The must from within

what a Dream Project feels like

You’ve felt it before.

The inclination to pick up a pen and write.

To sign up for a pottery class.

To nail a few boards together and make a bench.

You’ve wondered:

What is the name of that plant?

What would it be like to have a painting in a gallery?

What would the sheet of a sailboat feel like in my hands?

Not everyone feels this. Plenty of people go through their lives happily fulfilled with meaning and purpose without wondering how to turn their grandmother's story into a book, if the monster metaphor would work in this screenplay, or if using an oblique dip pen would be better than a cartridge pen for the calligraphy on the sign you’re making.

But you do.

Because you're different.

You have a thing you want to do and you haven’t done it yet. You have an idea that wants to be made. A dream of how you spend your time outside of (maybe even unrelated to) what you currently do. You have a pull, a call, a tug on your soul that says, “I am missing something in my life.”

You have a Dream Project.

Dream Projects are a manifestation of desire - something inside of you that longs to come out. It’s not a want, lust, should, or could. It is a must. The thing without which you don’t feel yourself.

No one is going to force us to do our Dream Projects. Dream Projects usually begin and end with you. It is internally motivated. You are the keeper of the idea and whether or not you try to make it real is up to you.

No one is going to force you to do it. There is no logical reason to do it (usually). Other people will make fun of you and say, “What’s the point?” And often there is no point other than, “I want to. I can’t *not* do it.” 

Dream Projects start with a feeling and they make us wonder.

You can’t understand why you can’t shake the idea. You may have carried the idea with you for years, but have never been able to discard it. Maybe you’ve even started on it – many times – but feel like your effort has fallen short of what the idea deserves.

A Dream Project burns in your heart. You think about it constantly. You daydream about it. You want to talk about it. You’ve even gotten started on it. 

It possesses you, like an itch you must scratch. As Cheryl Strayed says, “You will feel like you have to restore equilibrium” or else “What if” will haunt you.

Dream Projects come with a sense that you must do this thing. Not have to. Not necessarily want to. Certainly not should. But must. The must comes from within. There are stakes. It feels like there will be consequences, like you’ll take a personal hit, maybe feel a little less like you, if you don’t do this thing. Dream Projects bubble up from inside. The motivation is personal.

Dream Projects don’t necessarily make sense. Most people don’t think about their Dream Project and say, “Oh yeah, that’s a logical thing for me to do.” The opposite. You may be viewed as being “irresponsible” or “wasteful” when you pull on the thread.

You catch a Dream Project like you catch a cold. You’re not always sure where it came from, but you’ve certainly got one.

There’s a feeling.

It’s different for each of us. 

An inkling

An itch

A niggling in the ribs

A hint

A nagging feeling

A burning in your heart

A curiosity

A question

A deep certainty 

A desire

A vision

A belief

A hunch

A quickening

An instant knowing

An instant unknowing 

Like you

Self-honoring

Lightening

Calm

Excitement 

Preoccupation

Peace 

Kristin once stayed up until 3 AM because she was having too much fun figuring out how to make digital collages in Photoshop. Why? We dunno. She saw some images that she wanted to mash together. So she watched some YouTube videos and figured out how to do it. Next thing she knew there was a gigantic orange wildflower next to a couple of little black bears and a can of wine. It looked kind of cool. So she made another one.

It’s this sense like, I gotta go see about a thing.

There was no business plan.

There was no commercial interest.

There was only savoring and enjoying.

There was only thirst.

You start and then it’s like double dutch. Your feet are moving and the ropes are swinging but you’re not totally sure how to explain to someone how it works or how to get in or how to get out. It’s just something you’re doing.

You find yourself doing a thing. Or you find yourself stopping yourself from doing a thing.

You’re toying with the idea of doing a thing. Twirling your hair thinking about it.

What happens if you simply let yourself do it? A small piece. A first step. Ten minutes of tinkering.

I gotta go see about a thing.

What happens when you do?

We’re moving! Brainstorm Road is living under new management. Starting in January, Brainstorm Road will be brought to you by Rick Kitagawa and called The Brave Artist Community. Rick has been the Community Lead (and a member) of Brainstorm Road for the last few years. He’s responsible for everything great that happens behind the scenes. His company will take the reins and we are thrilled about it.

More on this change and what it means for you in two weeks :)