“Sometimes, and perhaps more than we believe, some dreams come around that are impactful enough to change us. It may be a simple decision of what food to eat, a relationship, or the building of a city, but dreams have long had an influence on the way we human beings live, move, and think.”
We ALL have dreams. Yes, I am referring to our goals, ambitions, and aspirations, but also referring to literal dreams; our unconscious journeys, revelations, and hallucinations. No one knows how exactly they occur, where they come from, or why. I have no intention of trying to explain these things myself, nor could I, no matter how hard I might try. Dreams are an enigma, but they are also nearly universal to the human experience (and even some animals!). Since they are nearly universal, there is another thing about dreams that we can all relate to as well, something that has been etched throughout historical records, whether we’re conscious of it or not; Dreams are often revelatory, meaning they inspire us. Countless great inventions, artworks, tools, and technology would have never come to reality if not for a dream that enlightened, and probably confounded, its dreamer. The hit song Yesterday, by The Beatles, contains a melody that Paul McCartney dreamt while sleeping over at his then-girlfriend’s house. He said when he woke up, he immediately rushed to a piano to avoid forgetting it. Jimi Hendrix wrote Purple Haze after reading a science fiction novel and falling asleep, during which he had a bizarre dream that inspired the song. According to statements given by some fellow researchers of his, Niels Bohr got the idea for his atomic model, the same model most of us picture when we hear the word “atom,” from a dream. In this dream, the Sun was surrounded by all the planets in the solar system, and they all were connected with little strings. Tesla is said to have essentially daydreamed the design of a working alternating-current induction motor in 1887.
How many of us have had bizarre dreams? I’d wager everyone has had at least a few in their lifetime. Now, I’m not saying every weird vision you get will be a work of masterpiece, but then again, the one to truly decide that would actually be you. Regardless, we all know that feeling you get from a dream that impacts you. You’re completely immersed, and for anywhere from a moment to a few hours, you forget you exist. It is even commonly known these days that there is a subconscious correlation between certain dreams and their meanings, especially if they’re recurring; it’s as if our subconscious mind is frequently attempting to communicate with our conscious one. These notions dive deep into a discussion I’m sure most of us are not knowledgeable enough for, myself included. All that being said, my point is this: Since dreams are a nearly universal human experience, then impactful dreams most likely are also nearly universal. We all experience dreams, and the vast majority have had anywhere from one, to many dreams we cannot forget, good or bad.
Sometimes, and perhaps more than we think, some dreams come around that are impactful enough to change us. It may be a simple decision of what food to eat, a relationship, or the building of a city, but dreams have long had an influence on the way we human beings live, move, and think. I am no different. This entire project, and a huge part of my life’s current trajectory, was greatly influenced by one simple dream, that I had only one time about 6-8 years ago; I can still remember it almost perfectly.
Art by: Bryn Jones
For some quick background; I was at a big transitional period in my life during this time, and was waiting to finish a house selling of an old home. During my time waiting for the paperwork to be finalized, I was staying with one of my closest friends who lived relatively close. One day, I believe it was after a long day of work or something like that, I came back to the house and immediately fell asleep on the couch without even realizing it (a common occurrence). Not so common, however, during this nap I fell into some of the deepest sleep I’ve perhaps ever been in. Now, during this time I had not been up to a lot of creative activity in general, let alone specifically sitting down to draw. At this point, I stumbled upon a period in my life, which many of us artists do, that I had estranged myself from creative activity for a while. I’d been very focused on the move, and it required a ton of physical work. So about two years had passed, I’d say, since I’d sat down to make any form of art. Then, suddenly, it felt like I was in an entirely different world.
When I came to, like in most dreams we’ve all had, I was already smack in the middle of what was happening. The environment was calm, and the first thing I noticed was that we were walking toward a massive structure. Then I realized I was walking next to that same friend of mine, whose house I was staying at. He was looking straight ahead of us talking to one of the two women walking in front of us. One was older, very tall, and slender, with a stern-looking face. The other was younger, quite beautiful, and had a calm demeanor.
“So, when we get there, what is it that we have to do again?” was something similar to what I heard him say to the older woman.
At this point, I’m beginning to take note of our visual surroundings and landscape, and they were mesmerizing. As we approached the structure, the building resembled one of those masterfully built stone temples that you might see in somewhere like Tibet; except the architecture of this building shined a bit like brass, especially at the front gates. The stairs, which were white and black marble, fanned out wide at the bottom and narrowed as they reached the entry point. Halfway up the steps on each side, were two massive statues that resembled Budai (what we see as the “Fat Buddha”), each having three sets of arms arcing from the bottom of the waists to the tops of their heads. Each still had their signature large grin across their faces as well. As we make our way close to the top of the marble steps, I can recognize speaking again, and it’s the sound of the older woman’s voice. “You cannot have an audience with Her Majesty, the princess until you have the two great keys in hand. They are each hidden somewhere in this building. If you can bring them both back here by sundown, then you may speak with her.”
As soon as she finished her statement, I realized what was happening. My good friend in the dream with me had apparently caught the attention of this princess, and was looking to me for assistance in that task we’d just been given. As any good friend would, I nodded in agreement, and so we headed quickly to the front doors. This older woman had not warned us, however, of anything we were about to experience on this assignment of ours.
Art By: Dec Art
Two massive brass doors towered from the ground to the top of the building at the top of the steps. Despite their immovable appearance, however, they were cracked open enough for a comfortable flow of people to move in and out of the building. The inside was just as beautifully built, white marble covered all the floors, walls, and ceilings of what I could only describe as the lobby. A set of gold-railed descending stairs, almost as wide as the main entrance doors, stretched downward until it reached an exit, from which the outside light obscured any view beyond. Mesmerized by the architecture, the two of us hadn’t realized that we’d already begun to separate from each other, simply following our own curiosities. My friend had begun to wonder down the steps, admiring each detail along the way, while my attention had been captured by something completely different and mysterious. To the right of the descending stairs, was a door. This one was a bit smaller than one of the entrance doors, but not by much. No handle, latch, or keyhole of any kind could be found on it either. This, of course, caught my attention, so I moved closer to investigate. Once I reached the door, I realized that the entire front of it was covered in a maze-like grid. As I stood, studying the door intently, a person walked up to me.
“Do you wish to enter?” they serenely asked.
“Yeah, but I can’t figure out how you open it,” I answered reflexively, not realizing who I was speaking to.
“It is already open.”
These words surprised me. So after a brief pause of doubt, I took a step forward and placed a hand gently on the front of the door. Immediately, the maze formation on the door began to move, organizing itself into a different shape. After a few moments, the self-organizing movements ended in a spiraling shape on the front of the door, from which a bright light began to emerge and envelop the room around us.
And at this point begins the journey of this dream. For the sake of time, however, we will end this account here, as there is much for us to get to in future discussions. As you can see, however, this is far from the end. The recounting of this impactful dream will continue as a three-part series on this site in the coming months. As I’ve mentioned before, this dream inspired me to take on the treacherous path of not only self-taught art but also translating imagination into visual reality seamlessly, where perhaps there may be little to no reference available. This is not an easy task, and many artists (professional and otherwise) consider it next to impossible to do. I do not share this belief. So, here, without any more delay, we will explore and harness the secrets of the visual world.
THE ANSWER IS NOT WITHIN YOU, THE ANSWER IS YOU