Zhou (Joy) Zhou

Is There a Connection Between Nightmares and Creativity?

Most children have nightmares in their childhood, and I am no exception. I always dream of many strange things. For example, Disney Princess, which everyone likes very much, will become a killer in my dream. Lovely dolls will secretly watch you while you are sleeping and plan to kill you. Ghosts and monsters are also frequent visitors in my dreams. The amusement park I always go to becomes the devil’s home. The clowns who make me laugh become ugly and terrifying. The delicious food in the refrigerator is always mysteriously missing because there are starving ghosts stealing it.

After I learned how to draw, I began to describe my dreams. Although children always drew some horrible things that made people feel strange, after I began having nightmares, I began to accept them, and was no longer afraid. I even began to feel that these were my inspiration sources and I needed them. So I wanted to share my nightmares with you in my capstone.

View the video of Joy’s process.