Visualise this: There might be something to ‘manifesting’ tips

SPOTLIGHT / Seeing is believing

Kate Weideman’s annual vision board morphed from a creative outlet into a tool for focus. Credit:

Methods of manifestation have long been adopted by notable figures, from Oprah Winfrey to Idris Elba, but recently, social-media platforms have been inundated with vision boards and explainers around the power of visualisation (1.5 million videos on TikTok alone). “Manifest” was even Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year last year.

Sydney mindset coach and Your Soul Purpose author Aubrey Daquinag believes this has played a substantial role in visualisation gaining ground as a tangible tool for intentional goal-setting, professionally and personally. No longer perceived as “woo-woo”, “it’s become more accessible, with people openly sharing their process as they create a life that’s meaningful to them”, she says.

Thirty-something marketing agency owner Kate Weideman’s annual vision board morphed from a creative outlet into a tool that keeps her focused on chasing specific goals. “I find it so motivating to walk past every day,” she says; her TikTok videos have amassed thousands of views.

Neuroscientists agree that repetitive visualisation stimulates neurons within the brain’s reticular activating system, helping filter out unnecessary stimuli as the brain focuses on what’s important. Dr Sabina Brennan, author of The Neuroscience of Manifesting, says individuals must make conscious goals and embrace change to then leverage the power of neuroplasticity, or the reshaping of neural pathways, to bring success closer.

Being specific with figures or timeframes and ongoing reflection are key. “As is the emotional frequency behind [manifestation],” Daquinag adds. “Is it coming from external validation or a place of internal resonance with what you want to create in life?” Nicole Economos

READ / Secret history

Diana Reid’s third novel examines our culture’s obsession with trauma – literary and otherwise.Credit:

Australian writer Diana Reid burst onto the literary scene in a blaze of glory when her debut novel, Love & Virtue (published in 2021), won several prestigious writing awards. Then, in 2022, The Sydney Morning Herald named her one of the year’s three best young Australian novelists. In Love & Virtue and her second novel, Seeing Other People, Reid turned her razor-sharp eye on the daily lives of 20-somethings (drawing inevitable comparisons with Irish writer Sally Rooney), but her third novel, Signs of Damage, signals a change of pace. When 13-year-old Cass joins her friend Anika’s wealthy family on holiday in the south of France, something untoward happens. Years later, Cass suffers seizures. Are the two events connected? A thought-provoking exploration of what Reid sees as our current “obsession with trauma” – in literature and in life. Nicole Abadee

LISTEN / Climb every mountain

Historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela tells the stories of those who died in the 2008 K2 disaster and those who survived against the odds. Credit:

About as many people have been to outer space as to the summit of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, on the border of China and Pakistan. It’s more than 19 times taller than the Empire State Building and is considered more dangerous to climb than Everest. Newlyweds Cecilie Skog and Rolf Bae loved mountain-climbing so much that they decided to spend their honeymoon scaling K2. They set off for the final stage on August 1, 2008, but only one of them would return alive: in two days, an avalanche killed 11 of the 31 climbers on the expedition. In the BBC’s Extreme: Peak Danger podcast series, historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela tells the stories of those who died and those who survived against the odds. She also asks big questions about why people risk death to feel alive. Barry Divola

SHOP / Table talk

Mud Australia’s Terrazzo Trivet collection utilises broken porcelain ceramics as base material to reduce waste.Credit:

Homewares brand Mud Australia champions sustainability with its zero-waste Terrazzo Trivet Collection, created in collaboration with Brisbane-based Five Mile Radius. This range transforms broken porcelain ceramics into sleek terrazzo designs, blending waste reduction with creativity. Available in two colourways – a yellowy Neutral and a multicoloured Mixed – the collection features three designs: small round ($170), medium “lozenge” ($290) and large round ($340). Each trivet is finished with a recycled felt backing for durability and surface protection. Frances Mocnik

WEAR / Face value

A classy and reliable alternative to the usual Apple and Samsung smartwatches.Credit:

In what’s become a crowded and competitive field, Garmin’s latest smartwatch, the Fenix 8 ($2049), stands out from the pack with its crisp OLED screen and superior battery, which lasts for more than a week without needing a charge. The sheer number of sports and activities that the watch can track is dizzying, while its bright torch on top is a definite bonus. A classy and highly reliable – if pricey – alternative to Apple and Samsung’s usual suspects. David Swan

SEE / Freeze frame

A new Melbourne exhibition showcases artists’ photography from long before Instagram and AI. Credit:

Before Instagram filters and AI-generated art, a radical shift in photography was taking place underground in Melbourne. The Basement: Photography from Prahran College (1968-1981) brings the city’s history to life through the work of 58 artists who studied or taught at the college, exploring the world around them through bold experimentation and a fine-art lens (pictured: Age of Aquarius, 1970, by Paul Cox). Expect subcultures, political unrest and raw, unfiltered creativity. There’s also a free lecture series and curator-led tours. A must-see. Museum of Australian Photography until May 25. Frances Mocnik

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