I’ve been studying imagination a lot lately.
And I keep bringing it up because it’s so important to you doing your art. And working the kind of schedule you wanna work and making the kind of money you wanna make.
I could speak tons about the topic and drown you with quotes and case studies.
But I won’t.
I’d rather show you one of my favorite lines from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. These two lines do an amazing job illustrating my point.
Harry: “Tell me one last thing. Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
Dumbledore: Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on Earth should that mean that it is not real?”
When we’re kids, our imagination is off the charts.
But the older we get the more we live our life believing only in our 5 senses. The 5 senses are cool but… I have a one year old Malinois that can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch.
How do we use our five senses to get the good stuff?
The big goals?
We don’t.
We use our imagination. We desire something and we live our lives from that end result.
Cool. So what’s the problem?
It works both ways.
For years I never pursued being an artist. My art self-esteem was about as high as nuts on a cricket. My vision for my art was simple.
I’m not good enough to make a living drawing. And guess what?
I never was.
But once I couldn’t stand working for the insurance company, my desire to be an artist went into over-drive.
Soon not only did I believe I could make it as an artist but in my imagination there was only one question.
Who would hire me first…
Marvel or DC?
Robert Frost said, “You’re always believing ahead of your evidence. What was the evidence I could write a poem? I just believed it. The most creative thing in us is to believe in a thing.”
When you believe in a thing a you want, your energy flows. You get enthusiasm and feel satisfaction. Even if your life isn’t what you want it to be.
Even if you work a job you can’t stand.
But on the flip side if you use your imagine to focus on…
Where you AREN’T.
Or what you don’t have or…
What you’re NOT.
You may as well be selling vacuums door to door.
And for the record, there’s nothing wrong with selling vacuums. I just bought one a month ago. Many of us need them.
They make the world a better place.
But YOU don’t have to sell them.
Work on your art.
And YOU make the world a better place that way.
Adam