How Dreams Enhance Creativity: Exploring the Connection

Consciously or unconsciously, creativity is part of each and everyone's life. It has been a reflection of innovations, ideas, and expressed thoughts. To some, creativity is very natural and should be expressed at any time, while for others, it may be something that is not worth mentioning. Though many factors bring a different level of creativity among individuals, dreaming, a universal process that happens when a person is asleep, has been identified as one of the key factors that influence an individual's level of creativity. This has led to a study on the connection between dreams and creativity. Gone are the days when people associate dreaming with laziness or not doing anything. New theories have suggested that dreaming is a way for individuals to tap into their creative unconsciousness.

The issue that is most significant to me in my attempts to consider the idea that dreams are a substantial source of creative inspiration is that the great majority of human beings go through their entire lives never giving a second thought to the possibility that this might be true. They do not question the origin of creative inspiration; they simply assume that it is a mysterious process that falls from the heavens and strikes certain individuals. At most, they regard it as a psychological phenomenon related to childhood trauma or some aspect of the individual's personality. Yet, no matter how much influential research there might be to support such claims, it is still an assumption that creativity has a specific set of causes, that it is not, at least in part, a process of discovering something that has already existed.

Dreams as Problem-Solving Tools

According to the activation information mode of dreaming proposed by G. William Domhoff, it is said that dreams are constructed out of the person's concerns, and with the problems at hand, partial to complete simulations of real-life problems are played out. This is supported by data from dream reports, an example of a dream being related to problem-solving, is mentioned in R. Wiebe's 1966 research at the Hassler Institute in Switzerland. He compared the dream reports of 65 participants with waking day concerns and found that 78% of the dreams referred to the same concerns. This shows dreams have the potential to relate to daily concerns and problems. From these studies, it is suggestive that dreams can be a trigger for problem solutions, an important key to creativity.

Modern empirical study reveals a consistent theme in dream reports of creative personalities when compared with non-creative controls. They are seen to have more dream recall, a greater variety of dreams, and frequent dreams of a bizarre and striking nature. This is indirect evidence of the use of high-level creative skills in dream construction. Another method of drawing from art is the repeated creation and alteration of dream scenarios using guided visualisation and free association to meet a specific therapeutic or research goal.

Unleashing Creativity Through Dreams

To understand the creative process of dreaming, one must first understand the sheer raw creativity of dreams. This creativity is expressed in the completely unique and compelling scenarios, worlds, and narratives that dreams weave. Content analysis on thousands of dream reports shows that most dreams are about ordinary everyday occurrences, but they come with some other bizarre twist that makes them interesting. The work involved in dreaming is often compared to that of art or storytelling. Both dreams and artistic creation are concerned with the rendering of images and the expression of thoughts, ideas, emotions, and desires. They neither produce a direct performance of behaviour nor construe a clear conceptual issue.

Before we talk about how to use your dreams to improve creativity, let's talk about the basics. In "Your Brain on Fiction," literary scholar, critic, and cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker says: "The studies converge on the point that people who are creative in the arts are indeed more likely to suffer from those same mentally loose cognitive associations that drive the stage of the schizophrenic who is talking to himself. People in the creative professions are a bother—and occasionally a menace—to their families and friends. They are moody, prickly, unpropertied, unpredictable, and at times annoying or worse. On the other hand, they are lively and enthusiastic company when they are feeling good."

He may have something there. Many studies have been done observing the link between the mentally ill and creativity as it is a popular notion. But for those artists who may be of stable mental status, what else can be drawn on to promote creativity? Is there something simpler than driving oneself into madness? Indeed, dreams are a significant untapped resource. Many artists have already delved into their dreams for inspiration. One only has to look into Salvador Dali or William S. Burroughs' works for obvious dream iconography. But even for the everyday artist, there are techniques you can do to draw out your dreams and use them to affect your creative output.

The method referred to as automatism, of which there are two forms, is one that Picasso declared to be the way par excellence of expressing the notion of the dream. The first form, the most familiar, is the spontaneous form, that of the automatic doodle which is the result of a chance movement of the hand or an unaccustomed feeling while the conscious mind is otherwise occupied, such as the scribbling which for most people accompanies a long and dull telephone conversation. Such automatic drawings may be the starting point for a fully conscious work of art, or they may be the totality of work in themselves; the essential point is that they are fortuitous and unplanned and are therefore very similar to the actual dream process.

Development of the creative and artistic capacities that can be carried out in the dream state can have a flow-on effect for individual and collective waking states. Who knows how many masterpieces have started off as beautiful imaginary scenes seen in a dream? By far the most popular modern depiction of art in the dream state is through the avenue of the surrealist painters, many of whom have testified to receiving inspiration for their art directly from their dreams. The dream environment, with its intricate plots, scenery, and characters, can be a source of inspiration and aid in the generative stage of creativity, as well as providing a testing ground for creative works. The dream, simply an alternative state of consciousness, can be compared to virtual reality with different mechanics. By using the stance that dreams are creations of the mind, lucid dreamers can reframe the dream world as a mental construct existing within the mind. This opens up the possibility of utilising the dream as a platform to mentally rehearse artistic performances, give treatments and diagnoses in the case of medical students or psychology, as well as being able to conduct experiments and research.

