I love how you've illustrated your childhood dream. One recurring dream used to be that I was chewing gum and then it would get too sticky and my teeth would get stuck together. I'm not sure the world wants to see me illustrate that, ha ha! I need to dig deeper I think. I wish I'd had a dream with wolves in. That seems more fun to draw ;-P Thanks for inspiring us all! x
Oh my goodness, your sticky teeth dream sounds terrifying. I used to believe that swallowing chewing gum could kill you, because it could stick to the sides of your windpipe. I am sure a grown up told me that once.
It was terrifying. I read once that dreams about teeth mean you talk too much. I did used to get told off alot in school because I could never stop chatting so maybe that's it... I have swallowed gum before, but I live to tell the tale. Do not recommend thouh, ha! x
Mine is about teeth too! Although in my dream my teeth are crumbling apart and I can’t ask for help as my mouth is full of broken enamel. Definitely agree that wolves seems a more pleasant thing to draw, although maybe not to dream about!
arrghhh I get that dream as well. Although my are all falling out into my mouth like those old cassette recorder buttons! I can feel my mouth full of all my teeth moving about in my mouth.
It is a dream I dream from times to times... I dream I didn’t catch the school bus for high school, school already started, nobody but me is home. The panic feeling, plus it’s the first day of school, I get to the school but don’t have the courses schedule. I have to find the secretary office, can’t find it... Can’t find the the classroom and when I find the classroom I’m utterly late... This kind of dream I get at least twice a year and I’ll be 40 this summer!
Sadly we are never too old for a stressy dream! That one sounds like a nightmare. I used to dream of trying to get into a flat I lived in years ago. I can’t find it, I wander the streets looking. Then I find it but the key doesn’t fit the door. I try and try, wiggling the key but nothing works… It was such a desperate and stressful dream. Thank goodness that one stopped.
The illustration and story behind it are such a rare treat - thank you for this.
Also, I chuckled at the Freud reference. Those Freudians and their intercourse-laced dream interpretations!
I’m an armchair Jungian myself and agree that many people and animals in your dreams are part of you, but with the caveat that they’re unconscious/not the aware parts. So a recurring dream about wolves, those hungry, wild, brave creatures could be an emerging part of your consciousness, possibly tied with growing up or a big emotional shift in your day life.
Ah thanks. Yes, definitely unconsciously wolfish. I was a teen and feeling pretty angry at the world for expecting me to be a good girl. But I had no idea about that at the time, it was too scary to face full on.
No crazy dreams that I remember. I was to exhausted from being terrified of creepy things in my bedroom to go to sleep. The proverbial something was under my bed and i slept under covers pulled up no matter the temp because it made me feel safer. When i drew my bedroom years later i realized that it was the street light filtering thru my sheer curtains that criss crossed the windows. Took me years to get over the fear of the dark and things under my bed. And no mom would not let me open the door to let the hall light in to dissipate it. Wonder what Freud would have thought of her.
Oh yes, street lights through curtains can be very spooky. I once thought my dressing gown hung on the back of my bedroom door was a giant penguin man, terrifying!
Oh no. It is odd what we think. I has a painting of my dad that i did 3x4 feet sitting in the corner on an easel. Every time I came around the corner he was staring at me startling me into thinking someone was in the house. He now stares from the garage wall. Bad right but no more being startled.
Such a beautiful painting, Helen! I love it and it talks a lot to me, because in fact I had a similar recurring dream when i was little.
A big dark wolf came out from between the heating slats in my room. Only the front paws and the head were clearly visible, the back part disappearing in fog. My father took me on his shoulders and the wolf tried to reach me. Then I woke up. I think i was about 3 when i had this dream.
I had a recurring childhood dream that I'd been run over by a tractor and I was in a sort of waiting room, waiting to find out whether I would go to heaven or hell. There were sepia photos of Victorian people on the walls who, in the dream, were my ancestors and they were talking to me but I couldn't hear them properly, just a muffled muttering. The dream ended with me falling downwards - v symbolic!
