Manifesting is the new hot word.
Whether you’ve been curious about it, a skeptic, or already on your journey with it — I’m here to tell you that wherever you are, art therapy can provide greater clarity of your vision.
A few weeks ago I picked up Roxie Nafousi's Manifest, a gorgeous little book that outlines the concept in a surprisingly approachable and not at all preachy way. According to Roxie, manifestation is the ability to create anything you want in your life. And how do we do it? By heightening our 'good vibe' through active self-development, thereby attracting what is good and aligned with us, toward us. The law of attraction.
She narrates the process of manifestation in 7 simple steps:
Be clear in your vision
Remove fear and doubt
Align your behaviour
Overcome tests from the universe
Embrace gratitude (without caveats)
Turn envy into inspiration
Trust in the universe
My first impression of the phenomenon was that it was woo-woo. But many of Roxie’s steps parallel logical, grounded, real-life strategies we use in positive psychology, and that I practice with clients as an art therapist. The thing about manifesting is that whether you believe in vibrations, attraction, and the universe or not, the concept invites us to reinforce healthy and positive habits in our lives, that improve our overall mental well-being.
The process of manifestation encourages us to be more productive, motivated, to show up, and give praise to ourselves. It gives good habits a goal and a routine. And that is a big part of developing self-awareness and self-confidence.
So what does art therapy have to do with manifestation, do you ask?
In art therapy, we focus a lot on the mind's eye. Our imagination allows us to dream big, think deep, and visualise far. Imaginal thinking can be as good as a soothing daydream, but it can also be hugely self-empowering as a self-development practice. And this is where it connects fundamentally: a principal component (and Roxie's first step) of manifesting is to clarify our vision and goals, really know it and live it in our minds. This allows us to step into our potential. We can apply select art therapy techniques to help us get there.
Respond to your visualisation.
When beginning to manifest, we are asked to frequently practice manifestation meditations. This is essentially a guided visual meditation, where we are encouraged to witness our future vision as though it is reality.
I recommend you do sit in these meditation practices and allow your visualisation to really become technicolor-clear. This could happen your first go, or it may take multiple attempts to get to clarity - take your time. But when it does, take some time after a meditation to put your experience down on paper.
Use pencil, crayon, paint, whatever medium draws you in, and illustrate your visualisation in its true colour. What was in your surroundings, in 360? Draw out the specific details, the specific people, specific objects. Feel free to write where you need. Really respond to it. If you're more of a 3D person, you could even build it with your siblings'/children's lego blocks, or you could explore clay. It does not need to realistically 'look like' the vision you have in your head, it does not need to be 'good' art. You just need to be able to understand it as a vivid, descriptive image for yourself. The idea here is to attach your visualisation to your conscious, decision-making state.
Make that vision board.
What I've just mentioned is reminiscent of the vision board - a step famously crucial during manifestation. The vision board, though, is often created as a collage-type exercise, whether digital or material.
Scour Pinterest for photos and art that resonate with you, print them out, or use magazines and newspapers. Use text, include your favourite quotes. Make a mind-map of the different areas in your life. List out your vision and your actionable goals. Maybe even redraw parts of your visualisation response here. How does your vision look, outside of the environment you imagined during meditation? Fill in the blanks.
A vision board allows us to make important connections between our mind's eye and external sources and places. It can inspire us, and draw associations between unexpected facets of our lives. It helps to ground our visualisation in the real world.
Alter your narratives.
Roxie speaks a lot on the engrained negative narratives that impede us from living our best life. The voice in our head that is fearful, doubtful, critical, and cynical. We all have this little character, who likes to come out loud and strong when our insecurities are being challenged. When we allow that voice to percolate without control, it becomes more and more prevalent, eventually causing deep anxiety and stress.
Always remember: a thought is just a thought. We actually have a lot of control over it. Biologically, a thought is just a certain pattern of neurons firing in our brain. And what this means is, when we counter a thought with an alternative one of our choice (a positive/oppositional one), we can create new neurological patterns. Over time, these choices enable us to habituate healthier narratives from the inside-out.
Dialoguing with our self-critic is a practice I use in art therapy. I encourage clients to step back and observe the narrative that emerges when that voice comes up. Where does the voice come from? Does it have a face, a body? What does it remind you of? Visualise it (again), and illustrate it on paper. And when our critic has a form, have a conversation with it, however feels right. Talk it down, debate with it, give it a (metaphorical) hug. No holds barred.
Make your gratitude practice fun.
Roxie's Step 5 is all about embracing gratitude. This is the state that creates the highest vibration. To be honest, this is a tremendously important practice, even outside of manifesting. Gratitude keeps us humble.
I have found it pretty challenging to instil a daily practice of gratitude, and to make it stick - similar to the way journaling can be hard for many of us to upkeep. But it's so, so important, and I try my best to incorporate it where I can. I find that many guided yoga and meditation practices give me that regular space for gratitude. Journaling templates are awesome (the 5-minute ones, even). Mindful walks, too, where I leave my phone at home.
Something I have been trying to make a habit is art-based gratitude journaling. About once a week in my notebook, I take some time to sketch an image inspired by something I am grateful for. I let myself get as messy and playful as I like. It's a type of self-care, and I always feel brighter for it. I imagine this to be highly rewarding to practice daily (in all honesty, I'm not quite there yet myself, but I'm working on it!). If you're reading this, I challenge you to start this journey with me!
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Manifestation is something I'm still wrapping my head around, that I'm on my own learning journey with. Albeit abstract, it is a fascinating method to connect the imaginal with the self. These are just some tidbits that have inspired my work with clients, and a few spins to how I have applied the concept of manifestation into my own life.
I explore some of these elements in both individual and group sessions, with clients who are particularly interested in self-empowerment. If any of this has resonated with you at all — I encourage you to explore what it can mean for you.
Interested in working with me? I am currently taking on new clients for individual sessions and upcoming small groups. Click here to learn more.
For direct inquiries, email jadechung.at@gmail.com or contact me here.
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