Jackson Pollack said this to me on August 2, 1998.
My wife was playing croquet or something on a plantation in Savannah. It was some type of garden party.
The names Adelle and Adrian were there, either as characters or offering the information.
There were also an Arthur and an Archer who said – or perhaps, it was Jackson Pollack himself, I think it was, said, “Tell Tom, Dream Big, the stairs (steps) are small.”
It was important that I get the message. It was told directly to her.
This was right in the middle of my “110 Dreams in 101 Days” phase and I did not count it as one of the dreams at the time; for a reason now I cannot recall.
But this is how important dreams and their messages are to me. I take everything to heart, especially when they come so directly and pointedly with intention for me to pay attention.
My initial interpretation would be to see that a painter whom I admired, told my wife, a muse, to make sure I dream big enough at this stage in my life. Having come from an unconventional painter, I assume I should do an unconventional project, in a unique way.
The steps/stairs were literal, one step at a time, and small steps. I was in the middle of a huge tumultuous time in my life. My parents had both passed away; I lost my job of 20 years and was seeking a new one; I quit drinking; I removed myself from my family who had squabbles about the estate that I didn’t want anything to do with, so at this point I had not been speaking to them for two years; I was facing a meltdown with all this loss about me, no family except my dear wife and precious sons who stood by me and defended me unconditionally; and the turmoil, any aspect of it, was new to me. I had never dealt with death, separation, alcoholism, unemployment, a sense of not belonging anywhere to anything or anyone, and suddenly I had to face every one of them head on, undeniably, inescapably. I had 3 sons, the latest just 3 years old and my whole past seemed to be wiped out, while my whole future was vague, shaky and unknown, to say the least.
So the statement to “dream big,” was telling me to get way out of my comfort zone, further than I’d ever imagined, just like the situation I was in; and deal with the largeness of it in “small steps” or “stairs” as in moving upward, carefully.
But this is not even pointing out the other aspects of the dream; my wife, the garden party in Savannah, croquet, and the whole list of characters with names all beginning with A; as if to point out steps like an alphabet, simplified, chronological and each special and unique.
I never really studied Pollack either, but a very close friend of mine who painted in his style, died young from cirrhosis of the liver in trying to emulate the artist’s life, leaving me with a painting in my office titled, “Midnight Funk Association.” A connection, but leading me nowhere.
Again, this is the way I do interpretations, in stages, with my initial reactions coming first; then through the use of tools, I guide the meaning to an amicable conclusion by looking at location, characters, messages, feeling tone, etc.
I hope to show you dear readers how to break down dreams and how they uncover aspects of my life through their analysis. I would enjoy your comments, input and interpretations on any of these topics.
DreamTom 