A Little Inspiration for Your Inspirational Wall
Bulletin boards of all kinds can dress up a study and motivate you on your path to success
Populating your workspace with things that move you is a known way to help you keep your eye on the prize. When you’ve identified what you want — career goals, financial milestones or even a dream vacation — then photos, clippings and symbols can serve as motivating prompts to keep you fired up and moving toward success. Displaying them can be done in many ways, as this creative collection reveals. Prepare to be inspired.
“Just try new things. Don’t be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar, all right?”
— Michelle Obama
Get out the painter’s tape. A series of painted corkboards has transformed the wall of this home office. Simply tape the parts you want to leave plain and paint the rest. Peel off the tape when the paint is almost dry.
Get the DIY
— Michelle Obama
Get out the painter’s tape. A series of painted corkboards has transformed the wall of this home office. Simply tape the parts you want to leave plain and paint the rest. Peel off the tape when the paint is almost dry.
Get the DIY
“Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.”
— Malala Yousafzai
Create a blank canvas. Sturdy thumbtacks can usually be pushed into drywall, eliminating the need for a bulletin board. Paint the wall with chalkboard paint and you can scribble as well as tape or pin up whatever inspires you.
— Malala Yousafzai
Create a blank canvas. Sturdy thumbtacks can usually be pushed into drywall, eliminating the need for a bulletin board. Paint the wall with chalkboard paint and you can scribble as well as tape or pin up whatever inspires you.
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
— George Eliot
Clip it to wire. A simple wire grid from the hardware store is all it takes to make your home office more motivating. Mini clothespins or bulldog clips will keep your treasures in place.
— George Eliot
Clip it to wire. A simple wire grid from the hardware store is all it takes to make your home office more motivating. Mini clothespins or bulldog clips will keep your treasures in place.
“You must do the things you think you cannot do.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Repurpose an old shutter. Plantation shutters aren’t just for windows. Lean one or two up against the wall behind your desk and you’ve got an instant pinboard — without the pins.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Repurpose an old shutter. Plantation shutters aren’t just for windows. Lean one or two up against the wall behind your desk and you’ve got an instant pinboard — without the pins.
“You don’t have to be someone special to achieve something amazing. You’ve just got to have a dream, believe in it and work hard.”
— Jessica Watson
Cover a corkboard with fabric. You can create exactly the backdrop you want with this approach. Use a staple gun or thumbtacks on the back to keep the fabric taut and in place.
— Jessica Watson
Cover a corkboard with fabric. You can create exactly the backdrop you want with this approach. Use a staple gun or thumbtacks on the back to keep the fabric taut and in place.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
— Winston Churchill
Think outside the desk. Corkboards, covered or not, don’t always have to be placed above a desk, and they can be ordered in any size you like. Take a look around your home office with fresh eyes — you might have the perfect spot for a setup like this.
— Winston Churchill
Think outside the desk. Corkboards, covered or not, don’t always have to be placed above a desk, and they can be ordered in any size you like. Take a look around your home office with fresh eyes — you might have the perfect spot for a setup like this.
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.”
— Amelia Earhart
Blend it into the wall. A coat of paint in the same color as the wall will make whatever is pinned on the board pop. In other words, a ready-framed bulletin board need not look as ugly as the day you bought it. Paint the frame for an instant transformation.
— Amelia Earhart
Blend it into the wall. A coat of paint in the same color as the wall will make whatever is pinned on the board pop. In other words, a ready-framed bulletin board need not look as ugly as the day you bought it. Paint the frame for an instant transformation.
“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story.… I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.”
— Cheryl Strayed
Break out the pegboard. The industrial trend has brought with it some pretty practical home office additions. Attach your inspirational items with the help of oversized paperclips.
— Cheryl Strayed
Break out the pegboard. The industrial trend has brought with it some pretty practical home office additions. Attach your inspirational items with the help of oversized paperclips.
“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”
— Golda Meir
— Golda Meir
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”
— Stephen King
Turn the entire wall into a mood board. There’s no telling how much inspiration might come from this giant pin board.
— Stephen King
Turn the entire wall into a mood board. There’s no telling how much inspiration might come from this giant pin board.
“You’ve always got to be aware of why you don’t win, otherwise you’ll keep losing. Every mistake is a learning experience and, hopefully, you won’t make the same mistake again.”
— Layne Beachley
Go raw. Just about anything can serve as a canvas. This raw particle board leaning against the wall behind the desk adds to the industrial vibe.
— Layne Beachley
Go raw. Just about anything can serve as a canvas. This raw particle board leaning against the wall behind the desk adds to the industrial vibe.
“We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”
— Marie Curie
Covered corkboards don’t have to be covered in pins to be useful. Washi tape is just as effective at keeping lightweight clippings in place, and it doesn’t make holes.
12 Creative Ways With Washi Tape
— Marie Curie
Covered corkboards don’t have to be covered in pins to be useful. Washi tape is just as effective at keeping lightweight clippings in place, and it doesn’t make holes.
12 Creative Ways With Washi Tape
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
— Warren Buffett
Can’t be bothered with corkboards? With washi tape, you can just use the wall. It comes in all kinds of colors and patterns — leaving masking tape in the dust in terms of style — and it stays put better than regular tape.
Tell us: Share a quote that you find inspiring in the Comments.
More
Create a Home Office That Works for You
12 Ways to Make That Inspiration Board Truly Inspiring
Browse more home office photos
— Warren Buffett
Can’t be bothered with corkboards? With washi tape, you can just use the wall. It comes in all kinds of colors and patterns — leaving masking tape in the dust in terms of style — and it stays put better than regular tape.
Tell us: Share a quote that you find inspiring in the Comments.
More
Create a Home Office That Works for You
12 Ways to Make That Inspiration Board Truly Inspiring
Browse more home office photos
— Maya Angelou
Frame it. Replace a framed print or painting you no longer love with a corkboard from the hardware store or stationery supply shop — it can easily be trimmed to size with a utility knife.