Traveling By Elephant

A lot happened in this dream, but this was the part that sticks most in my head.  I was trekking between two countries, trying to deliver a message to someone. I was crossing a range of purplish mountains, traveling down a narrow road, riding an elephant. The elephant was decorated with red silk and had a saddle on him. It was a clear, starry night with a full moon. There was no sense of urgency at all, just calm as I absorbed the beauty of my surroundings. There was a slight breeze blowing, and the faint sounds of wildlife in the background, but beyond that, everything was silent.  It was really beautiful and peaceful.

This is an open contest.  If you would like to submit artwork for this dream, click "Submit Artwork" on the right side of the screen.  Be sure to mention the name "Traveling By Elephant" somewhere in your email.  Leave comments for the author in the comments section below.  Submitted by queenz22.

Announcement - Contests Will Stay Open

Hey there!  Just thought I'd make the announcement that until I get a little more activity on the site, all contests will remain open.  I think it would be pretty silly to close a contest despite it having no entries.  In the future, a dream will stay open until at least two entries are submitted (or until three days passes, whichever happens last).

Don't forget to submit your dreams or artwork!

Little Girl in the Rocking Chair

The old wooden house was entirely abandoned. I was seeking something – what it was, I'm not sure. I climbed up the stairs, checking each room... I could hear muttering, strange muttering in the distance that I couldn't understand. I began to feel uneasy, but I couldn't stop my searching. I opened the door, and there she was, in the corner. She was only maybe five years old, hidden behind a curtain of dark hair so that I couldn't see her face. She was sitting on a pretty little pink rocking chair with yellow painted butterflies on the side... just rocking, back and forth. She was speaking backwards. I couldn't understand anything. The room was dark and sheer white curtains quivered in the icy breeze from the open window. I was paralyzed with fear as she continued speaking – it was as though I couldn't move. Then, I heard a hundred little shrieks behind me. Bats. She was commanding them in her small voice, speaking backwards to them, telling them to tear into my flesh. They did. My screaming was drowned out by theirs as I fell to the ground and they bit and ripped into me. She rocked calmly in place, no longer speaking, letting them feast.

This is an open contest.  If you would like to submit artwork for this dream, click "Submit Artwork" on the right side of the screen.  Be sure to mention the name "Little Girl in the Rocking Chair" somewhere in your email.  Leave comments for the author in the comments section below.  Submitted by Anna.

Snow White, Revisited

Snow White stood at the very edge of a cliff, surrounded by the crumbling pillars of the castle that once stood there. The chasm before her was deep and endless, rocks jutting towards the sky dangerously below her. Her eyes shone with her newfound strength as the wind tangled in her once jet black hair. No trace of black remained; instead, her hair was a deep forest green, a product of her transformation. No longer did the naïve and innocent Snow White cower in fear of her powerful stepmother. No, Snow White was now powerful herself.

Arms raised toward the dark sky, she focused on the dark hovering object before her – the instrument of her power. Floating in the air was a dark chandelier of sorts, throwing an eerie purplish light over her and the ground beneath her feet. It was through this that she siphoned her power from the skies. It was through this that she would be able to defeat her evil stepmother. Stripping herself of her innocence, she instead donned a cloak of sheer power. A small part of her feared that she would be consumed by it, but a larger part of her embraced it. She would no longer be hated for her beauty, but for her strength.

This is an open contest.  If you would like to submit artwork for this dream, click "Submit Artwork" on the right side of the screen.  Be sure to mention the name "Snow White, Revisited" somewhere in your email.  Leave comments for the author in the comments section below.  Submitted by Kelly.

Drawing Your Dream

Drawing Your Dream is a project aimed to help both writers and artists improve themselves and get their work seen. The general concept is that writers describe a scene from a dream that they've had, and artists try to capture that scene as accurately and creatively as possible. Once all the submissions are in, a vote takes place, and the winning artist finds him or herself in the Winner's Gallery, along with a short bio and information on where to buy or see more of his or her artwork. It is a good way for artists to not only get exposure, but to challenge themselves.

Why dreams? Dreams are almost magical things, where nothing makes sense. Although they may be vivid to us – almost real, even – it's rarely something that can truly be shared with others. It takes a skilled writer to take that very solitary experience and put it into words well enough that another person can envision it. Writers can get a true sense of their descriptive powers by comparing what they saw in their sleep to what an artist comes up with based on their description.

If you've had a dream recently that you'd like to see come to life, click here to submit one.

If you're an artist and you'd like to take on drawing someone's dream, and maybe even make it into the Winner's Gallery, check out the Open Contests page on the right and pick one! Then send your artwork to drawingyourdream@gmail.com.  Make sure to name the dream you're submitting it for!

ALL kinds of visual artwork are accepted. Just send a photo or video of your final product.

NOTE:  I give artists three days to submit work for a dream before I post any of them.  This is to make voting fair for everyone.  You'll get an email letting you know when your artwork is up and the contest is open for voting!  Voting then goes on for 24 hours before a winner is announced.