You conjured up the terror of certain childhood dreams perfectly!! One of my most memorable childhood dreams was of going into my parents bedroom to find a nice teacher-ish woman sitting on their bed and playing a guitar made of chocolate. The guitar was so solid and chocolate-y. It was very impressive! And not terrifying 😅
Hello Helen. Hello! I have been inspired by you to make a sub stack account after hearing you talk about it on the GoodShip - I just finished the picture book course, brilliant stuff thank you!
This post is amazing isn't it?! I think our childhood, subconscious, past lives stuff is so a part of our DNA that our creative sides cannot help but express it... dream state or on paper are two fine examples of how but I wonder there are more? It sort of fits with the born ready thought process too. Thank you for sharing (and making it free). Emma
I had a dream a few years ago where I woke up laughing and shouting "His head is all wrong" then went back to sleep.
The dream was about making a Mr Blobby costume and the kit was all wrong and there was a really tight deadline. You had to add all the spots yourself and there were too many legs so he ended up like a giant pink centipede!
When I was a kid, I dreamt that a herd of buffalo were charging down my small neighborhood street, coming straight for me. Hmm I think I want to illustrate that! I have trouble coming up with ideas to practice with and this really helps!
I used to have the spooky ones, but they were spooky because I could kind of tie them together…
I would be dreaming then I would “wake up” and see a shadow in the room, then I would start dreaming again and wake up to the same shadow now closer and think “is it trying to make me sleep?” And when I reacted I would just “wake up” to a sunny morning… no rest lol
I got goosebumps from this post. Such a great story. Maybe I’ll draw my top-hatted silent movie man from my childhood nightmares 😬 Side projects are the best kickstarters.
Top hatted silent movie man! That is so funny, I used to tell my sister that Laurel and Hardy slept under her bed and I would scare the living daylight out of both us. Those old movie stars WERE scary!
I love how you've illustrated your childhood dream. One recurring dream used to be that I was chewing gum and then it would get too sticky and my teeth would get stuck together. I'm not sure the world wants to see me illustrate that, ha ha! I need to dig deeper I think. I wish I'd had a dream with wolves in. That seems more fun to draw ;-P Thanks for inspiring us all! x
Oh my goodness, your sticky teeth dream sounds terrifying. I used to believe that swallowing chewing gum could kill you, because it could stick to the sides of your windpipe. I am sure a grown up told me that once.
It was terrifying. I read once that dreams about teeth mean you talk too much. I did used to get told off alot in school because I could never stop chatting so maybe that's it... I have swallowed gum before, but I live to tell the tale. Do not recommend thouh, ha! x
Mine is about teeth too! Although in my dream my teeth are crumbling apart and I can’t ask for help as my mouth is full of broken enamel. Definitely agree that wolves seems a more pleasant thing to draw, although maybe not to dream about!
I’ve had the teeth dream too! I’ve read that it can be associated with loss or big life changes.
Arg, crumbling teeth enamel, that sounds truly terrifying.
arrghhh I get that dream as well. Although my are all falling out into my mouth like those old cassette recorder buttons! I can feel my mouth full of all my teeth moving about in my mouth.
Oh my gosh, so scary, but similar. In my dream I would eventually break my teeth in order to open my mouth.
What a beautiful image such a haunting dream! 😳Have you thought about written and illustrated spooky stories? I feel like you’d do it brilliantly!
I would LOVE to do that. Maybe I’ll start at my next Co-working session.
I’ll be there with some strong coffee to remind you!
It is a dream I dream from times to times... I dream I didn’t catch the school bus for high school, school already started, nobody but me is home. The panic feeling, plus it’s the first day of school, I get to the school but don’t have the courses schedule. I have to find the secretary office, can’t find it... Can’t find the the classroom and when I find the classroom I’m utterly late... This kind of dream I get at least twice a year and I’ll be 40 this summer!
Sadly we are never too old for a stressy dream! That one sounds like a nightmare. I used to dream of trying to get into a flat I lived in years ago. I can’t find it, I wander the streets looking. Then I find it but the key doesn’t fit the door. I try and try, wiggling the key but nothing works… It was such a desperate and stressful dream. Thank goodness that one stopped.
The illustration and story behind it are such a rare treat - thank you for this.
Also, I chuckled at the Freud reference. Those Freudians and their intercourse-laced dream interpretations!
