Imagination: Childlike Fantasy or Divine Wisdom? An Artist’s Perspective
This is an invitation to “grown down” instead of grow up: to relearn the power of your imagination
…with a glimpse of how I had to learn the hard way.
The Breakthrough Arrives · Original Art by Eric Dean (learn more)
You’re a kid: a master of “make believe.” You swim in imagination more often than the “real world,” with the ability to turn any mundane moment into an adventure. What a gift it is to possess a firehose of creativity.
The adults around you may not agree. Slowly but surely, the authority figures who raise you—parents, teachers, coaches—shepherd you into their world: a world of logic and practicality. Your abilities are seen, not as gifts, but as distractions; as fantasy without much use in a competitive, success-driven culture. Daydreaming won’t get you into college, after all. So you grow up. You conform. Your mastery is left to gather dust.
As a stubborn, artistic type, I’ve been lucky to hold tight to my imagination, and it has changed my reality. The deeper I’ve swam in my imaginal waters, the more I’ve learned of their profound wisdom. What once was an escape into fantastical stories is now a tool of insight, as the images that arise spontaneously in my mind’s eye come with information I couldn’t possibly know with my rational brain.
Two winters ago, my mind received the flash image of a snowman being hit by lightning, which I soon turned into a piece. About three weeks later (on Friday the 13th of all days), I christened my local ski mountain with a broken and dislocated right shoulder—the same shoulder that was struck for my unfortunate snowman.
I felt as if I had been hit by lightning when I realized the eerie connection. The imagery I received was more than artistic inspiration: it was a premonition. If only I had been trained to perceive it as such. My shoulder would have been spared from months of rehab and my wallet from mountains of medical bills.
CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR OWN INNER POWER?
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Imagine if, from a young age, our imaginations were celebrated and cultivated, just as our schools emphasize math and science. What if entire curricula were dedicated to students learning to listen intimately to their imaginal data streams? Imagine how much our collective consciousness would evolve, how much suffering we might avoid with that kind of skill set...
My faith in the educational system is shaky at best, so let’s start smaller: with you. This is an invitation to let your imagination run wild. Start by allowing yourself to frolic within your fantasies without expectation or limitation. While premonitions are a nice perk, see if you can find pleasure in imagining without seeking a specific outcome. My hope is for you to reconnect with an essential part of yourself and remember that you are a master of make believe.
—Eric
P.S. My repertoire goes beyond electrocuted snowmen.
Check out more of my site here to explore my creative endeavors.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric Dean is a seer, artist, guide, and psychotherapist who works and plays in the mountains of Flagstaff, AZ. Eric feels most alive when facilitating co-creative journeys that he transforms into custom art pieces. Earthy and spiritual, Eric finds joy in ecstatic dance, music circles, mountain biking, snowboarding, bouldering, and other adventures with friends.
