Sun, 24 Nov, 2024

Dreams and Creativity

By Shrijak Shrestha

Dreaming is an inherent part of being human. Everybody dreams. Dreams are like alternate universe where everything is possible and which is lived by a dreamer in his sleep. It consists of images, sensations, emotions and ideas that occur without our control in our sleep. People have been fascinated by dreams and their meanings for centuries. Every civilization and religion had their own interpretations of dreams. Dreaming can be a fascinating experience where our mind explores different ideas. There are different stories and characters. Different emotions are felt. Every place, person and experience can interconnect to give strange experiences. According to psychotherapist, Sigmund Freud, dreams are an expression of our subconscious mind. Dreams can lead to a creative outlet as well. Countless writers, poets, painters, musicians and even scientists have been influenced by dreams to produce great outcomes. Paul McCartney, who is a member of the Beatles and one of the greatest singers/songwriters of all time, got the tune of the song Yesterday in his dream. It went on to become one of the most loved songs by the Beatles. Mary Shelley’s bestseller novel Frankenstein was inspired from a dream. Scientist Otto Loewi, who won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1936 for his theory on the chemical impulse of the nervous impulse, was inspired by his dreams to conduct the primary experiments leading to his discovery. Friedrich August von Stradonitz, who discovered the molecular structure of benzene, got his idea from a dream.  The novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by novelist Robert Louis Stevenson was inspired by a dream. The bestselling author Stephen King uses his dreams to get ideas for his novels. Most people don’t remember the majority of their dreams. People should try to improve their dream recall so that they can experience vivid dreams and get ideas especially if they are in the creative field.