At the moment I am exhibiting a collection of works called "American Dreamers".
It is not about the "The American Dream, i.e. the idea that all people can have happy and successful lives if they work hard, rather it is about people having a dream, the individual dreaming that one day they will be able to: become a great singer, a great baseball player, leading a country to a better and more human society, of finding a peaceful and safe community in which to bring up their children, and so on. Basically it is about hope for the future.
(Most of the works from the collection are on this blog so if you fell like looking for them, the hallmark is that all the images contain the American flag as a background, most recently the blog called "When people let you down..")
So far there has been a very modest attendance at the exhibition, but yesterday something good, precious, happened that all the money in the world can't buy.
One of the proprietors of the gallery introduced a young woman to me and asked if I could show her the exhibition, a guided tour so to speak. I asked if she was interested in art and she answered: well, why not?
So we walked from one painting to the next, I told the story behind them, spoke a little bit about the technique used and so forth. Meanwhile her partner quietly wandered around the space, seemingly deeply involved in his own experiences and interpretations.
After we finished the "tour" she looked at me and asked: "Why is it called "American Dreamers"?
I answered that I believe that it is very important for us humans to have dreams. "Well", she said, "that one over there(pointing to her partner studying one of the paintings close-up), is a dreamer alright." I could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn't that sure she considered to be "a dreamer", to be a good thing. "There are many amazing things invented, achieved, constructed, and experienced due to people having had dreams", I said. "Think about telephones, flying and aeroplanes, computers, spaceships et cetera...often great ideas begin as a dream."
She was quiet for a moment, then asked: "You think being a dreamer is a good thing then?"
"Yes, I believe "dreamers" contribute much to a well-functioning society", I answered.
She stood quiet for a minute then said: "Thank you, I really needed to hear that, I have never thought of it in that way".
After she left with her partner, I started to think about how we use the word "dreamer". Researching the word dreamer these are some of the definitions I found: "a person who is unpractical or idealistic", "a person who lives in a fantasy", "a person whose ideas and plans are not practical or based in reality", "a person whose ideas or projects are considered audacious or highly speculative; visionary. But I also found this: "A dreamer is someone who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world". (Oscar Wilde)
“It is interesting that we call something good a “dream,” but being called a “dreamer” is somewhat of a put down. Without dreamers, no dream would ever be given reality, and we would live in a very small and shallow world". (Vera Nazarian) "Visionary builds what dreamers imagined." (Toba Beta)
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon seem inevitable." (Christopher Reeve)
For some of us, having a "dream" can be a motivating force, helping us overcome many obstacles and fears. Although, trying to fulfil/achieve a dream, carries with it an element of risk. The risk of failure, the risk of being considered a "fool", the risk of being viewed as unrealistic, impractical, and so on.
Many people have risked their lives pursuing the dream of living somewhere free from oppression, tyranny, dictatorship, poverty, starvation, war and other adversities.
Walt Disney said: "If you can dream it, you can do it". There is an element of "doing" that comes after the dreaming it seems. If you dream of being a great baseball player but never pick up a bat, chances are slim that you will be able to fulfil that dream. If you dream of being a musician but never buy an instrument, or learn how to use one that you have....chances are slim that you will fulfil that dream. To fulfil my dream of becoming a professional musician I practised the piano for hours on end, listened to music of all varieties, went to concerts, music school, conservatorium and University. It took a lot of doing to fulfil the dream, but I did it. To turn a dream into a "reality" requires action and at times, ignoring the "nay-sayers". (Some find it easier to say "it will never happen" rather than asking how it can happen, I have found)
Robert Kennedy said: "There are those who look at things the way they are and ask why........I dream of things that never were and ask why not?"
What about day-dreaming? When we day-dream we are often somewhat detached from our immediate situation, although our day-dreaming may include visualising ourselves having attained our "dreams", and as such they may possibly help us stay motivated and task orientated in achieving our dreams. (Some research suggest that we spend large portions of our day daydreaming.)
Eric Klinger, a professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota suggests that "Daydreams help us to get the most out of our brain power, and are an essential personal resource for coping with life." Which is quite different from the often held view that daydreaming is having our heads in the clouds, or wasting time.
Daydreaming about ....insert here your own thing........may lead to a dream, which may inspire an action which may lead to the fulfilment of that dream. But what if a person doesn't have a "dream"?
Perhaps use another word; what do you hope for...?
Both offer a sense of purpose. And according to Nietzsche: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
"Cut not the wings of your dreams,
for they are the heartbeat and the freedom of your soul." (Flavia)
Perhaps I will let Henry David Thoreau have the last word :
"Go confidently
In the direction of your Dreams.
Live the life
you've imagined!"
ps: about the painting......sometimes a bit of "fuzziness" allows the imagination to soar.
“It is interesting that we call something good a “dream,” but being called a “dreamer” is somewhat of a put down. Without dreamers, no dream would ever be given reality, and we would live in a very small and shallow world". (Vera Nazarian) "Visionary builds what dreamers imagined." (Toba Beta)
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon seem inevitable." (Christopher Reeve)
For some of us, having a "dream" can be a motivating force, helping us overcome many obstacles and fears. Although, trying to fulfil/achieve a dream, carries with it an element of risk. The risk of failure, the risk of being considered a "fool", the risk of being viewed as unrealistic, impractical, and so on.
Many people have risked their lives pursuing the dream of living somewhere free from oppression, tyranny, dictatorship, poverty, starvation, war and other adversities.
Walt Disney said: "If you can dream it, you can do it". There is an element of "doing" that comes after the dreaming it seems. If you dream of being a great baseball player but never pick up a bat, chances are slim that you will be able to fulfil that dream. If you dream of being a musician but never buy an instrument, or learn how to use one that you have....chances are slim that you will fulfil that dream. To fulfil my dream of becoming a professional musician I practised the piano for hours on end, listened to music of all varieties, went to concerts, music school, conservatorium and University. It took a lot of doing to fulfil the dream, but I did it. To turn a dream into a "reality" requires action and at times, ignoring the "nay-sayers". (Some find it easier to say "it will never happen" rather than asking how it can happen, I have found)
Robert Kennedy said: "There are those who look at things the way they are and ask why........I dream of things that never were and ask why not?"
What about day-dreaming? When we day-dream we are often somewhat detached from our immediate situation, although our day-dreaming may include visualising ourselves having attained our "dreams", and as such they may possibly help us stay motivated and task orientated in achieving our dreams. (Some research suggest that we spend large portions of our day daydreaming.)
Eric Klinger, a professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota suggests that "Daydreams help us to get the most out of our brain power, and are an essential personal resource for coping with life." Which is quite different from the often held view that daydreaming is having our heads in the clouds, or wasting time.
Daydreaming about ....insert here your own thing........may lead to a dream, which may inspire an action which may lead to the fulfilment of that dream. But what if a person doesn't have a "dream"?
Perhaps use another word; what do you hope for...?
Both offer a sense of purpose. And according to Nietzsche: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
"Cut not the wings of your dreams,
for they are the heartbeat and the freedom of your soul." (Flavia)
Perhaps I will let Henry David Thoreau have the last word :
"Go confidently
In the direction of your Dreams.
Live the life
you've imagined!"
ps: about the painting......sometimes a bit of "fuzziness" allows the imagination to soar.
A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/words/dr/dreamer157220.html#Ok6bW2y296mTSjeX.99
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/words/dr/dreamer157220.html#Ok6bW2y296mTSjeX.99
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