I’m an armchair Jungian myself and agree that many people and animals in your dreams are part of you, but with the caveat that they’re unconscious/not the aware parts. So a recurring dream about wolves, those hungry, wild, brave creatures could be an emerging part of your consciousness, possibly tied with growing up or a big emotional shift in your day life.
Ah thanks. Yes, definitely unconsciously wolfish. I was a teen and feeling pretty angry at the world for expecting me to be a good girl. But I had no idea about that at the time, it was too scary to face full on.
Great story and illustrations. I was able to preorder the book using my US Amazon account, too. Thanks for sharing.
Oh amazing! Thank you for pre ordering, I really appreciate that. Hx
No crazy dreams that I remember. I was to exhausted from being terrified of creepy things in my bedroom to go to sleep. The proverbial something was under my bed and i slept under covers pulled up no matter the temp because it made me feel safer. When i drew my bedroom years later i realized that it was the street light filtering thru my sheer curtains that criss crossed the windows. Took me years to get over the fear of the dark and things under my bed. And no mom would not let me open the door to let the hall light in to dissipate it. Wonder what Freud would have thought of her.
Oh yes, street lights through curtains can be very spooky. I once thought my dressing gown hung on the back of my bedroom door was a giant penguin man, terrifying!
Oh no. It is odd what we think. I has a painting of my dad that i did 3x4 feet sitting in the corner on an easel. Every time I came around the corner he was staring at me startling me into thinking someone was in the house. He now stares from the garage wall. Bad right but no more being startled.
So funny you painted it yourself but it is still terrifying!
Such a beautiful painting, Helen! I love it and it talks a lot to me, because in fact I had a similar recurring dream when i was little.
A big dark wolf came out from between the heating slats in my room. Only the front paws and the head were clearly visible, the back part disappearing in fog. My father took me on his shoulders and the wolf tried to reach me. Then I woke up. I think i was about 3 when i had this dream.
Thank you for bringing back this memory.
Have you read the picture book The Wolves In the Walls by Neil Gaiman?
No i haven't! Thanks for the recommendation
I love your floating wolves.
I had a recurring childhood dream that I'd been run over by a tractor and I was in a sort of waiting room, waiting to find out whether I would go to heaven or hell. There were sepia photos of Victorian people on the walls who, in the dream, were my ancestors and they were talking to me but I couldn't hear them properly, just a muffled muttering. The dream ended with me falling downwards - v symbolic!
You conjured up the terror of certain childhood dreams perfectly!! One of my most memorable childhood dreams was of going into my parents bedroom to find a nice teacher-ish woman sitting on their bed and playing a guitar made of chocolate. The guitar was so solid and chocolate-y. It was very impressive! And not terrifying 😅
Hello Helen. Hello! I have been inspired by you to make a sub stack account after hearing you talk about it on the GoodShip - I just finished the picture book course, brilliant stuff thank you!
This post is amazing isn't it?! I think our childhood, subconscious, past lives stuff is so a part of our DNA that our creative sides cannot help but express it... dream state or on paper are two fine examples of how but I wonder there are more? It sort of fits with the born ready thought process too. Thank you for sharing (and making it free). Emma
I had a dream a few years ago where I woke up laughing and shouting "His head is all wrong" then went back to sleep.
The dream was about making a Mr Blobby costume and the kit was all wrong and there was a really tight deadline. You had to add all the spots yourself and there were too many legs so he ended up like a giant pink centipede!
I painted a picture about it at the time.
When I was a kid, I dreamt that a herd of buffalo were charging down my small neighborhood street, coming straight for me. Hmm I think I want to illustrate that! I have trouble coming up with ideas to practice with and this really helps!
Wonderful!
I used to have the spooky ones, but they were spooky because I could kind of tie them together…
I would be dreaming then I would “wake up” and see a shadow in the room, then I would start dreaming again and wake up to the same shadow now closer and think “is it trying to make me sleep?” And when I reacted I would just “wake up” to a sunny morning… no rest lol
I got goosebumps from this post. Such a great story. Maybe I’ll draw my top-hatted silent movie man from my childhood nightmares 😬 Side projects are the best kickstarters.
Top hatted silent movie man! That is so funny, I used to tell my sister that Laurel and Hardy slept under her bed and I would scare the living daylight out of both us. Those old movie stars WERE scary!