This Saturday morning I woke up in love with my imagination. There were three pretty strong images that I have wanted to capture for the last week, but with work and responsibility, I have let this girl simply dance and sleep and ponder in my imagination.
But today she danced out of my imagination and through the tendons and vessels of my arm, quivered through my brush and landed on the thick, milky paper. I'm not done with her, these are just some rough drafts for today, but I rather like what she made me think and feel.How do you define your imagination?
Do you spend time imagining daily?
Why?
I have lots of thoughts about the power of imagination.
If you can imagine it, you can have it. This is the name of the game. This is the lesson to learn. It couldn't be any easier. Reality is not what your eyes show your mind, but what your mind creates for your eyes to see. You are not limited by logic, the past, or the world around you. You are not even of the world around you. You are supernatural, pure spirit. You came first. Magic, miracles, and luck are the consequences of understanding this, the inevitable result of dreaming and acting in spite of appearances.
Tell me, when you think of taking consistent action in the general direction of your dreams do you imagine discipline, stamina, work, sacrifice, monotony, courage, and strategies, or are you thinking adventure, discovery, new friends, excitement at the crack of dawn, magic, surprises, fun, and laughter?
Maybe the real reason your brains are so large compared to most of the other blessed creatures dwelling in time and space, is so that you can vividly imagine all the exquisite, exciting, and enthralling details of your heart's desires; not so that you can figure out who you need to meet, when you need to meet them, where you need to be, or how you're going to pull it all together.
Do you think that if you understood the extraordinary gifts every single challenge in your life makes possible, even inevitable, you'd celebrate your challenges, new and old alike, as the omens that they are of new beginnings, spectacular change, and enhanced super-powers.
21 comments:
Interestingly I have thought about this lately, too. I don't have all that great of an imagination. Heavenly Father has told me lately though that everything is not as it seems. I have always been a very logical and honestly narrow minded in many ways. You are absolutely right in saying that we are spirit first. In knowing that, we should know that anything is possible. Sometimes believing something intangible is hard, but I suppose that's why it is called faith.
Beautiful. I love your woman, particularly in her dream state.
Imagination is so incredibly powerful. William Blake said that imagination is “the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow.” So it might be that the imagination can tap into something beyond itself, into something that is centuries old, like a myth that becomes part of the structure of our past and present, a key to the universe. I believe that our imagination can reunite us with ourselves. I think that, by reaching in and taking hold of thoughts and ideas that appear to be somehow elusive, we can actually remember and take part in something deep in the past. And also, we can make anything real and true by imagining and envisioning whatever it is we might want ourselves to be in our lives.
I try to see myself as the person I want to be, and in the place I long to abide. My dissatisfaction with certain things in my life can only be attributed to my lack of tapping into what is already there - my inner potential, my natural spirit, and, yes - my imagination.
I imagine things like this--
http://lakebelle.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/the-dance/
Very provocative post!
My imagination has always been rather "untamed", which can be a great blessing, or a great curse, depending on where it winds up taking me... !
:-)
I love your artwork, D'Arcy, and I especially love this example of it.
Interesting, my post today is about dreams, and not giving up your dreams, and KEEPING them in your mind and letting them percolate in your head, and eventually they will wind up in your LIFE. (It wasn't that detailed, but that was the gist of it....)
The power of our minds is immense and largely untapped. God gave us this tremendous tool and we've really just barely scratched the surface, and what we can do with it.
It's truly awesome and I believe "mind science" will be the next frontier of science (ONCE science understands and finally accepts that mind-body-spirit does indeed all function together and each component must be healthy for the other components to be healthy and functioning at optimal effeciency/effectiveness....)
Another excellent post, D'Arce (you're spoiling your audience, my dear!)
Hope the first week of school went well!
I think having a good imagination is one of the keys to being happy.
Oh...and cool artwork. You are so creative. I'm jealous!
I had fun g-chatting the other night. The fam was gone camping (except for 'Smelly Noelly') so it was good to just mindlessly type.
Mindlessly type?! That's what you think of our chats? I am hurt.
Next time we are talking about quantum physics.
Imagination is a boundless gift... I love that others point to my imagination to describe me. I love that it inspires others. I love that it is so easy to tap into.
The hard part is putting the imagination into real form. But once that is done, the dreams come alive!
The place that I find my imagination flourishes is when I'm on my hikes. The sound of crunching under my feet gets my mind going... and then I have to race home to write, draw, photograph, type... As long as I have my trails, I'll never lack for a spark to get my imagination going.
I wonder where others get their spark? Alone? Collaborating with others? Running? Sitting?
Kia D'Arcy,
I love your paintings, where they are going, and the freedom you give them to arrive there.
My imagination is part of that inner voice inside, best connected when I am the mountains, but always there, always contemplating. Conversations in my mind, letters I might contemplate, a Van Morrison song that fits my mood, or imagining someone I love with me in a certain moment. Imagination is never too far from our own realities. Have a lovely day d'arcy. Kia ora.
Rangimarie,
Robb
I love this post! :) (and your painting - you are truly gifted in that arena...I'll stick to my beadwork...thankyouverymuch!)
I love what you said about taking consistent action in the general direction of your dreams. This is what the last 8+ years have been for me, a loooooooong road to take a miserable exam! But the important part is I know I can do it...yes, it is monotonous, takes a whole lot of discipline and much work/sacrifice, but so far it has been worth it for me. The most important thing I always have to keep in mind (especially when faced with discouragment) is keep moving in the general direction of the dream and it can be achieved.
p.s. Pictures will be posted tomorrow of the pieces I did this weekend...
D'Arcy, these are beautiful.
I imagine all the time. I imagine plots, stories, and characters. I imagine letters I, or one of my characters, would write. Thinking about it is the fun part, unfortunately doing it is something else entirely.
Beautiful! Beautiful painting and beautiful words.
I am always imagining. You have given me much to ponder as I go to sleep tonight. Thank you.
D'Arcy
I have been coming back to your blog to look at your paintings and each time I take away a few more thoughts.
Here are just a few of my thoughts:
The woman is our spirit and the oval shaped moon like object is our imagination.
The woman or spirit floats by admiring the imagination or moon like object. She than captures the light from the imagination and moves happily along.
And it is the process of capturing the ideas of the imagination that intrigues me.
Our imaginations present us with so many ideas we can become quickly overwhelmed. Which aspects of our imagination do we pursue or capture?
As an artist you face this each time you look at a blank canvas. The artist Cezanne spent a great deal of time thinking before he painted anything.
He called it reading and then based on the reading he had revelations. The revelations were his painting.
My reading of your painting points me towards my imagination and its light. I need to proactively pursue its light by grabbing it and not just admiring it.
I love this post. I am with you. I believe in magic, but it isn't like in Harry Potter or like in the magician with the rabbit up his sleeve. It's about a connection with the universe and listening to the messages and feeling how we are all one mind.
I do think I look at reaching for my dreams to be more hard work than joy. Maybe I should shift my perspective a little. I could use some joy and adventure.
i think your girl is very pretty and i love the halo or aura of light and color around her.
now i'm off to ponder about imagination and your very thought-provoking post.
Hey there, artist-slash-teacher extraordinaire! Come by for a peek at my washed out video...
Hey Rowena! Tried to link on to you from here but profile no longer public. Send me your info, please!
I love this painting a lot.
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