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The Danger of Dreaming

Let me first say this, despite the title of this week's post, if your dream was to get to read two brand new Matthew 13 Blog posts in two weeks, then dream on, gentle reader, because your dream is coming true!

However, not all dreams come true.  Some would say that one should be realistic about hopes and dreams, as to escape the pain of disappointment should said hopes and dreams prove to be out of reach.  I do not subscribe to that philosophy.  I think it could be just as easily argued, that the only way to accomplish great things is to have great dreams.  I do think there is a danger in dreaming, but the danger lies not in disappointment, but somewhere else.

I am definitely a dreamer.  My dream is to go from being an aspiring filmmaker, to a real life, honest to goodness filmmaker.  I don't know if that dream will come true for me, or how far I will get on the journey, but having that dream is what encourages me to try.  So, you may be asking yourself, "where for is this afore mentioned 'danger' that you spoke of"?  Good question, gentle reader.  I see our time apart has not dulled your senses one bit.

The danger of dreaming, is that dreaming is instantaneous, and perfect.  You can instantly be transported to whatever or wherever your goal is, and in many ways, enjoy the benefits of it.  What would life be like if your dreams came true?  It's fun to picture.  It can be exciting, maybe even slightly intoxicating.  However, there comes a time when the individual must stop dreaming and start working.  There in lies the hitch in this particular getty-up.

I find when I'm actually working on my dream, there are aspects of it I don't like.  I want to frame beautiful, well lit, shots of pretty actors giving brilliant performances all under the steady hand of my gentle yet steadfast direction.  I do NOT want to sit in front of the computer and list out all the props I will need, do wardrobe breakdowns, or email back and forth between actors and locations to try and get everyone in the same place at the same time.  Dreaming about it is much more fun.  All the actors are already there.  They have all the props they need.  The lighting is perfect, and I didn't have to flip a single switch.  The audio is crystal clear, and I didn't have to find someone to hold the boom pole.  As a matter a fact, there is no boom pole, or even a microphone!  Yet in my dreams it all comes together perfectly, just the way I planned it.  In many ways, when comparing my dreams to  reality, the dream is far more appealing.  But, it is just that, a dream.  It's not real.

I think that dreaming becomes a danger, when the artist becomes so attached to the dream, that they fail to make it a reality. My goal is to become a real life, honest to goodness, filmmaker.  In order to do that, I have to do some real life, honest to goodness, work.  I'm going to have to do things that are tedious, and boring, and that I would rather not do.  I have calendars to consult, I have emails to write, I have phone calls to make, and if I don't get an answer, calls to make again.  I have to take those dreams and put them to work in the real world, where they may not be as pretty, and where they will have flaws, but where they will become real.  And isn't that the whole idea in the first place?  To make something real, that we can share with others?

We all need have our dreams, and to find things that inspire us.  We just need to be careful not to stop there.  We need that inspiration to turn into perspiration.  Then, and only then, will we see our dreams come true.

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