Dreams and great fiction
Posted: May 15, 2014 Filed under: All's Well That Ends Well, Book of Sand 2 CommentsOnly once in my life have I had the slightest impression, during a dream, that I was dreaming. Jarom, on the other hand, always – or nearly always – knows he’s dreaming (known as lucid dreams). One of my friends even has a “pause” feature in her dreams when something doesn’t line up with reality, so she can explain to herself that it’s ok in a dream.
I, on the other hand, have incredibly vivid dreams in which I am completely immersed. For me they are reality while I’m dreaming. Sometimes this is not so great; as a kid and even for the first few years after I got married, I’d dream that there were spiders or bugs in my bed and wake up (partly – enough to scream and thoroughly freak out) to get away. Other times my day is colored by the feeling of my dream.
Until recently I felt guilty for being so strongly impacted by dreams. When I’m awake I know they aren’t real, and realize that many of the elements just didn’t make sense, and yet I was getting wistful and a little disappointed that the dream didn’t continue. I wanted to experience the rest of the story.
Then it occurred to me that the way I feel during a dream is similar to the way I feel when reading a really great book for the first time. Good examples for me are The Name of the Wind and Inkheart, both of which I read without stopping on fantastically enjoyable late nights. Even though I love rereading these books, there’s nothing quite like the first read – getting to know the characters and watch the story unfold. Although in an especially good book, it seems more like participating in the story than watching it.
Aha! That’s what my dreams are like. They are new stories I’m participating in for the first time. There are repeating elements, of course, but this only lends to the sensation that all of my dreams are simply chapters in a very large book, and they are related to a single overarching plot. By my estimate, until about 2010, 1 in every 5 of my dreams took place in the ballet studio I danced in growing up. Given how much time I spent there, it makes sense that so many of my dreams used it as a setting. Even in the past few months I’ve dreamed I was back at the studio – this time as an adult, awkwardly trying to resume dancing after so many years. High school is another frequent setting, although here again I am cast as an adult – married! – finishing a few high school classes after graduating college and having kids. My identity as a college graduate, wife, and mother always plays into these dreams, as does a theme of having forgotten about a class I was taking (usually calculus or AP physics). I also often dream I’m in a large grocery store, a combination of Costco and my local supermarket, and there is drama of varying sorts. Interestingly, Evan and June rarely show up in my dreams (so far), but Jarom has been a frequent character for the past . . . 14 years.
Last night I dreamt that one of my friends was setting up a practice as a dentist, that I had a puppy named Mel, and that I helped host a dinner party which somehow involved watercolors. These are just a few basic elements of the dream, of course; the plot isn’t there – only some facts that provide a sort of framework for the actual story.
Having realized why I enjoy dreaming so much, I don’t feel quite so guilty about being grouchy when someone wakes me up right in the middle of a fascinating dream.
What do you dream about?
What you should know about… working with a freelance graphic designer
Posted: May 14, 2014 Filed under: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Leave a commentby Alie Jones.
So, full disclosure here: I’m primarily a mother, not a freelance graphic designer. It turns out you can’t graduate with a degree in Motherhood from BYU just yet, but Graphic Design is an option. So I graduated with my fancy art degree, and became a mother shortly thereafter. And the balance isn’t exactly, well, balanced. It’s a work in progress.
But! I still take a freelance graphic design job occasionally, and my big project right now (alongside growing another human in my belly) is for my dad’s new restaurant, When Pigs Fly BBQ. I’ve helped him grow his little business from the ground up with everything from the logo, menu boards, letterheads, business cards, and catering menus. I’ve even designed napkin dispenser inserts, EZ-Up canopies, t-shirts and banners. (For other clients, I design ordinary things like logos, websites, and wedding invitations. Designing for a restaurant isn’t the norm.)
Sorry, I got off on a tangent. Let’s get to Mika’s real question: What should you know about working with a freelance graphic designer? This is all my personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. Or an entire Morton salt shaker, whatever suits your fancy. I’ll break it down a little bit:
1 // My number one tip is please don’t just find ANY graphic designer, take the extra time to find a designer whose work you admire and connect with. Make sure the style you want to end up with is similar to the work they’ve done in the past. It’s easier on both of us, I promise!
2 // Have some sort of idea of what you want for your design before you hire us. Shortly after our initial correspondence, I often have clients send me visuals or create a pinterest board with designs and elements they like. This helps me get an instant feel for the specific style they’re looking for.
3 // My professors always told us: as a designer you can be two of these three: fast, cheap, or great. But you can’t be all three. (See infographic here.) Enough said.
4 // I’ve been burned a couple times by flakey clients. I now set up a contract and require 25-50% down-payment before I even begin working. Some designers work hourly, but (depending on the project) I usually work for a flat-rate. I find with smaller projects like logos and wedding invitations, you guys like to know upfront what it’s going to cost.
5 // Trust your instincts, but please trust ours as well! We’re professionals and we’ve got the eyes to know what looks good where. There’s always a balance to be found between the two of us. (This really goes back to number one though – I feel strongly that if you’ve chosen the right designer, the magic will come easily.)
So that about sums it up. Questions? Comments? Want to work with me? Check out my blog (click on art + design on the left) or instagram for work I’ve done in the past.
Thanks for having me, Mika!
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Editor’s note: this is the first in a series of posts aiming to draw on our collective knowledge and enrich our understanding of how things work. I was put in touch with Alie through a mutual friend when I first found out that Christian wouldn’t live – Alie’s sweet baby girl Amelia was born with anencephaly in 2012. Alie gave me some great advice about preparing for Christian’s birth and death and coping with life after loss.
Contributors wanted
Posted: May 13, 2014 Filed under: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 2 Comments
Sometimes I just want to shake people and say, “Come on! Have some sense! Don’t you know that _______?” The blank there could be anything from “that’s the wrong ‘your'” to “potatoes take longer to cook than that!” (the latter is usually shouted while watching Chopped).
So I thought maybe other people have similar outbursts. Wouldn’t it be great if we could share our common sense, or our knowledge of specialized fields with each other?
Given that the answer is a yes, I’ve approached a few people about writing for a column here to enlighten us. Topics I’ve suggested so far include having twins, audiology, and raising imaginative children, among others.
I’m completely open to ideas for further topics. What do you wish people knew? Is there some misinformation you wish you could correct? What’s unique to you that you’d like to share your knowledge about? Posts can be long or short, witty or serious, very specific or very general in nature.
If you’re interested or have a topic request, please comment below or email me!
Update: I’ve had more than 20 people enthusiastically agree to contribute since I started asking yesterday evening, and the first post will be up tomorrow! Are you as excited as I am about this project?
Jarom
Mika
hilleries 
