News & Events Project Magazine

Dreams are an intimate part of the human experience. These messengers from the beyond

play a mysterious role in the evolution of human development, personal expression, and

cultural identity. They can raise the consciousness of the masses, and influence the direction

of future generations. It is in the realm of dreams where resolutions to waking conflicts, and answers to challenging questions can be found.

Throughout life’s journey, the dream and the dreamer are faithful companions. The dream propels the dreamer forth towards the world of the invisible so that it may become visible. It whispers stories to the writer, sings to the musician, pushes the paint on the artist’s brush, inspires the philosopher, inventor, and guides scientific breakthroughs. Without dream’s

infinite realm of possibilities, life would be colorless, formless, and silent.

Dreams can help to remind us that when we surrender to the universal force that surrounds

us, anything is possible. Dreams will push against the fabric of limitation, and break the seams of disbelief in order for our greatest potential to express itself. They can heal uncertainty, and

offer strength in times of doubt.

While we traverse the subconscious terrains of our imagination, our dreams trace the outline

of our life’s purpose and guide us on our individual journeys. They offer a stage upon which experiences can be rehearsed, visualized, and eventually actualized. They give us permission

to express suppressed feelings, face fears, and have access to forgotten memories. They are

a well for creative inspiration, and give birth to our most personal visions, our deepest truths,

and raise the level at which we live our daily lives. Dreams can be our muse, and contribute to our health via intuitive insights. The spirit understands these symbolic images intimately, and makes our inner voice readily accessible.

When we dream, our life blossoms, and we can access a sphere of great potentiality. In

our waking hours, we become responsive to their teachings, and can understand the forces

that prompt us towards our life’s calling. Certain things resonate within, and we feel drawn

towards particular people, places, and events that are in alignment with our greater purpose.

As humans, we are designed to dream and express ourselves creatively. Dreams are

perhaps the most magical realm that resides within us. Many individuals are brilliant

visionaries, and their work invites the viewer to throw open the gates of the unknown.

The creations of Hieronymus Bosh, René Magritte, Salvador Dali, M.C. Escher, Lewis Carroll, etc… enable us to pause, and consider alternative perspectives. There is much

more to our world then what we perceive through our primary senses, and they help to

remind us of that. They reintroduce us to an imagination we so naturally possessed in

our childhood.

These artists, and countless others, have been a great inspiration to me throughout my life.

I enjoy inhabiting a space where the limitations of reality do not apply. A clock can melt and

still tell time. A man can have an apple as a head, and still wear a stylish hat … anything is possible. The rules of our world simply evaporate. The dreams reflected in their work still

live on today, and continue to inspire future generations.

For as long as I can remember, I have been extremely passionate about the Arts. Drawing, Painting, and Story Telling were all important, and enjoyable parts of my childhood. The

world of dreams was as real to me as that which surrounded me. My parents encouraged,

and nurtured my desire for creative expression. This offered me deep comfort, solace and

joy. It fueled and energized my days.

That feeling has never left me, and I would admittedly be lonesome without its companionship. There is great pleasure when the creative energy flows through your being and reveals itself before your eyes. It freely shares its many faces, characters, and the stories it longs to tell.

The experience of creating images is a sort of communion with an energy I cannot name nor describe. I welcome it, respect it, and feel moved by its urgency and excitement. I never cease

to be surprised by what pours from the tip of a brush, or pen. It is a curious delight to discover worlds that defy reality, and permit all things to be true for that moment in time.

In my personal work, it is not unusual for me to begin with a particular vision, and have

it transform into something quite different from what I had initially intended. I see this as

evidence that most creative endeavors are prompted by the subconscious mind and the

unseen. I simply become a vehicle through which it can express itself.

Many years ago, I had debated whether to pursue Alternative Medicine, Psychology, or the

Fine Arts. I finale decided to make the Arts my career, and was fortunate to be selected

as the recipient of the "Hamille Textiles Scholarship Award" to attend Ryerson University's 

"Fashion Design" program in Toronto, Canada. At the time, my ambition was to become a Costume Designer for the Theatre, or the Film Industry. I then realized my true passion was

for Illustration, Design, and Communications, and went on to earn my Bachelors Degree in "Communication & Design" at the Ontario College of Art & Design (O.C.A.D.).

Thereafter, in 1994, I established my freelance agency‚ PhenoManon Illustration, Design

and Multimedia and have since worked on a wide variety of commercial illustrations,

animations, multimedia, and design projects. I have also participated in solo and group

Art Exhibits, and sold décor pieces in a variety of stores.

I feel privileged that my career involves me in creative projects on a daily basis, as well as

the pleasure and companionship of fellow dreamers. There is no greater joy as an artist,

than to receive feedback that one of your pieces made someone smile, or inspired them

in some way. I feel humbled to be part of someone else’s creative journey, as countless individuals are forever a part of mine.

My passion for Dreams and the Arts will never cease, and I hope to be in their presence

for the rest of my days. What would life be without them? They are the force behind

our inspirations, yearnings, passions, and drive us towards what is most precious and

meaningful in our lives. Every human being on earth is gifted in a unique way. Though

we all dream, the landscapes we visit in our minds are as varied and infinite as our

individual imaginations. It is there that all is possible, and our deepest calling can find

a door through which it can unfold, take shape, and emerge to have a life of its own.

Dreams can be our greatest teachers, and reveal responses to questions we cannot answer

in our waking state. The human mind too often needs to control and predict an outcome,

thus limiting potentialities very quickly. It is the dream state that affords us an abundance of possibilities through which we can then gravitate and attain the things we were born to do.

There is no limit to what the spirit can strive for, and manifest. It is our life’s song to surrender

our energy towards its attainment.

  “Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

  hath had elsewhere its setting, and cometh from afar”

  – William Wordsworth

I believe in times of difficulty, when a dream is abandoned, it never abandons you. You may

lose your faith, but it will always believe in you. It may be forgotten, but it will never forget you.

The universal dream resides within us all. You are an expression of the great beyond, the unknown’s dream made flesh. You are the dream.

by Manon Gosselin