Dreaming for Creativity

Last week I shared my EXA Manifesto in a list of eight statements that encapsulate my beliefs about the expressive arts. At the top of of the list was “Creativity creates choice”. 

Having choice can help us feel more expansive and free. Choice not only opens up doors, but paints in new windows where there were only walls. To create new choices we need to think creatively, and that means using our imagination to see beyond the boundaries of a current situation/problem/experience. Creativity connects us to a version of us that is big and joyful and, yes, creative! As humans, we are creators, we create, it is an intrinsic quality. And while we might all be creative at our core, to be in our creativity does take a bit of effort, like a muscle that needs to be strengthened and trained. 

Creativity has many definitions depending on where you look. Wikipedia has a super long page that expands on the many faces of this complex concept. A few things of note: Creativity may describe a characteristic or a process, as well as a theory or a model. Creativity may be thought of as divergent thinking; producing something tangible or intangible that is original or novel; and creativity allows for problem solving or new innovation. There is also mention of how the early Greek philosophers did not see art as a creation but as a discovery (except for poetry, which they did accept as being created?).  

Although the definition may be layered and TLDR, the important part is this: we need to exercise our creative muscle and I believe dreaming can help us do that. Dreams speak in metaphor, symbols, associations, suggestions, rhythm, rhyme, song, alliteration, and allegory: this is a language of story, myth, and legend—and storytelling is arguably the oldest language we all know. While the language of dreams may seem irrational at first, with attention and practice, it is a language you will soon remember, because it is one you have always known. The more you work with your dreams, the more your creativity muscle will flex, and new ideas, inspirations, wonder, and insight will follow. 

If you are saying, Oh, I don’t dream, or I don’t remember my dreams. That’s okay, this is quite common. The good news, is that you can change this. When you take a sincere interest in your dreams, the Dream reciprocates, and the more dream recall you will have. 

Here are a few tips:

• Wake up gently. Lie still. Receive the dream. 
• Play it back in your mind if you can. Mentally capture the story and the details.
• Write it down/ record it right away, including any visual imagery.
• Write it in the present tense (this applies to nightmares, too). 
• Free flow, no censoring. Specificity arises this way and you may discover unusual metaphors, associations, alliterations, puns, etc. 
• Give your dream a title.

What kinds of questions do you have about dreams, or dreamwork? What are your feelings about working with your dreams? Do you already have a dreamwork practice? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. 

Thanks for reading, and sweet dreams! 💜 ✨