BRAINSTORMING:
Throughout my life, I have always had a lot of nightmares when I sleep. I have a good imagination, but unfortunately it doesn’t rest while I’m sleeping, and sometimes I wake up quite exhausted as my dreams can feel very real.
At first I thought of possibly illustrating the most common dreams that people have in general, for example: teeth falling out; being naked in public; being chased; falling; etc. And the meanings of them. But then I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed making collages of my nightmares.
So for this prompt, I decided to focus more on what I would like my dreams to be like.
We lived in the same house for 20 years and it often features in my dreams. I loved that house: the big front door; the green ivy covering all the walls closing off the garden; the windows in the living room that stretched from floor to ceiling, making you feel like you’re sitting in the garden; the view of the ocean from my bedroom window; being able to hear the sound of the waves crashing at times; coming down the stairs, hearing all the voices in the living room… They were happy memories of when all my siblings and I were all still together.
Although our old house is not featuring in these collages, thinking about it helped to bring back happy memories of when I was younger, living by the seaside; having my own horse and going riding after school and on weekends; going out dancing with my siblings/ friends on a Saturday night.. Although at the time I didn’t realise it, now thinking back… we were so happy and free. Quite fortunate really. If only I knew back then that once it changes, we will never have that again.
I thought about songs that brought back memories from when I was younger, connecting them to things I loved in a dreamy way.
SONGS:
I decided on using the following songs as inspiration for my collages:
– Higher – Creed: I remember being a teenager and dancing to this song. Thinking back, it made me feel so free. I used to love dancing the night away, being twirled on the dance floor.. it felt like flying.. safe knowing your partner will “catch” you again.
– Wild Horses – Natasha Bedingfield: Although I didn’t listen to this song when I was a teenager, listening to it makes me remember the feeling of riding my horse by the seaside… feeling so happy and free, like I was flying.
– The Blower’s Daughter – Damien Rice: This song makes me think about: how things have changed; how I grew up by the seaside; how I used to be so free; how now as grown ups, I’m feeling like I’m just moving along; how time passes; chances missed; potential love side-stepped; still remembering the way a stranger looked at you like he’s never seen anything more beautiful; youth remembered, but not sustained…
Time and time again
At sunrise I fight to stay asleep
‘Cause I don’t want to leave the comfort of this place
‘Cause there’s a hunger, a longing to escape
From the life I live when I’m awake
So let’s go there
Let’s make our escape
Come on, let’s go there
Let’s ask can we stay?
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets
It helps me to appreciate
Those nights and those dreams
But, my friend, I’d sacrifice all those nights
If I could make the Earth and my dreams the same
The only difference is
To let love replace all our hate
So let’s go there
Let’s make our escape
Come on, let’s go there
Let’s ask can we stay?
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets
So let’s go there
Come on, let’s go there
Let’s ask can we stay?
Set up high I’m strong enough to take these dreams
And make them mine
And make them mine
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets’
Face up against the glass
Looking at him
Is this my life I’m wondering
It happened so fast
How do I turn this thing around
Is this the bed I chose to make
It’s greener pastures I’m thinking about
Wide open spaces far away
The wind in my hair
To face the fear but
Not feel scared
I wanna be like you
Throwing caution to the wind
I’ll run free too
Wish I could recklessly love
Like I’m longing to
I wanna run with the wild horses
Run with the wild horses
Oh oh
Riding bareback
Carefree along the shore
If only that someone was me
Jumping headfirst
Headlong without a thought
To act and damn the consequence
How I wish it could be that easy
But fear surrounds me like a fence
I wanna break free
The wind in my hair
To face the fear but
Not feel scared
I wanna be like you
Throwing caution to the wind
I’ll run free too
Wish I could recklessly love
Like I’m longing to
I wanna run with the wild horses
Run with the wild horses
Oh
Recklessly abandoning myself before you
I wanna open up my heart
Tell him how I feel
I wanna be like you
Throwing caution to the wind
I’ll run free too
Wish I could recklessly love
Like I’m longing to
I wanna run with the wild horses
Run with the wild horses
Run with the wild horses
Oh yeah yeah oh oh
I wanna run with the wild horses
Oh’
Life goes easy on me
Most of the time
And so it is the shorter story
No love, no glory
No hero in her sky
I can’t take my eyes off you
I can’t take my eyes off you
I can’t take my eyes off you
I can’t take my eyes off you
I can’t take my eyes
We’ll both forget the breeze
Most of the time
And so it is the colder water
The Blower’s daughter
The pupil in denial
I can’t take my eyes off you
I can’t take my eyes off you
I can’t take my eyes off you
I can’t take my eyes off you
I can’t take my eyes
Did I say that I want to leave it all behind?
I can’t take my mind off you
I can’t take my mind off you
I can’t take my mind off you
I can’t take my mind off you
I can’t take my mind
My mind, my mind
‘Til I find somebody new’
I thought for this prompt I’d use photographs of the sky/ moon/ stars, to create a more dreamy effect.
https://www.diyphotography.net/nasa-makes-entire-media-library-publicly-accessible-copyright-free/
COMPLETED COLLAGES:
Inspired by the song: Wild Horses – Natasha Bedingfield
Inspired by the song: The Blower’s Daughter – Damien Rice
Inspired by the song: Higher – Creed
REFLECTION:
I loved this week’s sketchbook prompt. It felt like art therapy. I loved the combination of colours: different shades of blue & purple 🙂 If only my dreams were really as magical and dreamy as in my collages. Oh well…
NAME: Juanita du Toit
STUDENT NUMBER: 522438
COURSE: Illustration 1: Illustration Sketchbooks
The Open College of the Arts (University for the Creative Arts)
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