You May Say I’m a Dreamer

Last month, my boss sent me home with Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer. It’s a book I’ve had on my reading list, but wasn’t in all that of a hurry to begin. While my reading habits lately include more nonfiction, they’re usually in the way of memoirs or biographies. For some reason, I’ve never been all that jazzed about industry books and tend to really labor through them.

Not the case with this one.

Lehrer breaks creativity, the creative mind and the enabling environments in a wondrous, storytelling way. From Bob Dylan’s songwriting ways (or lack there of) to the way Pixar studios places their bathrooms, Lehrer somehow manages to engage senses and parts of the brain that are dormant while reading.

The chapter about urban living really struck a chord. I never paid much attention to why I feel like I’m more “creative” in Chicago, I just chalked it up to the fact there’s a lot going on…there are a lot of resources to explore…and the people watching is stellar. I never even gave much thought to what all of those components contribute to the way the mind works.

When contemplating a fascinating and engaging read this summer, imagine Lehrer.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” –Picasso

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Yesterday, CNN Living re-published an article from Oprah.com about dreams that you should never give up on. I’m quite the dreamer, and have an ever-expanding list that I feel guilty moving away from. Like the dream of producing a Broadway play? Pretty sure my copywriter funds are never going to be able to make that one happen. And learning a second language isn’t going to be happening anytime soon, I could barely handle it in high school and college.

So how do you know what dreams to hold on tightly to and when to let the wind carry them away?

Leigh Newman proposed a list of 9 dreams that you should never give up on. That you should continue to strive and achieve at some capacity. My personal favorite one was “5. The dream of the amazing, life-changing trip you don’t have time for.” 

I’ve always been in awe of traveling, no matter where it was, just seeing a new setting and surrounding myself with complete strangers was always a thrill. And why many of my dreams involve travel. From seeing the sculpture in Dublin with my two eyes and standing underneath the Eiffel Tower with my mom to doing AIDS community work in South Africa and attending a Euro music festival that lasts three-days and requires me to camp.

But after seeing this Dream Never to Give Up On #5, I found myself reverting back to the idea of standing on every continent. To feel like I’ve touched all parts of the world and left an impact, even if it was with my feet.

So continent-exploring is back on the table. Maybe I should just turn all of my dreams into a “Around-the-World” trip to knock out more than a few birds with one stone.

Are there any dreams you find yourself holding on to?

You May Say I’m a Dreamer

…or maybe a drawer. This is amazing.