Imagine there was no Imagination

“When my imaginations get to work and, unlike sight, it makes things seem larger - the further away they are. I reproach myself for not having fully enjoyed the moment the chance had granted me; I build fantastic castles in the air, and go off roaming and wandering on the 'boundless and shoreless sea of illusion'.” (quote from Eugène Delacroix's letter written for his friend Achille Piron, Paris, 1815)

      " The betrayal of reflection" (May 2012) 

Graphites on paper

    When I woke up one day, I saw my Imagination sitting one the bed, looking at me coldly. It had decided to leave my Mind the day before, as I was insulting it with my feeble soul, saying that I was never good enough to be an artist, I was never fully creative to produce original ideas, etc. I dilated my eyes, looking at my Imagination in its white robe and empty, soulless eyes. Why did you leave me? Don't you feel weary not to have an owner? I mumbled... Who is gonna execute you on the page without my help? It does not say a thing. Yes, without me, Imagination will never live its life nor fulfill its destiny, as every imagination belongs to a specific person's, both heart and mind.

   I started to get annoyed as I left my bed and went to the toilet.

   And I saw no reflection in the mirror. None. As if someone had taken my whole body and thrown it away, except for my soul, my mind. Utterly speechless and frightened, I turned around looking for Imagination, as I saw it staring back at me, in complete weariness. Imagination is not a state of mind, some voice uttered in my head, it's you! It is as how you shape it, how you take care of it and indulge it, even. Without Imagination, a body disappeared and left in emptiness. Without it, an artist would just be a blank page without pencils, without any colour mark, without value... Whoever does not treasure their imagination does not know how to be human, or a soul alive.

   Imagination grants you with both despair and ecstasy, it brings back memories and helps you find the way to your future. Whatever the imagination is, it's yours! It's important, as for an artist, to fondle with your imagination- on a page, on a receipt, on a blank wall, etc. Write it down, fill it up in your diary, don't block it your head with negative thoughts or any prohibitions.

   Imagination is like Characteristics, they are actually best friends! Imagination leads you to discover who you are, what you are like and what dreams you are harbouring. It's like a staircase taking you to somewhere you have yet known, but “What is the point of painting something if you already know how it's gonna look like?”(Picasso). However, at least, it brings satisfaction, it gives you the happiness of sharing and knowing your own persona.  

Ps. Picked up a very erudite quote from the Bible, so true:

"Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own product." (Galatians, 6:4)