One Little Word - Dream

There are two words for One Little Word this month - and four prizes! Go take a look at the wonderful works created around the words 'calm' and 'dream' and add your own here. You have until the 14th April to enter.

This is my entry for 'dream' - my dream of a studio to teach in and hold retreats. It's still just in my head at the moment, but one day…

See my entry for 'calm' here along with a time-lapse video of how it was made.

Journal Fodder 365 - Prompt #32

The final prompt in this chapter about dreaming and visioning is Visions of Myself.

I look at the prompt now and wonder how I got to where I ended up with this page! Then I go back to the questions that go with the prompt. The part that led to this page goes like this:

We have a clear picture in our minds of ourselves, but unfortunately that picture is often distorted by self-talk, doubts, fears and personal mythologies. Interrogate these visions of yourself to see if they hold up to scrutiny. Stop getting in your own way, and start visualising yourself living the life you dream about.

How often do we get in our own way? We talk ourselves out of our dreams; pussy-foot around, worried about failing; underestimate what we are capable of.

But I am coming to realise this: it is better to try and fail than to fail to try.

Where are you going to get out of  your own way this year?

Journal Fodder 365 - Prompt #31

This week's prompt is dreams and nightmares - what are the dreams you have and what sort of nightmares do you have about your dreams not coming true? I interpreted this as dreams and fears - why and why not.

It is easy to dream.

But it is also just as easy to talk yourself out of your dreams.

How often do you and I dream things, looking to a could-be, only to then come up with 27 different reasons for why it won't happen?

It's time to grasp the dream with both hands and talk down the fear.

Resolve to step into the could-be in the coming new year.

Journal Fodder 365 - Prompt #30

This prompt was daydreams. Something I haven't had much time for just lately with all the Christmas preparations. So this page was thrown together in short order - a bit of collage, some stamping, a little washi tape, and done.

As a clergy family we are given a house to live in. We are very grateful for that… but it isn't one of our own choosing. In my daydreams I design a home that would have all the space we desire to do everything we love doing. With our home also being our workspace, it is fun to let the imagination run and design something that fulfils all our requirements.

It is fun to dream...

Journal Fodder 365 - Prompt #29

This new chapter of Journal Fodder 365  is all about dreams. The first of the four prompts is dream journal.

Sometimes I note down my dreams because occasionally they have something useful to say. At the moment I must be slightly anxious about something because I'm having my usual recurring dream about being late - usually for school or university or some sort of teaching event. The dream isn't exactly the same every time but the theme is: I'm running late and have forgotten something or don't know which room I'm supposed to go to, or something happens that just makes it difficult to arrive in the right place at the right time and properly prepared. I'm a punctual person, so the thought of being late is distressing.

Do you have a recurring dream?

Running

Our family watched Jack the Giant Slayer the other day. A jolly good romp. Something that the princess said near the beginning stayed with me. She said, "Why do you think I'm running away? Couldn't I be running towards something?" (Or words to that effect.)

It makes you think, doesn't it? If I am running away from something, that is usually fuelled by fear. There is no thought of where I'm going. The priority is simply to get away from where the danger is.

But if I am running towards something, there is a goal in mind, a direction to travel in. There is purpose and intention.

Wouldn't you rather run towards something?

So kick fear in the teeth and run full-pelt towards your dreams!

Looking ahead

Looking ahead to the dream...

...while living in the now.

How do you stay faithful to where you are while looking over the horizon?

Here I am

Waiting.

Dreaming.

Surrendering.

Out with the old...

This time of the year is a good one for reviewing your life and deciding what changes need to be made. I like to make resolutions that are a bit more fluid than 'I will... every day.' Those sorts of things make you feel guilty if you don't stick to them. I like to make resolutions to change that I might actually be able to stick with :)

So this year I am aiming to take more photos, wrestle and win with Photoshop, learn how to use my Bamboo to full effect, stretch my comfort zone, tackle uncomfortable things head-on rather than retreating into myself, and dreaming big rather than dialling down my dreams.

What about you?

Happy Birthday Sojourner!

I can't believe a year has passed since I set out on my journey into Blogland!

I would like to say a big 'Thank you' to all of you who have visited, commented, and encouraged me through this last year. I've had so much fun visiting your blogs and seeing the wonderful work that is going on in creative spaces all over the world. Keep up the good work!

As the year comes towards an end I am inevitably looking forward to the next one. What will it bring? Where will it take me? One of the things I want to do is learn how to dream big. To dream without limits. I am the sort of person who finds it easy to spot the flaws in a plan. Unfortunately that means I am not very good at dreaming because I can see the possible pitfalls and shy away from things that don't look as if they will succeed.

So I want to make 2013 the year of dreaming without limits. Of taking the chance to believe that the impossible can happen.

What new path are you going to take?

Linking up with Art Journal Every Day (see button in the bar) and finally getting around to putting something on Paint Party Friday!