glue it down.  

The type of glue you choose depends on what you like working with and/or what works best on the materials you are adhering together. For paper and cardstock, a fresh glue stick is perfect.

 STEP FIVE: Make notes that annotate your thoughts about the images, phrases that come to mind, facts you don’t want to forget, etc. 

This is the stage where your mood board goes from pretty to powerhouse.

This is an act of creative synthesis, or coming together.  It is a portrait of your inspiration and ideas at the moment. It gives you a solid visual and conceptual foundation to build on, even if you don’t start the project immediately.

If you’ve found this article helpful, don’t forget to check out the video YouTube video.  And please share these resources with anyone you know who might find them helpful as well.