“Dream of Flight,” has special meaning for me, and I felt it was important to contact you regarding the reason I purchased a print.
My boyfriend is incredibly smart, creative and soulful. He has a master’s degree in private security, holds 7th degree black-belts in five different forms of martial arts, he’s a certified electrician and he speaks four different languages. He also happens to be schizophrenic.
There was a movie, based on a true story, called A Beautiful Mind that did a great job of helping neuro-typicals understand the complexity of this type of mental illness, but it wasn’t until I saw this painting that I realized a single image could as well.
The painting suggests that “normal” people doubt the dreams or abilities of inventors, but it is the “mad” scientists who envision a new way of doing things. Not only do these “wacky” personalities dream it, they can manifest their visions. Some of the most famous Renaissance men, leaders, artists, theorists, inventors, musicians and mathematicians were/are mentally ill. Or should they be referred to as mentally gifted; seeing things in a way we mere mortals can’t.
I think someday experts will say that we’re all on a continuum of mental illness in some fashion or another. The only difference between imagination and hallucination is the later takes place in the region of the brain that also produces nightmares. When I think about being jarred awake by some of my most horrifying dreams, I can’t believe my boyfriend could function in a never-ending nightmare, much less get a master’s degree while voices are telling him to do unimaginable things.
To me, “Dream of Flight” is a celebration of people who see things that aren’t there. And instead of being afraid of their visions they investigate them and seek solutions that could change life in a way “normal” people are incapable of. When I asked my boyfriend how he’s managed to accomplish so much despite the challenges, he said, “because I wanted to become the type man who could attract a woman like you.” Sweeter words have never been spoken.
Thanks for creating a piece of work that honors the minds of extraordinary people, like my guy.
