“The thing I hate most about advertising is that it attracts all the
 young, bright, creative people, leaving us with only the slow and 
self-obsessed to become our artists. Modern art is a disaster area.  
Never in human history has so much been used by so many to say so 
little.” – Banksy

Banksy voices a common lament and he is recycling ideas from the previous century. Ironically his artwork is a coy recycling of old visual ideas as well.

When times are good, a person with very modest abilities can make quite a nice living in the sales-support industries. The wheels of commerce must be kept decoratively greased. However, in the best of times barely a soul can make anything resembling a career within the Arts.

There is no shortage of talent. Talent is as common as salt. There is not a lack of talent, but within the Arts there is a lack of support. Talent is a commodity, and just like oil or electricity it is distributed to those that are willing to pay for it. There is so much talent in the Arts and so little support for creative endeavors that only rare individuals can attract sufficient supporters to survive. Sooner or later, most of the successful will drift into other areas of endeavor to make a living. Most employment opportunities don’t require talent, they require showing up on time and going through the repetitive daily routines of industry.

Only the most neurotic and driven individuals will persist in the Arts. These quirky personality disorders are not necessarily connected to talent and internal turmoil often stifle growth and development.

Researchers assure us that all humanoids have dreams. We share this trait with a wide variety of other creatures as well. Many of our dreams are quite disturbing and some people remember them in great detail. Other dreams fade upon awakening.

Often our perceptions are colored by the apparent reality of vivid dreams. It has been hypothesized that some mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, provoke behavior patterns based on the inability to distinguish between dreams and reality. The dreams continue while awake, and dreams become a living nightmare.

There has been much thought and study given to the shapes and forms of dreams. These fragmentary images have been analyzed for meaning since earliest humanoid history. Our major religions are based on little more than dreams, fantasies, hunches, and wishful thinking. The lack of evidence of any tangible reality has not lessened their impact on behavior in our culture. Perception of reality can be so tainted with the power of dreamy myths that facts and logic become irrelevant. We are encouraged to participate in the splendor of cultural diversity, but when others conduct their lives based upon bronze-age campfire stories, it becomes difficult to respect their beliefs and opinions.

The Good Doctor has often included dream imagery in his work. Please share your dream images, which he may shape into artwork.