Dreams occasionally visit us to leave behind their lovely or frightening traces, so it is not surprising that dreams can make their way into the work of artists. The subconscious after all is a weird improviser. Occasionally, we might get a different category of dream, one that we feel is a message from the Collective Unconscious, a spiritual realm that connects all humanity, living or dead.

When I was 16, I tried using dreams as part of my creative process. I was outraged by how dull my dreams were. I even dreamt of shopping once. I laid down an ultimatum before my subconscious: either provide me with an interesting dream or I will quit all creative activity. Okay, okay. But I was only 16.

The “threat” actually worked. I was given a passably interesting dream with some useful images, and I didn’t have to quit doing creative activity. The subconscious had mercy on me and even reserved judgment on my idiocy.

But some artists, like Romantic Swiss artist Henry Fuseli “the Nightmare” (1781) and several Surrealists like Salvador Dali “The Dream Approaches” (1932) and his associates Max Ernst, De Chirico, Rene Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, all cultivated dreams as part of their creative process.

What does this mean? Each of these artists in their own way began sustained conversation with their subconscious in order to receive a gift—an image, a vision, an insight—that they felt could be directly integrated into their paintings. The process is not unlike the work of Magic, such as it is reported by its practitioners. Completely practical, visionary, requiring concentration and focus and a belief in the powers of the Universal Mind.

The method of using dreams in art is not necessarily spiritual. Several of the Surrealists, for example, considered themselves as atheists, including the initiator of the surrealist movement, Andre Breton. Their atheism, of course, might only be considered such by religious institutions. The important thing for us is to understand that there is no special requirement to have transformative dreams. Just a belief in their power.

Over the years devoted to creative activity (art & writing), I have had some significant dreams, a few of which have made it into my work. But more significant than the dreams themselves, has been the fact of dreaming. By dreaming I am not referring to the need of the nervous system to rid itself of excess energy or to even-out anxieties. Listening to your dreams and honouring their content without demeaning them creates an easy route between the conscious mind that takes on real world problems and the unconscious, the domain that is part mind and part soul. Dreaming as a path means that your intuitive systems are always operating. Dreaming as a path means that when you see a flower or a tree, for example, its image is immediately taking root within us. The dreaming path, when done with awareness, becomes a part of us. The reservoir of images, sounds, significant words fed by dreaming is then at our fingertips, so to speak, when we are ready to work.

Off and on, I have tapped the dream reservoir. If you are interested in looking at the work of someone who has cultivated dreams in her work, check out the website of the wonderful artist Ann McCoy. https://annmccoy.com