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Ways to Use Dreams to Get Creative



In a previous article I talked about how creativity can be found in your dreams, literally. I know that a lot of people say in your dreams indicating that there is no chance of something happening any other way, but that's a different subject completely. What I wanted to dig deeper into is the creative process related to dreaming, the vast majority of the dreams that involved a creative process that I later applied were just a split second or two of what at the time was the future. A preview into a creative process I would later use.

This picture being an example of something that I actually created having seen it about half way through the creative process. But the dream didn't give me the idea, instead I'd been consciously planning to create this picture before hand, or at least this type of picture. The idea was already there, the outline was already in existence, a hand drawn component originally that I'd loaded on to my computer some time before. I recalled only a split second or so of what I saw in the dream, and found myself nearly stopping in surprise later when I realized at that point in the creative process I felt like I was re-experiencing more than just what I was seeing, where I was creating it, I'd go as far as to say possibly when.
copyright E.S. Pfahl 2012
Previewed part way through the creative process in a dream

copyright E.S. Pfahl 2013
Crude redition of dream memories
It was a bit bazaar but it was neither the first nor the last time I've had that experience. As I mentioned in my previous article for someone who wants to use their nights sleep for enhancing creativity lucid dreaming is the thing to seek out. The point I'm trying to make is that there are numerous ways to use your dreams to enhance your creativity. There's a reason I say my subconscious is never off the clock, apparently I've occasionally been working in my sleep.

The other way I've utilized my dreams to enhance my creativity is something everyone who can remember their dreams is more than capable of doing even if they're dreams aren't giving them previews of the future. I've had only a few images from my dreams that have ever stuck with me so strongly that they were next to overwhelming until I drew a picture of what I'd seen. The day I wrote this I think in my entire life I'd only ever done this 3 or 4 times. But everyone who is able to remember their dreams is capable of drawing what they saw within those dreams, even if it is only a crude rendition.

This image was truly haunting for me when I awakened from the dream during which I had it. I know probably to much science fiction talking, and a crude rendition at that. Normally when I have dreams involving aliens the aliens are humanoid, and I'm not in a room so bright that the only reason I wasn't blinded was that it was a dream, I also don't normally isn't something I end up seeing while I awaken, normally there is a distinct gap between that wasn't the case with this image which is probably related to why it stuck with me so strongly.

For the person who wants to get in touch with their creativity this is a fairly simple way to do it. People have heard of a dream journal, well there's no law that says you have to keep it in written form. While I've only every done this type of artwork as part of calming down after a difficult dream, there is no reason I couldn't have chosen to do it at other times. The person looking to take their ideas from the imagery from their dreams need only enhance dream recall, nothing fancy there keeping a dream journal on it's own is said to be helpful, and as I said dream journals can contain pictures. To enhance dream recall there are numerous options that a person can find online, I recommend that if you pursue other options you pay close attention to any possible risks.

While lucid dreaming I have to imagine that lucid dreaming is a more effective means of tapping into one's creative capacities through their dreams, I can't say for certain since I'm not a lucid dreamer. What I can tell you is that you don't have to be a lucid dreamer to use your dreams to tap into your creative capacities.

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