梦想激发创造力

　　Dream-inspired creativity

　　梦想激发创造力

　　By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use a number of different creative writing techniques.

　　NEW AGE ARTIST: We live in an age of innovation, when creativity is of increasing value. Not only is creativity important for artists and writers, but also for those who work in professions such as science, architecture, and business. Creative thinkers change the world, and for those who want to make their mark, finding new methods of being creative can be the key to success. Some say that dreams are one place to find inspiration for creativity. According to research, people who are creative and imaginative are more likely to have vivid dreams at night and to remember them when they wake up.

　　NEW AGE ARTIST1: These dreams can serve as the inspiration for creative activities such as art, poetry, music and even science. In fact, dreams have been directly responsible for some very famous artistic¹ works and scientific innovations. Have you heard of Frankenstein? Well, in 1816, Mary Shelley, the author of this famous horror story, visited the poet Lord Byron at his villa² beside Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Rain and wind kept them indoors most of the time, so they amused themselves by reading an old book of ghost stories.

　　NEW AGE ARTIST2: One evening, Byron challenged his guests to each write one themselves. According to Shelley, she had a vivid dream about a character that later became the monster in her book Frankenstein.

　　MARY SHELLEY: "When I placed my head upon my pillow, I did not sleep, nor could I be said to think. I saw with shut eyes, but acute mental vision-I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous³ 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."

　　NEW AGE ARTIST: Nineteenth century chemist Dimitri Mendeleyev also was inspired by a dream. He fell asleep as music was being played in the next room. As he dreamed, it became understood to him that the basic chemical elements are all related to each other in a manner similar to the themes and phrases in music. He awoke, and he was able to write out for the first time the entire periodic table, which forms the basis of modern chemistry. Paul McCartney, famous songwriter and member of one of the most popular bands of all time, the Beatles, wrote the song "Yesterday" after hearing it in a dream.

　　PAUL MCCARTNEY: "I woke up with a lovely tune⁴ in my head. I thought, 'That's great, I wonder what that is There was an upright piano next to me, to the right of the bed by the window. I got out of bed, sat at the piano, found G, found F sharp minor⁵ seventh and that leads you through then to B to E minor, and finally back to E.

　　PAUL MCCARTNEY1: It all leads forward logically. I liked the melody a lot, but because I'd dreamed it, I couldn't believe I'd written it. I thought, 'No, I've never written anything like this before... But I had the tune, which was the most magical thing!"

　　NEW AGE ARTIST: There are many other instances of dreams inspiring creativity. Albert Einstein worked out his principle of relativity after dreaming about sledding on a mountainside. Elias Howe found the solution to a problem he was having with his invention, the sewing machine, in a dream. Golfer Jack⁶ Nicklaus found a new way to hold his golf club in a dream, which he used to improve his golf game. And Samuel Taylor Coleridge claimed to have visualized⁷ his famous poem, Kubla Kahn, in a dream, but was interrupted by a visitor from Porlock while in the process of writing it.

　　NEW AGE ARTIST1: Kubla Khan, only fifty four lines long, was never completed. And on a side note, "Person from Porlock", is today a literary reference to unwanted intruders. Kubla Kahn may not be the complete version that Coleridge had dreamed about, but it is one of the most famous poems in literature. You see, dreams can inspire creativity which leads to greatness. Anyone can learn to use them for inspiration.

　　NEW AGE ARTIST2: Try keeping a dream journal. Write down the dreams you remember as soon as you wake up. You might find something that sparks a creative idea, or, save the writings for later. Then come back to them and see how they inspire you. In time, you'll learn how to find interesting answers in your dreams and you'll be on your way to a more creative way of expressing yourself.

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