I’m standing in the lobby of a nice hotel in New York. There are large, beautifully colored fish floating around in mid-air. I thought that this was a fantastic idea as the fish really added to the ambiance of this place. As I approached the front desk, I noticed a large gold plaque on the wall that read: “Your dreams want to be challenged.” Hmmm, I thought… And then I woke up.

I thought about that plaque all morning. What a nice inspirational message, but then it hit me. It doesn’t mean dreams as in hopes and goals; it means dreams as in the kind you have at night. Wow! My dream was talking to me, challenging me… reminding me.

You see, it was only a month or so before that I had mentioned to my husband that I really wanted to get back into my art and maybe I can get some inspiration in my dreams. I used to paint all the time. I would even paint murals in people’s homes. I was THIS close to working for Walt Disney. Long story short, I fell into the dream business and it has kept me so busy that I no longer had time for my art. So I put it away and let it collect dust. I have a friend on Facebook, Kimberly Dawn Clayton, who is an artist and is constantly painting. She posts her work on Facebook frequently and it’s very lovely… and it makes me jealous!! Jealous of all the time she gets to paint her heart out. So I had decided I wanted to start drawing and painting again too. And then I just sort of let that statement sit there and start collecting dust too…

…until this dream! That plaque on the wall was the clever way my dreams were reminding me that they were ready to work for me, ready to give me some cool inspiration and ideas for my “come back” piece of art. My dreams wanted to be challenged!! So challenge them I did. I set my mind to start on a new piece as soon as my dreams gave me an idea. I stayed mindful of it all day and then at night, before I turned out my light, I wrote in my dream journal that I want my dreams to give me some cool imagery. (I use my own book Cracking The Dream Code every night because it is an interactive journal that helps you connect your dreams to what happened the previous day in your life and it gives you a place to ask your dreams a question.)

My dreams obliged! I had a dream that Robert Pattinson (Team Edward!!) asked me out on a date but his eyes were rainbow colored! I woke from that dream knowing I had to use that imagery in my next piece but I wasn’t sure how. Just a few nights later I dreamed of a beautiful woman in the sky who was glowing. That’s it! I’m going to do a flying dream picture with that woman and give her Robert Pattinson’s rad rainbow eyes!!

And so I present to you my “come back” piece of art. It only took me three days. Oh, and the woman was inspired by Kate Winslet as Rose in Titanic when she was near death and sang “Come Josephine in my flying machine” to herself. I think I may do a series of art pieces depicting common dream themes. For the next one, I’m thinking a drowning dream could be quite cool. But first, I must consult with my dreams for inspirational imagery. I’m pretty sure they’re up for the next challenge.

Your dreams want to be challenged too! It doesn’t matter if you are an artist, a writer, a musician or an investment banker, your dreams will give you great ideas for your art, your relationships, even on how to invest your money. All you have to do is ask. Google, Nike shoes, the sewing machine, even the Twilight series (speaking of Robert Pattinson) all exist because someone challenged their dreams.

“I use Cracking The Dream Code in my practice. This is an amazing book. I use it nearly every day with my psychotherapy clients. It’s a wonderful adjunct tool. “
–  Dr. Jimmy Clifton, Millsburg, IN

“I LOVE your book Cracking The Dream Code.  I refer to it almost every morning! Even with as long as I have had it I am STILL amazed by the accuracy!
– Mindy Direen, Salt Lake City, UT