Dreams

Taja Will, who is also participating in Works In Progress at the Redeye with me, emailed me a survey about dreams that she is collecting as research for her piece. This was more than a week ago, but it has taken me this long to actually have a dream to write about.

I very rarely dream, but last night's dream was very vivid. It involved biological experiments, a triptych of rotting cloth on particle board, and more than a little anxiety. I wish that I was better at tapping into my dreams and using them for writing. They can be so rich in symbolism and imagery, it seems that artists who are able to channel that side of their brain can create work that is far beyond normal boundaries of the imagination. Artists that come to mind- obviously the surrealists- Dali, Magritte, I would say Garcia Marquez's writings are heavily influenced by dreams, as is Carlos Fuentes and of course David Lynch's work.

I am a very literal person, actually. Concrete. I like a + b = c. I get flummoxed when in art or books things don't make sense. Lynch drives me mad, actually. Which is not to say that I am not also fascinated by that kind of work. It intrigues me. There's a wrestling in my head as I try to make sense of it, a continual conversation between me and the text or image that goes on for infinity. It's something that I should play with, I think in my own writing. Just to try, mind you. What's the worse that could happen? I could simply decide that it doesn't work for me and move on.

In the past I've found that if I tell myself that I'll remember my dreams, I have a better chance of doing so. I'm going to make a concerted effort to make this happen.