If you’re a frequent reader of my blog, then you are probably aware of the struggle I have had with trying to get back to my first love… painting. Originally, the plan I had for myself was to become an animator/character developer for Disney. Long story short, my life took a different turn and I became a professional Dream Analyst. I’ve absolutely loved this profession and feel it is my calling but, in order to build this career I allowed my love for painting to fall to the wayside.

This neglect has shown up in my dreams in many forms: dying and forgotten fish, forgotten rooms or even forgotten wings of a home, moving back into the house where I had an art studio, etc. While my waking mind was focused on being a mother, wife and Dream Analyst, my dreaming mind was begging me to remember this other part of me that I essentially, abandoned.  I made vain attempts here and there to get back into my art by fooling around in photoshop, doing a color pencil drawing, etc. but I had yet to pick up a paint brush.

Thankfully one of my childhood friends, Kimberly Dawn, a fantastic folk artist, posts her new art pieces on Facebook… practically on a daily basis. I mean this woman paints like there is no tomorrow! Gah! I would get so jealous, but in a good way. Kimberly’s posts, along with my dreams, were motivation, gentle nudges that I finally succumbed to! I bought myself some oils, brushes and artist boards and decided to get to work, or rather get back to overdue work!

I’ve been wanting to paint a series based on our most common dreams: drowning, falling, flying, etc. but after I thought about it I decided I needed to break the ice so I decided to paint Marilyn Monroe my favorite subject to draw, paint and doodle over the years. Her face is easy for me. I know every angle and curve. If I could paint her with success then I would know I was back! So I began. And then I had a dream…

I was in a house that was not mine but I knew my way around it. I walked into a bedroom and I found my mother sitting on a bed holding my baby daughter, which I don’t really have in waking life. I had been gone so long, months it seemed, and I was worried my baby would not remember me. I took her from my mother and held her. She looked up at me, smiled and cooed at me. She remembered!!

My baby represented my art that I had been away from for so long. I was VERY worried that I would be so rusty I would not be happy and lose patience but just as the baby remembered me, so did my artist self. Marilyn was turning out beautifully and my dream was giving me approval. Whenever someone smiles at you in a dream, you can almost always connect it to self approval in your waking life, btw.  🙂

As you can see, my neglected baby is still alive, healthy and even thriving!! I am back and my inner dreaming mind is pleased. My mother in the dream represents the part of me that needs to continue to give birth to new paintings and ideas as well my ability to nurture and care for this part of me. I need to remember to continue to be a good mother to my art. I can’t allow myself to neglect it again. If I do, I have no doubt the dream police will be after me, inundating me with bad dreams. As Leonardo da Vinci once said, “A well spent day brings happy sleep.”

Want this painting hanging in your home? She’s for sale! If you’re interested, or know someone who is, go here to purchase a print.

Sweet dreams!!