Originally posted on Oct 1, 2022
Today’s topic is “Dream”. This dynamic calligraphy art expresses the beauty and inspiration of the word “Dream” that is defined in gold dancing in the darkness of night surrounded by deep visions and desires swirling within.
First off, I must ask “do you have a dream?”. I normally prefer to use the word “vision”, because to me, “dream” sounds a bit like a fantasy, unrealistic and naïve.
Nonetheless I made this art around the idea of a dream. It is one of the most foundational pieces in my collection and I will explain why. But first, let me explain my reasoning for the difference between dream and vision.
When we call someone a "dreamer", it usually describes those who indulge in unrealistic ideas, those who fantasize. It’s okay to be a dreamer but we don’t usually expect anything great or impactful to come out right away.
On the other hand when we call someone a "visionary", it’s usually positive as we see them who have unusual foresight and imagination. We see them as bold thinkers and expect them to do something great for a larger group or society.
What separates the visionaries from the dreamers?
John Baldoni, an executive coach and leadership educator, answers this well. “Dreams are drifts of the imagination, as if one imaginary cloud in the sky. Visions are scripted efforts to effect change. Vision is becoming - you dream of possibility and you seek to put it into action.”
But then how can we turn fantasy and imagination to reality? The quick and obvious answer is by taking action: by going through a transformational process that consists of establishing vision and mission, developing strategies and action plans followed by the execution.
It is cliché, and you surely must know the importance of having a vision and taking action to achieve your personal and professional goals. But let’s give it a fresh look, remind yourself of what you are doing and why.
What is your vision? Vision answers the question, “where are you headed?”
What is your mission? Mission is about answering the question, “who are you?” “ Why do you do what you do?” and “who do you do it for?” It puts your vision in pragmatic terms.
Once your vision and mission become clear, you want to develop a strategy. Strategy is all about how you’re going to get from point A to point B, with specific and measurable objectives that generally lay out how much of what will be accomplished by when.
And from there, you can draw a specific plan of action for every day’s life. Because no matter how big your dream is and whatever it might be, it must be broken down into a small achievable step.
So, that’s the process of how we can turn fantasy and imagination to reality.
But here is the thing: you could dream all you want for free but turning a dream into reality means you have to pay a price. Because its process involves facing obstacles and struggles and taking up on many challenges. But visionaries are those who are willing to pay the price that the most wouldn’t.
Being an artist and entrepreneur myself, I know by heart what paying the price means and it’s not easy. But the truth is that everyone has their own mission and vision in life. Your dream doesn’t have to be extraordinary and sometimes the simple things are also the most extraordinary things. We just need to follow what your heart desires.
How to become your own visionary?
Here are three things that I always remind myself of, that I thought might be helpful to some of you.
Number one is discipline. Are you disciplined enough to execute your plan of action that consists of often uncomfortable, difficult, or mundane tasks? Are you diligent and patient enough to go through the daily routine understanding that the consistency of your action will take you one step closer to where you want to go .
Number two, trust. Can you trust yourself enough to keep doing what you decided to do and stay the course even when you don't see the expected results immediately. Because for sure, you are going to get hit by a storm. You would face the fear of failure and future unknown and setbacks. Because success is not guaranteed. Can you pull it off?
That's why and here is number three, you must have a dream. Lovetheway was my dream and is my dream. And this is the reason why I made this art. We have to have an answer to the question “What is your dream?”. Because dreams will fuel your soul, re-energize you, and keep you going in hardship. Because dreaming is a place where it all started. The great invention in history, the composition of great music, or achieving the unachievable, it started in someone's heart as a desire, a dream.
So I will conclude my message with this quote:
“Vision without action is only a dream. Vision with action can make that dream come true, but first you must dream!”