Utilizing Lucid Dreaming for Creative Exploration

Understanding Lucid Dreaming

In lucid dreams, the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming and can consciously explore and direct the outcome of the dream. has found that one key to inducing lucid dreams is the induction of the MILD (mnemonic-induced lucid dream) technique. This requires the dreamer to recall a recent dream and identify a common recurring sign that indicates to them that they are dreaming. Once they have done this, in the next dream, the person is to remember to recognize these signs, which will trigger a response that will help them realise that they are dreaming. When a person has gained the ability to be aware of and control their dreams, the potential for exploration into the creative process is vast.

Practical Techniques for Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming, as simplistic as it sounds, refers to the ability to become cognizant of the fact that you are dreaming, without waking up. A dream-initiated lucid dream (DILD) starts as a normal dream, and the individual 'awakens' to the fact that they are dreaming, while a wake-initiated lucid dream (WILD) occurs when the individual goes from a waking state directly into a dream state, with no apparent lapse in consciousness. Once in the lucid dream state, it is possible to apply control to the dream environment or storyline. Many expert lucid dreamers have stated, to have discovered the capacity to interact with their dream environment as though it were a tangible world, allowing the exploration of realistic experiences and adventures not possible in waking life. The implications for creative exploration in lucid dreaming are vast, as the nature of the dream environment allows for simplification of the creative process or even a 'sandbox' in which to play with ideas.

Harnessing Lucid Dreaming for Problem-Solving

Lucid dreaming may be able to assist with the various stages of the creative process. By providing a setting in which the rules of the real world may be altered, developing a lucid dreamer's understanding of how dreams work and how to influence them can foster the greatest stage of creativity: identifying, defining, and solving problems. The dream world is a unique state of consciousness in which most individuals experience an intense combination of thoughts and free association of ideas. The form is often strange and abstract, and the content is usually unfamiliar to the person, although the emotions and mood are recognizable. This can be the perfect setting to use various problem-solving techniques and attempt to consciously induce different thought patterns to bring about a specific dream experience. The most well-known and effective cognitive technique is likely to be affirmations, which involve the repeating of a phrase to remember it later upon entering a dream.

Another benefit of the dream environment is the easier access to the subconscious mind. Theorised by many to be the wellspring of imaginative thought, it is a place less bound by logical thought and linear structure, and more to do with raw feelings and association of ideas. In the normal waking state, the subconscious mind is difficult to access, with attempts to directly influence it often resulting in strange or unpredictable behaviour. Upon becoming lucid, one can directly communicate with and personify the subconscious mind simply by asking a question and expecting a relevant person or symbol to provide an answer. This can be a very enlightening experience and may provide a key to unlocking the mysteries behind creativity and revealing what it is that makes a person who they are.

Evidence Supporting Lucid Dreaming

In an experiment carried out involving the connection between lucid dreaming and creative thought. A group of experienced lucid dreamers were compared with non-dreamers who recorded their sleep patterns. The experimenter then woke them at various intervals during the night and got them to complete a creative problem-solving task. It was found that the dreamers who could recall a lucid dream that night had a higher success rate in the task. This was evidence to suggest that the self-awareness and confidence that characterise lucid dreaming are conducive to increased problem-solving skills and therefore an increased potential for creativity.

Preserving Dream Inspiration for Creative Works

I hope I've convinced you that dreams can be a valuable source of inspiration in your creative work. With this in mind, preserving the dream becomes a vital precept to capturing its inspiration. Often dreams are quickly forgotten, and a description or short story will simply not contain enough vivid detail to recall the dream at a later date.

Importance of Dream Journaling

The best way to preserve a dream is to keep a dream journal. I generally write my dream journal in the morning, since this is when dreams are the freshest in my mind. However, any time of the day, or after any sleep period is suitable. If you find writing by hand too slow, or if you cannot decipher your own handwriting, a microcassette recorder works well. This has the added benefit of being able to quickly record a dream upon waking, from the comfort of your own bed. Note-keeping devices can also be kept by the bed if that is where you wake from dreams most often. Old dreams should be read every now and then. You may find older dreams take on new meanings when viewed in light of subsequent dreams, or different events in waking life. Also, specific dream signs or contexts may recur at a later date, and having a detailed record of earlier similar dreams can be very useful. The most interesting dreams should be shared with sympathetic friends. A fresh perspective can be valuable in understanding a dream, and a friend's suggestion may provide inspiration for a creative work based on the dream.

Conclusion

When discussing this topic, most people are interested in the result—the artistic works inspired by dreams. However, dream workers are usually convinced that dreams can provide insights at every stage of the creative process. These can be very specific, technical clues, or more general pointers related to a work's emotional tone, pacing, or overall structure. Any of these aspects of a project might benefit from the dreamer's reflections on his dream. Writers, for example, may find that keeping a dream journal helps them to achieve a more natural or fluid "voice" in their work. They may discover characters in their dreams who can serve as models for fictional creations, or they may find gripping plotlines, rich settings, and other narrative details just waiting to be put into their stories.

A famous example of the latter comes from Mary Shelley, who got the idea for her novel Frankenstein from a nightmare. She wrote, "When I placed my head on my pillow, I did not sleep, nor could I be said to think. My imagination, unbidden, possessed and guided me, gifting the successive images that arose in my mind with a vividness far beyond the usual bounds of reverie. I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion."

Although this dream did not provide the entire plot for the novel, it was a revelatory moment for Shelley regarding the tale's thematic potential. In a way, it became a touchstone for her to refer back to as she worked, ensuring that the work's details would coalesce into a meaningful whole.